Museoreinasofia/Wikimedia
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The Headlines
POLICE BLOTTER.The San Francisco gallery ownercaught on videospraying water from a hose on a homeless woman outside his storefront has beencharged with misdemeanor battery, according toKRON4. The man,Collier Gwin, initially defended his actions, but later apologized. “The alleged battery of an unhoused member of our community is completely unacceptable,” the city’s district attorney,Brooke Jenkins, said. Meanwhile, a former employee of theNew Bedford Whaling Museumin Massachusetts has beencharged with stealing artifactsworth more than $75,000 from its collection, theStandard-Timesreports. The suspect was arrested after selling material to an area coin and jewelry buyer, who became suspicious, found the items on the museum’s website, and contacted police. Collection digitization efforts: They pay off!
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THE TOP JOB.After 15 years as director of theMuseo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofíain Madrid,Manuel Borja-Villelsaid that he willnot put his name forwardfor a fourth term,El Paísreports. Borja-Villel has been with Spain’s national museum of modern and contemporary art since 2008, and has won both praise and criticism for his politically engaged programming. Artists celebrated in exhibitions during his tenure includedMartín Ramírez,Nancy Spero,Paul Thek,Rosemarie Trockel, and many more. Departing his post at the end of this week, Borja-Villel will next focus on co-curating the 2023São Paulo Bienal, which will open in September. The selection process for his successor in the post—one of the world’s most prestigious—will begin February 1. Good luck to all applicants.
The Digest
The estate of artist WinfredRembert, who died in 2021, will now be represented by powerhouseHauser & WirthandFort Gansevoort, which has spaces in New York and Los Angeles. Rembertposthumously wonaPulitzer Prizefor his memoir last year, and his paintings on carved leather are increasingly in demand.[ARTnews]
An amethyst cross worn byPrincess Dianaat various times was purchased by a rep forKim Kardashianat aSotheby’sauction on Wednesday for £163,800 (about $202,000). The 1920s pendant was created by jewelry designerGarrardand loaned to the princess by businessmanNaim Attallah.[The Guardian]
The nextMet Gala’s co-chairs are screenwriter and actressMichaela Coel, actressPenélope Cruz, tennis kingRoger Federer, singerDua Lipa, andVoguechiefAnna Wintour. The May 1 event’s dress code: “In honor ofKarl Lagerfeld,” the late designer who is the subject of the show opening that night at the Met’sCostume Institute.[The Associated Press]
These are dark days in the NFT market, and journalistNate Freemanlooked at the state of play. One development: Last year, a venture calledUnsellablestarted buying NFTs that are essentially worthless for a penny, allowing their sellers to take a tax write-off.[Vanity Fair]
QuarterbackTom Bradyappears to be a fan of the latestYayoi Kusama–Louis Vuittoncollaboration. The Tampa Bay Buccaneer was recently spotted carrying a bag from the collection; his ex-wife, modelGisele Bündchen, stars in the advertising campaign for the luxury pieces.[Page Six]
The Kicker
RETURN OF THE REAL.The Indianan photographerDayanita Singhcurrently has the largest show of her career up at theVilla Stuckin Munich, Germany, andspoke with theNew York Timesabout her acclaimed practice. As a kind of countermeasure against the art market, Singh spurns signed and numbered editions in favor of photography collections that she sometimes houses in wooden boxes and allows people to reconfigure as they see fit. And while she works with a commercial gallery, she also sells directly to buyers at events. “What art can be disseminated better than photography?” Singh asked theTimes. “Yet photography got limited—it got amputated almost—with the dictates of the art world, to give it value.”[NYT]
