July 12 | Takahiro Iwasaki will represent Japan at the 57th Venice Biennale

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The Japan Foundation has announced that artist Takahiro Iwasaki will represent his country at the 2017 Venice Biennale.

Iwasaki’s proposal, a work titled Upside-Down Forest, will explore the parallels between Venice — a city built on wooden stakes — and the UNESCO world heritage site Itsukushima Shrine, known for its floating gate. The pavilion will be curated by Meruro Washida. Read more on Artnews.

Los Angeles-based Getty Foundation and the British Rothschild Foundation — two of the world’s leading philanthropic organizations — have announced the establishment of a joint fellowship, aimed at supporting an “innovative scholarship in the history of art, collecting, and conservation, using the collection and resources of both institutions”. David Saunders, formerly of the National Gallery and the British Museum, is the first recipient of the fellowship, and his project will focus on museum and gallery lightning. Read more on The Art Newspaper.

De Appel Arts Center has announced that curator Niels Van Tomme will now serve as director of the Amsterdam-based institution. The news comes months after the dismissal of former director Lorenzo Benedetti in September 2015, widely criticized by members of the curatorial training program, including Charles Esche, Elena Filipovic, and Beatrix Ruf. More on Art Forum.

Art dealer Olivier Thomas, associated with Yves Bouvier, and a major shareholder in the Luxembourg Freeport, was indicted for abuse of trust, fraud, concealment, and laundering as new evidence has emerged in the Yves Bouvier and Dmitry Rybolovlev affair, surrounding the theft of two Picasso paintings from Catherine Hutin-Blay, the artist’s stepdaughter. Investigators have in fact found photos of the disputed artworks — which Thomas claimed never having seen — on his laptop. Artnet News has more information.