COURTESY BRITISH MUSEUM
Around New York
The Museum of Modern Art has received a gift of 800 “instruction drawings” from the collection of Gilbert B. and Lila Silverman. Among them is a preparatory work on paper made by Robert Rauschenberg for his “White Paintings,” in which he called for a “smooth (not grainy or rough) canvas.” [ARTnews]
“A [Lucio] Fontana might look like a fussy scrap” at the Whitney Museum, writes Peter Schjeldahl, who seems thankful for the Met Breuer’s “crisply curated” survey of the artist’s work. [The New Yorker]
The Guggenheim Museum will sell an untitled Zao Wou-Ki painting from its collection at Sotheby’s Hong Kong, where it is estimated to go for $7.7–10 million. [ARTnews]
Removals
Hartwig Fleischer, the director of the British Museum, is facing controversy because he called the removal of the Elgin Marbles a “creative act,” adding that the museum won’t return the works any time soon. [Artnet News]
This past weekend, a man walked into Moscow’s Tretyakov Gallery, and left with a $182,000 Arkhip Kuindzhi painting in tow. But here’s the good news: the painting has already been discovered undamaged, and the thief has been arrested. [The New York Times]
The reason the man attempted to steal the painting from the Tretyakov was “because of debts,” according to one report. [The Moscow Times]
Books
David Zwirner Books has inked a partnership with the publishing giant Simon & Schuster, allowing the gallery’s imprint to significantly expand its reach. [ARTnews]
Visiting the Galleries
Jamie Lee Curtis stopped by the Nevada Museum of Art, and was apparently even seen waiting outside the museum at 10 a.m. for its doors to open. [Reno Gazette Journal]
San Francisco’s Dennis Rae Fine Art gallery kicked out a group of protesters over the weekend, allegedly because of their pro-life views. [NBC Bay Area]
Changes
The Aspen Art Museum has hired Max Weintraub as its new senior curator. [ARTnews]
Hiwa K has won the Kunsthalle Mannheim’s Hector Prize for Contemporary Art, which comes with $22,800. [Artforum]