January 13 | Former Labour MP to head the Victoria & Albert Museum

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New director has been named for the V&A whilst various prizes have been awarded this week to artists across the globe. Plus, a partnership has been announced between Jeffrey Deitch and Uniqlo.

Tristram Hunt to head the Victoria & Albert Museum

Tristram Hunt is to quit his role as Labour MP to become director of London’s Victoria & Albert Museum.

Fiercely critical of Jeremy Corbyn and allegedly “frustrated” about the direction in which the Labour Leader has taken the party, Hunt has decided to pursue a career outside of politics, succeeding Martin Roth as director of the London museum. Nicholas Coleridge, chairman of the V&A, has commented that Hunt is “an informed and articulate leader and communicator on numerous facets of culture, both historic and contemporary, and I greatly look forward to working with him at the V&A." Read more on the Guardian.

 

Awards

New York’s International Center of Photography (ICP) has announced the recipients of its 2017 Infinity Awards.

Awarded annually since 1985, the prize honors outstanding achievements in photography and visual arts. This year’s recipients are: French artist Sophie Calle for art, Paris-based Vasantha Yogananthan in the emerging photography category, British photographer Edmund Clark in the documentary and photojournalism category and British-born photographer Harry Benson for lifetime achievement. Artist-run Super PAC For Freedoms was awarded the prize for online platform and new media, whilst Michael Christopher Brown won the artist’s book category with Lybian Sugar, a work exploring the “iconography of warfare” through the use of a camera phone. Lastly, Aperture’s “Vision & Justice” issue (Summer 2016) edited by Michael Famighetti and Sarah Lewis, was recognized in the category  “critical writing and research”. More information is available via the ICP’s official website.

 

Sophie Calle, Last Seen...(Rembrandt, The Storm in the Sea of Galilee) 1991. © 2017 Sophie Calle / Artists Rights Society (Ars), New York / ADAGP, Paris. Courtesy of Sophie Calle and Paula Cooper Gallery, New York.

 

Scottish artist Cathy Wilkes is the winner of the first edition of the Maria Lassnig Prize.

The biennial prize, endowed with €50,000 and funded by the Maria Lassnig Foundation, recognizes the work of mid-career artists and includes a solo exhibition at MoMA PS1, where Wilkes’ works will be on show this year. The Scottish artist, known for her signature installations featuring mannequins, also won the Turner Prize in 2008 and represented her country at the 2005 Venice Biennale. Read more on ART news.

 

The Seattle Art Museum has announced that Sondra Perry is the recipient of the 2017 Gwendolyn Knight and Jacob Lawrence Prize, given biennially to emerging black artists.

Endowed with $10,000, the prize also includes a solo exhibition at the museum. Perry’s work, exploring abstraction and representation through the use of new media and performances, was also featured at the 2015 edition of Greater New York at MoMA PS1. Art Forum has more.

 

Fairs

Somerset House, London.

 

Photo London has announced the exhibitor list for its 2017 edition, running from May 18 through 21.

Eighty-three international galleries, chosen by a curatorial committee led by Philippe Garner, formerly director at Christie’s and International Head of Photographs and 20th Century Decorative Arts and Design at Christie’s, will be brought together at London’s Somerset House. Among this year’s newcomers are contemporary art galleries Victoria Miro, Sprüth Magers and Alison Jacques Gallery. Featuring an expanded “Discovery” section, Photo London will continue to showcase emerging galleries, publishers and artists, including Cob Gallery (London), BERG Contemporary (Reykjavík), EUQINOMprojects (San Francisco) and Rubber Factory (New York) as well as artists Asger Carlsen, Waheeda Malullah, Thomas Albdorf, and Laura Pannack. The fair’s public program is yet to be announced, but it is rumoured to include a focus on virtual reality. The Art Newspaper has more information.

 

Uniqlo and Jeffrey Deitch to team up

Casual wear retailer Uniqlo and art dealer Jeffrey Deitch have announced they are working on a series of low-price artist products that will be featured in Uniqlo’s New York stores.

Named “Art for All”, this ongoing partnership will launch as shop-in-shops on January 20, and will also include a series of events curated and led by Deitch. Somewhat surprisingly, the first series of products will feature no apparel but limited-edition products under $100, designed by artists including Ken Kagam, Starlee Kine, Marie Roberts and Tadanori Yokoo. More via Art Market Monitor.