Friday, January 31
Los Angeles Spring/Break Art Show Secures New Location for 2020 Edition
For its second edition in Los Angeles, the Spring/Break Art Show will take place in a 65,000-square-foot former industrial factory at Skylight ROW DTLA. The space was built between 1917 and 1923 as part of the L.A. Terminal Market, and SPRING/BREAK is the first to use it for an art event. The show, which will run from February 14 to 16, will feature 60 presentations by over 100 independent curators taking up the theme “In Excess.”
Thursday, January 30
Antwaun Sargent to Curate Section of Paris Photo New York Fair
Critic Antwaun Sargent has been tapped to oversee a section of the Paris Photo New York fair, which is being organized with AIPAD and slated to run from April 2 to 5 at Pier 94 on Manhattan’s West Side. Sargent’s section will focus on work by emerging photographers at the inaugural New York edition of the fair. Sargent, who recently profiled Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys for ARTnews, is the author of The New Black Vanguard, an Aperture book focused on young black fashion photographers.
Toledo Museum of Art Appoints New Director
Adam M. Levine, who currently serves as director and CEO of the Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens in Jacksonville, Florida, will join the Toledo Museum of Art in Ohio as director on May 1. Prior to joining the Cummer Museum, Levine worked as deputy director and curator of ancient art at the TMA. Some of his curatorial credits at the TMA included “The Mummies: From Egypt to Toledo” (2018), “Glorious Splendor: Treasures of Early Christian Art” (2017), and “I Approve This Message: Decoding Political Ads” (2016).
Glasgow International Details 2020 Edition
The Glasgow International, Scotland’s biennial festival of contemporary art, will take up the theme of “Attention,” exploring where we focus our attention in an age of relentless stimulation. It will feature works by 160 artists, including Georgina Starr, Alberta Whittle, Gretchen Bender, and Martine Syms. More information on the ninth edition, which is directed by Richard Perry, can be found here.
The Glasgow International, Scotland’s biennial festival of contemporary art, will take up the theme of “Attention,” exploring where we focus our attention in an age of relentless stimulation. It will feature works by 160 artists, including Georgina Starr, Alberta Whittle, Gretchen Bender, and Martine Syms. More information on the ninth edition, which is directed by Richard Perry, can be found here.
Independent Curators International Names Deputy Director
Independent Curators International, a New York–based nonprofit focused on connecting innovative curatorial ventures with arts institutions around the world, has appointed Frances Wu Giarratano as deputy director. Giarratano joins ICI from the American Federation of Arts, where she served as director of exhibitions. Previously, Giarratano served for four years as the deputy director of the contemporary art space Para Site in Hong Kong.
Independent Curators International, a New York–based nonprofit focused on connecting innovative curatorial ventures with arts institutions around the world, has appointed Frances Wu Giarratano as deputy director. Giarratano joins ICI from the American Federation of Arts, where she served as director of exhibitions. Previously, Giarratano served for four years as the deputy director of the contemporary art space Para Site in Hong Kong.
Wednesday, January 29
The Art Show Names 2020 Exhibitors
The Art Show, an annual fair in New York organized by the Art Dealers Association of America, has named the participants for its 2020 edition, which runs February 27 to March 1 at the Park Avenue Armory. This edition will feature 72 presentation from ADAA member galleries across the country, including 40 solo presentations and 19 exhibitions dedicated to female artists. The exhibitions include P.P.O.W’s show of new works by Ramiro Gomez, paintings by Jane Wilson presented by DC Moore Gallery, and new embroidered pieces by Jordan Nassar exhibited by James Cohan. The fair’s first-time exhibitors include David Kordansky Gallery, McClain Gallery, Andrew Kreps Gallery, Gallery Wendi Norris, Franklin Parrasch Gallery, Ricco/Maresca Gallery, and Leon Tovar Gallery. A full list of presenters can be found here.
SP-Arte Names Exhibitors for Upcoming Edition
São Paulo’s international art fair SP-Arte has named the list of exhibitors for its upcoming 16th edition, slated to run from April 1 to 5 in the Brazilian city’s iconic Bienal Pavilion in Ibirapuera Park. The fair will bring together 112 galleries that will show work by some 2,000 artists across five sections. Among those participating in the main section are international dealers David Zwirner, Galleria Continua, and Neugerriemschneider, as well as Brazilian powerhouses Galeria Nara Roesler, Galeria Luisa Strina, Galeria Jaqueline Martins, and Vermelho. Newcomers include Carpenters Workshop Gallery and Garth Greenan Gallery. The solo section, which is organized by Chilean curator Alexia Tala, presents 12 solo presentations of Latin American artists that explore how events of the mid-20th century in the region impact the current political turmoil throughout the continent. The Masters section, curated by Maria do Carmo M. P. de Pontes, will pair artists who died young with those who died at an old age. The OpenSpace section is curated by Julia Rebouças, and the Performance section will be curated by Marcos Gallon, which has a partnership with Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo to acquire one work of performance art for the museum through the SP-Arte Acquisition Award. A full list of exhibitors can be found here. —Maximilíano Durón
São Paulo’s international art fair SP-Arte has named the list of exhibitors for its upcoming 16th edition, slated to run from April 1 to 5 in the Brazilian city’s iconic Bienal Pavilion in Ibirapuera Park. The fair will bring together 112 galleries that will show work by some 2,000 artists across five sections. Among those participating in the main section are international dealers David Zwirner, Galleria Continua, and Neugerriemschneider, as well as Brazilian powerhouses Galeria Nara Roesler, Galeria Luisa Strina, Galeria Jaqueline Martins, and Vermelho. Newcomers include Carpenters Workshop Gallery and Garth Greenan Gallery. The solo section, which is organized by Chilean curator Alexia Tala, presents 12 solo presentations of Latin American artists that explore how events of the mid-20th century in the region impact the current political turmoil throughout the continent. The Masters section, curated by Maria do Carmo M. P. de Pontes, will pair artists who died young with those who died at an old age. The OpenSpace section is curated by Julia Rebouças, and the Performance section will be curated by Marcos Gallon, which has a partnership with Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo to acquire one work of performance art for the museum through the SP-Arte Acquisition Award. A full list of exhibitors can be found here. —Maximilíano Durón
Joan Mitchell Foundation Picks 37 Artists for 2020 Residency Program
The Joan Mitchell Foundation has named the 37 artists that will participate in its 2020 residency program at its center in New Orleans. The 2020 residents include eight artists who live and work in New Orleans and 29 artists from 14 different states. Among the selected artists are Cindy Cheng, Yanira Collado, Elana Herzog, LaToya M. Hobbs, Kaori Maeyama, and Juan Carlos Quintana.
