In a letter to a number of media outlets, curators and artists all over the world, Guggenheim Director Richard Armstrong has accused the Gulf Labor Coalition of perpetrating “deliberate falsehoods” whilst reconfirming his institution’s commitment to workers’ welfare. The full letter can be found on e-flux.
Former Knoedler & Co. director Ann Freedman — at the center of one of the greatest fakes scandals of recent years — has finally broken her silence on the $70 million forgery case that engulfed the now-closed gallery in 2011. In what is one of her first interviews in several years, Freedman has minimized her responsibility in the scandal, affirming that she has “never deliberately done something wrong, which is to say knowingly”. With six lawsuits settled and four still active, Freedman was quoted saying: “I am terribly sorry for anybody who [says they have been] hurt or damaged…But let me be clear, this is [about] works of art. I didn’t slay anybody’s first-born. We have to have some perspective on suffering.” The exclusive interview on The Art Newspaper.
It has been revealed that a number of artworks — including 11 Picasso lithographs — were stolen from the vaults of Portigon AG, a german financial services company. The thefts took place in 2014. The two-year investigation has produced no “probable cause against any certain persons”. Read more on Artnet News.
On the occasion of the five auctions taking place as part of its Orientalist & Middle Eastern Week, Sotheby’s will stage a series of sales and exhibitions of Orientalist, Islamic and Middle Eastern art. The auctions will be held between April 19-21 in London. More info on Sotheby’s website.
Daata Editions — the online platform dedicated to the sale of commissioned new media artworks — has revealed the list of artists that will take part in their upcoming project, titled “Series Two”. The sale of the artworks — by Tracey Emin, Jake Chapman, Jon Rafman, Larry Achiampong, and Ed Fornieles among others — will start at $100. Read more on Artnet News.
