Bonhams
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The Headlines
READY YOUR PADDLES!Back in May,Ernie Barnes’s exhilaratingThe Sugar Shack(1976) painting soared past its $150,000 low estimate atChristie’sto finish at $15.3 millionwith fees. His estate subsequentlysigned onto work withAndrew KrepsandOrtuzar Projectsin New York. Now another one of his works is coming up for sale.Bonhamswill feature hisSolid Rock Congregation(1993)—an action-packed scene at a Black church service—ina single-lot saleon September 9 at its New York branch,Barron’sreports. It is estimated to sell for $500,000 to $700,000. The work was commissioned by gospel singerMargaret Bell, who can be seen wielding a mic in it.
Related Articles
Why Climate Activists Are Gluing Themselves to Paintings Across the U.K.
Environmental Activists Have Glued Themselves to More Paintings in U.K. — Frame Damaged
BINDING AGREEMENTS.At some point this is going tostop being news, but climate activists withJust Stop Oilalighted at another art museum in the United Kingdom on Tuesday and glued themselves to the frame ofanother famous artwork. This time it was the copy ofLeonardo da Vinci‘sThe Last Supperat theRoyal Academy of Artsin London that is attributed toGiampietrinoandGiovanni Antonio Boltraffioand dated to around 1515–20, CNNreports. The action also involved spray-painting “No New Oil” on a gallery wall. One protestor was quoted saying, “If the directors of this gallery really believe that art has the power to change the world then I demand that they claim that power, close, and refuse to open until the government commits to no new oil.”
The Digest
Philadelphia officials are facing criticism for selectingWesley Wofford, a white male artist, to create a statue ofHarriet Tubmanwithout holding an open call, which protestors said would havedrawn a diverse array of applicants. “If it was an open call and Wesley was chosen, it would be fine,” artistDee Jonessaid. “But because the process wasn’t open, that’s the big issue.”[The Philadelphia Inquirer]
British abstract painterJadé Fadojutimi, a star of the currentVenice Biennale, has come aboard theGagosiangallery. Fadojutimi will still be repped byGalerie Gisela Capitain, of Cologne, Germany, andTaka Ishii Gallery, of Tokyo, and is leaving London’sPippy Houldsworthgallery.[ARTnews]
Sotheby’swill offer a 76 million-year-oldGorgosaurusskeleton later this month in New York with a $5 million low estimate.[The Associated Press/Bloomberg]
Chanel’s latest runway show in Paris featured set design by artistXavier Veilhan, who installed a large silver mobile as part of the affair. “It had guests—includingMarion CotillardandKeira Knightley—gawping,”Thomas Adamsonwrites.[The Associated Press]
More than 200 masks that the artistRuth Asawamade of members of her community inSan Franciscoare going on view today at theCantor Arts CenteratStanford University, which acquired them two years ago. They look great.[The Art Newspaper]
The Kicker
PUSHING SOME BUTTONS.After aBanksymural that was affixed to his home in Lowestoft, England, was removed and sold, graphic designerJoe Thompsondecided to replace it witha piece that depicts a vending machinestocked with copies of the vanished work,BBC Newsreports. “Part of me thought, well, if that’s what they want, maybe we need a vending machine where they can just press a few buttons and Banksys can just keep coming out,” he said. That sounds like just the kind of artwork that the wily street artist would love.[BBC News]