The Joan Mitchell Foundation has named the 37 artists that will participate in its 2020 residency program at its center in New Orleans. The 2020 residents include eight artists who live and work in New Orleans and 29 artists from 14 different states. Among the selected artists are Cindy Cheng, Yanira Collado, Elana Herzog, LaToya M. Hobbs, Kaori Maeyama, and Juan Carlos Quintana.
Harvard Art Museums Names New Curator of Chinese Art
Sarah Laursen has been appointed the new associate curator of Chinese art at the Harvard Art Museums in Cambridge, Massachusetts, effective June 15. Laursen will join Harvard from the Middlebury College Museum in Vermont, where she currently serves as the curator of Asian art. Laursen also is an assistant professor in Middlebury’s Department of History of Art and Architecture, where she teaches courses on Asian art history and museum studies.
Sarah Laursen has been appointed the new associate curator of Chinese art at the Harvard Art Museums in Cambridge, Massachusetts, effective June 15. Laursen will join Harvard from the Middlebury College Museum in Vermont, where she currently serves as the curator of Asian art. Laursen also is an assistant professor in Middlebury’s Department of History of Art and Architecture, where she teaches courses on Asian art history and museum studies.
Boca Raton Museum of Art Receives $1 M. Donation
Jody Harrison Grass, chair of the board of trustees at the Boca Raton Museum of Art in Florida, and her husband Martin Grass have donated $1 million to support the institution’s education initiatives. The gift was made on the occasion of the museum’s 70th anniversary gala on January 25.
Jody Harrison Grass, chair of the board of trustees at the Boca Raton Museum of Art in Florida, and her husband Martin Grass have donated $1 million to support the institution’s education initiatives. The gift was made on the occasion of the museum’s 70th anniversary gala on January 25.
Tuesday, January 28
Timothy Taylor Gallery Names Two New Directors
Timothy Taylor gallery has appointed two directors—one for its New York space and another for its location in London. Chloë Waddington, the managing director of David Kordansky gallery in Los Angeles, has been brought on as Timothy Taylor’s New York director, and Tarka Russell has been promoted to director of the London space, which recently doubled in size following an expansion.
Helen Frankenthaler Foundation Gives $2.5 M. to U.S. Universities
The New York–based Helen Frankenthaler Foundation has awarded $500,000 each to five universities in the United States: the Graduate Center at CUNY, Harvard University, the Institute of Fine Arts at New York University, Stanford University, and the University of Chicago. The funds will go toward establishing endowments that will offer fellowships to doctoral students in art history. Last year, the foundation established its Frankenthaler Scholarships to support art and art history graduate programs around the country and has so far distributed over $4 million.
Monday, January 27
Nasher Sculpture Center Reveals Recent Acquisitions and Gifts
The Nasher Sculpture Center in Dallas has purchased three artworks, by Magdalena Abakanowicz, Judy Chicago, and Beverly Semmes, using its Kaleta A. Doolin Acquisitions Fund for Women Artists. Included in the purchase is Chicago’s significant early work Rearrangeable Rainbow Blocks from 1965. The institution has also been gifted five pieces by four artists: John Chamberlain, David McManaway, Joan Miró, and Claes Oldenburg.
The Armory Show Details ‘Platform’ Section at 2020 Edition
The Armory Show, set to run in New York from March 5 to 8, has revealed the artists participating in its curated “Platform” section for large-scale works. Organized by Anne Ellegood, the recently appointed executive director of the Institute of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, the exhibition will include pieces by Charlie Billingham, Nathalie Djurberg and Hans Berg, Trulee Hall, Edward and Nancy Kienholz, Christine Wang, Marnie Weber, and Summer Wheat. Titled “Brutal Truths,” Ellegood’s section will focus on the many ways in which artists employ satire and caricature to highlight pressing social issues.
Pérez Art Museum Miami Names Director of Curatorial Affairs
René Morales has been appointed director of curatorial affairs and chief curator of the Pérez Art Museum Miami. Morales has been a curator at the museum since 2005, having organized over 50 exhibitions and overseeing the acquisition of more than 300 artworks to the museum’s permanent collection.
Carpenters Workshop Gallery Names Chief Executive Officer
Carpenters Workshop Gallery, which has locations in New York, London, Paris, and San Francisco, has appointed Maria Bonta de la Pezuela as chief executive officer for its Americas division. De la Pezuela founded a strategic advisory firm that consulted collectors and institutions worldwide. Prior to that she worked at Sotheby’s for almost 20 years in various leadership positions. During her tenure at the auction house, she was instrumental in growing its regional business in North and South America, and spearheaded several record-setting sales, including the first work by Frida Kahlo to surpass $10 million.