The Kunstmuseum Basel and the Musée Rodin have both been nominated for the Museum Opening category, and the Royal Academy’s current Abstract Expressionism show is among those selected in the Exhibition category. See full list here.
A motion to dismiss a lawsuit brought against David Zwirner and his gallery by Italian art dealer Fabrizio Moretti has been partially denied by a Supreme Court judge in New York. In the lawsuit, Moretti claims that the Zwirner Gallery violated New York’s Arts and Cultural Affairs Law by incorrectly editioning and altering the dimensions of a $2 million Jeff Koons sculpture, Gazing Ball (Centaur and Lapith Maiden), which Moretti purchased in 2013. The judge cited New York’s Arts and Cultural Affairs Law, updated in 1991 to include rules on the sale of works of art produced in multiples, as the reason for his decision. The law aims to protect buyers from fraudulent or deceptive practices in the sale of works of art produced in multiples. The judge disregarded the personal charges against Zwirner himself, and has ordered the defendants to answer Moretti’s complaint within the next 20 days. Read more on The Art Newspaper.
It was announced today that the project to build a €130 million Helsinki Guggenheim — in what will be a landmark, waterfront building designed by Paris-based architects Moreau Kusunoki — has developed yet another funding strategy. The third proposal since 2012, this new plan hopes to increase private funding to the museum. As part of the new funding proposal, the US-based Guggenheim foundation would cut its license fee by $10 million to $20 million, payable over 20 years, and the City of Helsinki would provide €80 million of the construction cost and underwrite a €35 million loan to a company set up jointly with the Guggenheim Helsinki Supporting Foundation. The new plan comes after the Finnish government refused to support the budget set forward by the project earlier in 2016. If the City Board of Helsinki backs the new plan, construction could begin in 2019. More details via The Art Newspaper.
Sarah Friedlander, previously vice president of postwar and contemporary art at Christie’s New York, has just been appointed head of the auction house’s contemporary art department. The news was announced by art journalist Katya Kazakina in a tweet.
Performa, the biennial devoted to performance art, raised $500,000 at an annual benefit in New York on Tuesday night in aid of its 2017 edition. Art dealer Jeanne Greenberg Rohatyn was recognized at the event for her support of emerging women artists. During the benefit, the South African performance artist Athi-Patra Ruga, clad in gold robes, led a marching band into the Altman building where the event was taking place. More via Bloomberg.
