Art Industry News: A Third of Los Angeles’s Art Galleries May Be Forced to Close This Year, a New Survey Says + Other Stories

Art Industry News is a daily digest of the most
consequential developments coming out of the art world and art
market. Here’s what you need to know on this Tuesday, April
21.

NEED-TO-READ

Will Blockbuster Shows Become a Thing of the Past?
– Over at the
Guardian, some of the industry’s biggest names weigh in
on how COVID might transform the art world. The big takeaway:
overcrowded blockbuster exhibitions, fairs, and auctions may become
extinct. “It feels like we’ve been partying for the last two
decades,” says Tate’s Francis Morris. The dealer David Zwirner
concurs: “It got out of hand, especially the market: crazy auction
prices and the rest. The infiltration of value into the perception
of art, art being regarded as an asset—all that needs to be
rethought.” (Guardian)

The Uffizi Prepares for Crowds Once It Reopens
– The Uffizi’s director,
Eike Schmidt, is predicting a surge in visitors after Italy’s
lockdown ends. Schmidt notes that after the museum reopened
following the devastating floods in Florence in 1966, the number of
visitors to the museum jumped by 50 percent, from 1 million to 1.5
million. After the Italian Mafia set off a car bomb behind the
museum in 1993, there was a similar bump in visitors. “Internal
tourism will dominate in the mid-term,” he says. “Over the
long-term, I don’t see a drop in interest in visiting museums.”
Timed entrances, revised ticket prices to encourage off-season
visitors, and strategic placement of popular pieces will help
museums make social distancing possible, he adds. (Washington Post)

A Staggering Amount of Los Angeles Galleries Could Close
– A quarter of the 35 art
dealers surveyed by the Los Angeles Times say they
may have to permanently close their spaces this year if the current
crisis continues. An additional five galleries, or 14 percent, say
that closure is a “possibility.” These numbers are in line with a
recent study conducted by a French trade organization, which found
that a third of French galleries could shutter before the end of
the year due to a loss of revenue. While layoffs seem to be the
exception so far (57 percent of galleries surveyed have retained
their staff), a third of dealers think it may become a possibility
over the next month. (Los Angeles Times)

The Tenement Museum Fights for Its Life
– New York’s Tenement Museum, on the Lower East Side,
is one of a number of small institutions facing an existential
threat from the coronavirus pandemic. The museum, founded in 1988,
traces the history of how immigrants have shaped New York City’s
culture. But since more than 75 percent of its revenue comes from
admissions and gift-shop sales, it has been forced to lay off 13
employees and furlough 70 part-time staffers and 30 full-time
staff. “We’re not earning anything for four months,” the
museum’s president Morris Vogel said. “Any institution has to
wonder what it’s going to look like on the other side.” (New York
Times)

ART MARKET

Phillips Partners With Robin Hood for Charity Sale
– The auction house is
teaming up with the New York-based Robin Hood Foundation to launch
an online sale to support nonprofits dedicated to helping New
Yorkers struggling amid COVID-19. Works in the sale—donated by
artists, galleries, and collectors—include Albert
Oehlen’s Chemical Schmutzli (2004), which is
estimated at $800,000 to $1.2 million. The auction house is still
seeking consignments. (The Art
Newspaper)

How Korea’s Galleries Stayed Strong—and Open – South
Korea was one of the first nations to be struck by the coronavirus
pandemic, and it has become a global model for its handling of the
crisis. Museums have been closed since February, but commercial
galleries have been allowed to remain open. Galleries say foot
traffic is now back to near-normal levels, and galleries found
effective rules: RSVP only; no mask, no entrance; and all visitors
must leave contact information. Support for exhibition costs is
also being offered to small galleries by the
government. (TAN)

An Early Look at Dallas Art Fair Sales – The fair’s
online edition offered plenty of eye candy,
but what about sales? Works by emerging artists moved quickly at The
Hole; a work by Katherine Bernhardt, Phone
Home (2019), sold for $50,000 at Canada Gallery; Fred
Tomaselli’s March 16, 2020, a collaged version of
a New York Times cover featuring headlines about
coronavirus, sold for $35,000 at James Cohan Gallery. Notable
absences from the platform included Gagosian and Lehmann Maupin,
which each have their own online platforms. (Art Market
Monitor)

COMINGS & GOINGS

Berlin Biennale Is Postponed – The Berlin Biennale, originally slated to open
on June 13, has been postponed to a to-be-determined date. The
latest edition of the prestigious exhibition is organized by four
South American curators: María Berríos, Renata Cervetto, Lisette
Lagnado, and Agustín Pérez Rubio. (Press release)

Stefanie Hessler Named Curator of Momenta – The curator and director of Norway’s Kunsthall
Trondheim has been tapped to curate the Montreal biennial, Momenta,
which will run from September to October 2021. The exhibition will
be titled “Sensing Nature” and will examine earth systems, such as
climate, which follow their own logic. (Artforum)

Painter William Bailey Dies at 89 – The American painter and educator William
Bailey has died at age 89 from complications relating to an
existing illness. Bailey was known for his still lifes featuring
eggs and vessels, and was a former professor and dean at the Yale
School of Art, where his students included Lisa Yuskavage.
(Artforum)

FOR ART’S SAKE

V&A’s Chair on What It’s Like to Get COVID –
Nicholas Coleridge, the V&A’s
chair of trustees, has just recovered from the coronavirus, and
shared his experience on British radio. Coleridge says the onset
was sudden, first manifesting as a “catatonic tiredness” followed
by a fever and icy legs. Finally, he began to experience delirium
he likened to a Bruegel painting. (TAN)

Judy Chicago, Swoon, and Jane Fonda Launch Earth Day Campaign
– Artists Judy Chicago and
Swoon have teamed up with the climate activist and actor Jane Fonda
for a new global campaign encouraging people to “Create Art for
Earth.” They have launched an open call for submissions of artwork
inspired by climate justice as part of the Serpentine’s “Back to
Earth” initiative. (Press
release)

The post Art Industry News: A Third of Los Angeles’s Art
Galleries May Be Forced to Close This Year, a New Survey Says +
Other Stories appeared first on artnet News.