FREDRIK NILSEN/©THOMAS HOUSEAGO/COURTESY THE ARTIST AND GAGOSIAN
Sculpture
Now that he’s getting a divorce, Brad Pitt has a new hobby: sculpting with Thomas Houseago. [People]
Heather Phillipson and Michael Rakowitz have been commissioned to do the Fourth Plinth sculptures for London’s Trafalgar Square. [Artforum]
A Controversy at the Whitney Biennial
Amidst ongoing controversy surrounding a Dana Schutz painting at the Whitney Museum, the Whitney Biennial curators have responded. Yesterday they met with Parker Bright, the artist who protested the painting of Emmett Till’s open casket funeral. [The New York Times]
Bright said yesterday that he was told that the Schutz piece in question will not be sold, but that it also likely will not be taken off view. [Out Magazine]
Market
According to a new report from UBS Group AG and Art Basel, global art sales are at their lowest point since 2010. [Bloomberg]
Adeline Ooi, the Asia director of Art Basel, knows Art Basel Hong Kong is not unaffected by a weakening market, but is hoping for the best this year. [The New York Times]
Remembering Trisha Brown
Former Walker Art Center performing arts curator John Killacky remembers the late postmodern dancer Trisha Brown. [Minneapolis Star Tribune]
A throwback: a Douglas Crimp essay on Trisha Brown from 2011. [Artforum]
Conservation
In the Cleveland Art Museum’s conservation department, sewing, wood carving, and dyeing are a part of the daily job. [ABC News Cleveland]
Around Europe
What could the possible election of French far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen mean for France’s art market? [The Art Newspaper]
A look at Shahryar Nashat’s pleasantly offbeat show at Rodeo gallery in London. [Contemporary Art Daily]