August 4, 2014: Matthew Barney in Australia, the Controversial Origins of the Frick Collection, and Gilbert & George on Their Monaco Exhibition
Notable News
Tasmania’s Museum of Old and New Art (owned by collector David Walsh) has announced it will premiere Matthew Barney’s work in Australia in November. The exhibition will include works related to Barney’s epic 6-hour long film River of Fundament, among them sculptures, storyboards, and photographs.
A Florida judge has awarded $16 million to the three trustees of Robert Rauschenberg’s estate. The trustees originally sought $60 million and so far have received $24.6 million in total after being at odds with the Rauschenberg Foundation (run by the artist’s family) since 2011. Conflict between the two has resulted from the steadily increasing value of the estate, which increased from $605.6 million at the time of the artist’s death in 2008 to $2.2 billion in 2012.
The International Biennale Association announced that Yongwoo Lee, president of the Gwangju Biennale Foundation, will take over as president for the next three years. Bige Örer, Istanbul Biennial director, and Marieke van Hal, founding director of the Biennial Foundation, are now vice presidents.
What to See
“Identity, Desire, and the Female Gaze: A Roundtable Discussion” at Leila Heller Gallery
Featuring artists Ghada Amer and Rachel Lee Hovnanian, who are also included in the gallery’s current exhibition “Look at Me: Portraiture from Manet to the Present,” this conversation will center on the subversion of the classic art-historical ‘male gaze,’ asking how female artists have turned the tables and explored gender in their own works. The discussion will take place tomorrow, Tuesday, August 5th at 6pm at the gallery’s 57th Street location. (Seating is limited; to RSVP, email [email protected].) The exhibition runs through August 14th.
Good Reads
Gilbert and George discuss their exhibition at the Villa Paloma of the Nouveau Musée National de Monaco. (via Artforum)
In light of an announcement of a proposed 6-story, 40,000-square-foot addition to New York’s Frick Collection, an investigation into the museum’s controversial origins. (via Curbed)
While museum attendance rates continue to rise and world-famous historical artworks are popular tourist attractions, it’s important to stop and think about the effect that a work of art’s popularity has on its audience. (via The New York Times)
Since the rise of conceptualism, many art school programs have tended to focus less on technical skill and more on theory. Is “de-skilling” hurting arts education? (via The Huffington Post)
Artist of the Day
Born on August 3, 1953, Marlene Dumas has spent an illustrious career creating paintings and drawings exploring the emotional subtleties of the human face and figure. Dumas mines a personal collection of photographs and print images for her subjects, which she then paints and distills down to a visceral core. Her work is often eerie and ethereal, tackling everything from pop cultural imagery to transgressions and taboos. A major retrospective of Dumas’ work will open at the Stedelijk Museum on September 6th.
