Art Industry News: The Getty Is Forced to Apologize After Its Bland Statement on Protests Sparks an Online Backlash + Other News

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, June
2.

NEED-TO-READ

Minneapolis Art Community Honors George Floyd – Across
the Twin Cities, artists have been finding ways to express
solidarity with the demands for justice following the death of
George Floyd and other African Americans who have died in police
custody. Some have contributed squares to the Power Tree Quilt, a
project ongoing since 2014 and organized by Million Artist
Movement, where participants decorate individual panels to reflect
on the fight for black liberation. Three artists also created
a mural on the site where Floyd died—one of a number of memorial
murals that have popped up around the
world. “There wasn’t even enough space to write all the names
of black people who, like Floyd, had died in police custody,” said
one of the artists behind the mural. “That says something about
America.” (ARTnews)

Virgil Abloh Apologizes For His Protest Comments and $50
Donation – The art-world-adjacent fashion designer came
under fire for his social-media response to the protests this
weekend in which he shamed looters of an independent streetwear
store and shared that he was donating $50 to a Miami-based bail
fund. Following the backlash, Abloh posted a long statement
apologizing for how his comments came across and defending his work
as a black man and an immigrant, including donating more than
$20,500 to bail funds and other causes related to the
movement. “I apologize that it seemed like my concern for
those stores outweighed my concern for our right to protest
injustice and express our anger and rage in this moment,” he said.
He also pointed to future work he has in the pipeline to bring more
black voices into the cultural sphere, including “a new art
publication that centers the voices and work of black artists and
writers.” (Vulture)

Getty Apologizes After Bland Social-Media Post
– Many have issued calls for museums to engage
directly with the current protests, wrestling openly with police
violence and structural racism rather than remaining silent. But
social media is equally sensitive to pretense—and the Getty’s
followers did not take kindly to its post over the weekend, which did not
mention George Floyd or black lives, but instead stated that the
museum stands “for equity and fairness” and shares hope for
“justice and peace for all, and a spirit of caring for one
another.” After commenters criticized the statement as “vague,” “a
throwaway,” and “a non-statement,” the Getty’s CEO James Cuno
responded with a lengthy apology,
pledging to “do much better expressing our Getty values.” (Instagram)

Nelson-Atkins Responds to Anger Over Police Use of the
Museum’s Grounds – Julián
Zugazagoitia, the Kansas City museum’s director and CEO, asked
officers not to continue meeting at the museum’s northern drive
ahead of protests in Missouri. Police had assembled at the staging
area after being granted permission by security personnel at the
museum on Friday night, but Zugazagoitia claimed he was unaware
until he saw images on social media the next morning (and some angry comments from community members); he
then requested that the force find another venue. “The optics, the
picture with the police stationed in front, with the background of
the museum, does break the trust that we have worked for many years
to establish with many communities,” he said, “so that image was
something that was hurtful.” In a press release issued over the
weekend, Zugazogoitia apologized personally for the museum’s role,
writing, “We deeply regret and understand the hurt and the
confusion that this caused.” (KansasCity.com)

ART MARKET

Frith Street Gallery Represents Nancy Spero Estate –
The London gallery now represents
the estate of the feminist artist in collaboration with Galerie
Lelong & Co. and the Nancy Spero and Leon Golub Foundation for the
Arts. Frith Street Gallery will present an exhibition of Spero’s
work, known for its engagement with political and social issues, in
2021. (ARTnews)

Philip Guston and Amoako
Boafo Headline Christie’s
Sale – Among the highlights of
Christie’s postwar and contemporary day sale on July 10 is
Guston’s Raoul’s Tools (1973), which is expected
to sell for $1.5 million to $2 million. “Some of the artists like
Guston, who have had very robust markets for a very long time and
seen continued growth, are the ones that a lot of our more
traditional collectors are continuing to look at,” said specialist
Emily Kaplan. Meanwhile, demand remains strong for new stars like
Amoako Boafo, whose Orange Shirt (2019) carries an
estimate of $40,000–$60,000. (Art Market Monitor)

Why This Collector
Bought Kent Monkman’s Most Controversial Painting – Howard
Levitt, the Canadian collector who acquired the explicit painting
by Monkman of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, discusses why
his was interested in the “six-figure” work, how he called Monkman
to ask for a “deal,” and what he thinks of the painting’s critics.
“I think that the painting is mischievous, fun, and turns the
colonial narrative on its head,” Levitt writes. “I object to this
straitjacketing of minority artists by members of their own group
telling them how they should paint and think.” (National Post)

COMINGS & GOINGS

Tate Appoints New Chairman – Roland Rudd has been appointed to succeed
Lionel Barber as the next chairman of the Tate museums. Rudd, the
founder of a London-based PR firm, has served on Tate’s board since
2017 and will begin his new role on January 20. (ARTnews)

Artistic Director of Lincoln Center to Depart –
Jane Moss, who spent more than 20
years as the artistic director of Lincoln Center, is retiring on
August 1. Moss, who in 2015 said that “live performance is going to
be the most avant-garde aspect of our lives” in the smart-phone
era, noted that she had considered leaving even before the
shutdown, but the lull in programming provided a “smooth
transition.” (Artforum)

Met Opera Cancels All 2020 Performances – In a move bound to be watched by many museums
and multidisciplinary arts organizations, the Metropolitan Opera
said the public-health situation would force the company to cancel
its fall season, thrusting the institution into one of the deepest
financial crises in its history. Many of its artists have not been
paid since March; the Met expects to lost close to $100 million.
(Vulture)

FOR ART’S SAKE

Tatiana Trouvé’s Latest Work Draws on Lockdown Headlines
– The Italian-born, Paris-based
artist has created a new body of work inspired by newspaper
coverage of the lockdown era. “The idea was that by reading the
newspapers I would find out about life outside of my apartment and
studio,” she said. “It was about being connected to the rest of the
world.” A total of 40 works based on newspapers from 34 countries
seek to offer a collage of this moment in history, from the heroic
actions of frontline workers to the mundane days spent at home.
(Guardian)

The Brooklyn Museum Will Become Pop-Up Food Bank –
The museum is teaming up with the
Bed-Stuy nonprofit The Campaign Against Hunger to transform its
biergarten into a temporary food bank. Beginning on June 1, the
museum opened its doors to those suffering food insecurity with
groceries available for the taking. (Patch)

National Portrait
Gallery’s People’s Choice Award Is a Poignant, Devastating Image
–  A record 17,000 votes were cast for the triennial
People’s Choice Award in the Smithsonian National Portrait
Gallery’s Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition. The winning
photograph, by the artist known as ADÁL, depicts a masked figure
underwater wearing a shirt that reads, “Muerto Rico.” The
inspiration came, according to the artist, when he was walking
through Old San Juan and encountered a man wearing the shirt. He
turned out to be the t-shirt’s designer; before long, the two
planned a collaborative photo shoot. (Smithsonian)

The post Art Industry News: The Getty Is Forced to Apologize
After Its Bland Statement on Protests Sparks an Online Backlash +
Other News appeared first on artnet News.