Gallery gives back
New York’s Bureau gallery announced it will donate 10% of the proceeds from its current exhibition to “organizations who have been fighting to defend our rights and freedoms.”
The current show features the abstract paintings of American artist Julia Rommel, who jointly agreed with the gallery that some of the proceeds from the exhibition should go towards organizations that fight against social injustice. The selected organizations are the American Civil Liberties Union, the Southern Poverty Law Central and two initiatives which try to aid and empower young people of color: S.O.U.L Sisters’ Leadership and Brotherhood/SisterSol. See the press release.
Appointments
The Kunstmuseum Basel have announced that Annette Schönholzer will be the institution’s new operative and administrative director.
Schönholzer, whose career in the Swiss and International arts scene spans 20 years, has held many leading roles at Art Basel including Director of New Initiatives and Co-Director. She takes over from Stefan Charles, who will leave the museum to direct the culture department at the Swiss Radio and Television Corporation (SRF). Schönholzer takes up her position in January 2017. Full details via Kunstmuseum Basel.
New heights for Canada
Lawren Harris’ painting Mountain Forms (1926) has became the most expensive artwork by a Canadian artist ever sold at auction.
The painting broke records at Heffel Fine Art Auction House in Toronto last night, selling for $11.2 million CAD ($8.3 million USD). The total smashed Mountain Forms’ pre sale estimate of $3-5 million CAD, as well as the previous auction record for a work of art by a Canadian artist — Paul Kane’s Scene in the Northwest (1845), which sold for $5 million CAD in 2002. More on artnet News.
Lawren Harris, Mountain Forms (1926)
Financial relief for UK museums & galleries
UK museums and galleries will now benefit from a tax relief for permanent exhibitions announced yesterday in the Treasury’s Autumn Statement.
In effect from April 2017, the tax relief will allow museums to make savings on the creative and set-up costs of their exhibitions. The new measure extends the scope of the tax credit that was introduced in the government budget earlier this year, which applied solely to temporary and touring exhibitions. The rates of relief will be set at 25% for touring exhibitions and 20% for non-touring exhibitions, and will be capped at £500,000 of expenditure per exhibition. More info through the Museum Association.
Auction houses court Chinese client base
Christie’s, Sotheby’s and Phillips have all changed the dates of their February auctions in London to avoid them clashing with the Chinese New Year.
The three auction houses are moving sales from the start of the month to the final week of February to avoid clashing with the Chinese public holiday, which will last from January 27 to February 2, 2017. Christie’s was the first to announce the change, citing the much-needed boost that Asian clients had given its New York evening sales as an important factor. The Art Newspaper has more.
BOZAR BOOKSHOP opens
Brussels’ Palais des Beaux Arts is opening a new art bookshop in partnership with the famous art book seller Walter König.
The BOZAR BOOKSHOP forms part of the elegantly designed set of spaces that Robbrecht & Daem architects have built for the gallery. Find out more via the gallery’s website.
New BOZAR BOOKSHOP interior
