Art Industry News: Yayoi Kusama, 91, Commands COVID-19 to ‘Disappear From This Earth’ in an Emotional Statement + 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 Wednesday, April
15.

NEED-TO-READ

Peter Beard Is Still Missing – Police are still looking for one of America’s
most celebrated photographers, Peter Beard, who went missing two weeks
ago. The 82-year-old,
who suffers from dementia, was last seen at his studio and home on
Long Island. Though he was known as a wanderer and adventurer
earlier in life, the prospect of his return wanes with each day
that passes. No evidence has yet to emerge to explain his
disappearance. A spokesman for the family said: “It is most
important to the family that at this confusing and uncertain time
Peter be thought of as the person he is and the way he has always
lived: an extraordinary artist, an insatiable traveler, a hero of
the conservation movement, a lover of life, of Africa, of
adventure, of his family and friends.” (New York Times)

Man Arrested for Plot to Blow Up Central Park Statue –
The NYPD has thwarted an attempt to
attack a beloved bronze statue in Central Park. A Manhattan man has
been arrested for plotting to blow up the sculpted scene from Lewis
Carroll’s Alice’s
Adventures in Wonderland, which was made in 1959 by José de Creeft. The
man allegedly sent a text to friends and family saying he planned
to blow up the statue, along with photos of a pipe bomb and rifle
ammunition. (New York Post)

Yayoi Kusama Shares a Poem With the World
– The reclusive 91-year-old Japanese artist issued a
rare statement in the form of a defiant and hopeful poem
distributed by her galleries, Victoria Miro and David Zwirner. The
missive, which is headlined, “A message from Yayoi Kusama to the
whole world,” notes that “now is the time to overcome, to bring
peace,” and then addresses COVID-19 directly: “Disappear from this
earth / we shall fight / we shall fight this terrible monster.” She
concludes with a note of thanks: “Now is the time for people all
over the world to stand up / My deep gratitude goes to all those
who are already fighting.” (Press release)

Berkshires Art Community Faces an Uncertain Future
– In the arts-centric community of North Adams,
Massachusetts, the arrival of spring has not been the typical
harbinger of tourism and plenty as usual. The town’s restaurants,
bars, and cultural venues are facing uncertain futures—especially
MASS MOCA, the largest contemporary art museum in the US. The
institution, which has been closed since March 16, laid off 120 of
its 165 staff members and does not have a hefty endowment to fall
back on like some of the country’s older institutions do. “When
you’re in the gathering business like us,” said Joseph Thompson,
MASS MOCA’s director, “this hurts.” (Boston Globe)

ART MARKET

Art Paris Cancels 2020 Edition – The 22nd edition of Art Paris, the city’s major spring fair for Modern and
contemporary art, had initially been postponed from April to the
end of May due to the global health crisis. But it has now been
entirely scratched from this year’s calendar. (Artfix Daily)

Alserkal Avenue Waives Rent for Galleries
– Alserkal Avenue, the gallery hub in Dubai, has
decided to waive rent for art galleries and other business tenants
for the next three months. “We understand the importance of sharing
success and sharing the loss, too,” said Alserkal’s director
Vilma Jurkute. “We are looking at this from a community aspect.”
(The
National)

COMINGS & GOINGS

Fire Guts Historic Church in Haiti – A fire broke out on April 13 at the Milot
Church, a historic church in Haiti. The damage is still being
assessed on the listed World Heritage building, which was among the
first to be built after Haitian independence. (UNESCO)

Iraqi Architect Dies of Coronavirus – The Iraqi architect Rifat Chadirji has died at
age 93. The architect, who designed more than 100 buildings across
Iraq, including Tahrir Square’s Freedom Monument, passed away after
contracting the coronavirus. (Archdaily)

Turkey Announces Venice Biennale Pick – Turkey has selected the 83-year-old artist
Füsun Onur, whose installations made from everyday materials
reflect on time and form, to represent the country at the Venice
Biennale in 2021. The pavilion at the Arsenale will be curated by
Bige Örer, director of the Istanbul Biennale.
(Press
release)

FOR ART’S SAKE

You Can Use Artwork Images as Backgrounds for Zoom –
Is your background on Zoom calls
too boring or distracting? (Not quite sure you want your colleagues
to see your science fiction-packed bookshelf?) You’re in luck: you
can swap it for a work of art. A number of institutions, including
the Getty, the Rijksmuseum, and the National Gallery of Art, are
offering free-to-download images of their collections for the
purpose. (Open Culture)

Art Institute Forges Ahead With Monet Blockbuster Plans –
The Art Institute of Chicago will
finish installing its highly anticipated Monet exhibition, “Monet
and Chicago,” as soon as Illinois’s stay-at-home order is lifted.
The show includes 69 Monet paintings, more than half of which are
on loan from other institutions. (NBC)

See Nora Turato’s Glasgow Biennial Work – The performance art dynamo
Nora Turato created a billboard for the Glasgow International
biennial, which has now been postponed until 2021. While the
performance festival Turato was meant to participate in has been
shelved, curator Giulia Gregnanin moved ahead with the installation
of the Zagreb-born artist’s banner on the façade of the show’s
venue, a former Victorian school. Its pointed message reads, “There
is no business happening in the business lounge.”
(Press
release)

The post Art Industry News: Yayoi Kusama, 91, Commands
COVID-19 to ‘Disappear From This Earth’ in an Emotional Statement +
Other Stories appeared first on artnet News.