You’ve made it to November, the year is almost over, but you (and your face) are tired. All those art fairs, parties and annoying clients have taken their toll, and you’ve decided to take some time out to look after your skin. But, while you’ve been massaging lotions into your face, the art world has continued to run. So while you sit back and relax, we’re here to tell you about all the news you missed this week.
ART
Picasso’s Electrician Steals His Artwork
This story is certainly something to cry about. To be honest, it’s hard to imagine one of the gods of art history dealing with electrical problems but hey, it happens to the best of us. And while the worst thing an electrician will do to most of us will be being overcharged, Picasso’s electrician took it up to a whole other level by hoarding up 271 of his artworks in his garage. Pierre Le Guennec and his wife Danielle have been hiding the work for 40 years and have just been handed a two year suspended jail sentence, considering the millions of dollars of art they stole, it seems they got off lightly.
KAWS Expands Studio, And Pays Big Bucks To Do So…
Word has it that KAWS just dropped $17 million to buy a 10,000-square-foot building next to his New York studio. Being one of the biggest artists in the world, we can see why he might need more space, and hey given recent auction sales, he certainly has the money…
Exhibition Mixes Video Games And Art
Choosing what outfit your Sim was going to wear back in the day was truly an art form, so it shouldn’t really come as a surprise that Akron Art Museum has just opened an exhibition called Open World: Video Games & Contemporary Art. Including work by artists including Rachel Rossin and JooYoung Choi, the show also includes actual video games and is on view until 2 November 2020.
FASHION
Hoodies Become Art
A new exhibition at Het Nieuwe Instituut in the Netherlands is focusing on the humble hoodie. The show includes pieces of both fashion and art, and features designers such as Rick Owens and Off-White alongside artists Devan Shimoyama and John Edmonds. The exhibition runs between 1 December and 12 April 2020.
Gucci Launches Art Book
Because fashion is art, right? Gucci’s latest project is in collaboration with photographer Yorgos Lanthimos, a photo book that focuses on Gucci’s Cruise 2020 collection. Titled Ωοτοκι’α (Oviparity), the models were made to look like marble statue, while the theme references the Greek myth of Leda.
MARKET
Christie’s Taps Into The Skateboard Hype
In an upcoming sale called Handbags X Hype, the famed auction house will sell skateboards beside Hermes bags – a natural pairing if ever there was one. The Supreme skateboards – with designs by KAWS and Takashi Murakami – will also be complimented by a pinball machine and a Spalding basketball. The online sale runs between 26 November and 10 December.
Artist Claims Banksy Stole His Work, And Sotheby’s Reacts…
When is Banksy NOT featured in our weekly round-up?! This week, some gossip! Following claims by British artist Andy Link that a Banksy authored work set to be sold at Sotheby’s was stolen from him in 2006, the auction house removed it from the sale completely. Ouch!
Michele Lamy’s Punching Bags For Sale At Sotheby’s
In partnership with boxing gym BXR London and the Carpenters Workshop Gallery, LAMYLAND: What Are We Fighting For? will be a charity auction featuring 10 punching bags made by Michele Lamy. The bags were initially exhibited during the Venice Biennale, and asked artists to create conversations about what we need to challenge and celebrate in our lives. The sale will run online between 22 November and 2 December, with proceeds going towards the London Community Boxing charity.
Text Lizzy Vartanian
