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The City of Lights
Jérôme and Emmanuelle de Noirmont, Jeff Koons’s former dealers in Paris, have penned an open letter defending the artist’s controversial proposal to display one of his works in Paris as a memorial to the victims of terrorist attacks in the city. “Conceived as a gesture of friendship and union, the Bouquet of Tulips of Jeff Koons cannot become a symbol of discord!” they write. [noirmontartproduction]
Museum Movements
The Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office filed for a one-week extension on the injunction that prohibits the Berkshire Museum from selling works from its collection, so that it can complete its probe. The AGO and the museum issued statements that have some believing that a settlement of some kind may be on the way. [ARTnews]
The Mississippi Commission for International Cultural Exchange, which has staged four exhibitions of international art in Vicksburg, is looking into the possibility of creating a 20,000-square-foot museum in the city, according to the Vicksburg Post. [Vicksburg Post/Idaho Stateman]
The Albany Museum of Art in Georgia received approval for a $1.5 million credit line from the Albany City Commission, Fox 31 says, meaning that it is one step closer to moving to a new location in the city’s downtown, an undertaking estimated at $7 million. [Fox 31]
The South Korea Herald writes, “The Seoul Museum of Art on Monday unveiled its 2018 SeMA Biennale lineup, as well as other exhibitions scheduled for this year, but concerns about inadequate time to prepare for the September biennale and budget cuts loom large.”
[The South Korea Herald]
Super Bowls
With the Philadelphia Eagles set to face off against the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII on Sunday, the Philadelphia Museum of Art and Museum of Fine Arts, Boston are also engaged in a bit of competition, NBC 10 reports. On Friday they will apparently engage in some “art-inspired trash talk” on social media. Keep it clean, you two! [NBC 10]
In a column for New York titled “Imagining President Donald Trump Sitting on Maurizio Cattelan’s Solid-Gold Toilet,” Jerry Saltz writes about Nancy Spector’s decision to offer that sculpture to the President. He writes, “At the White House, America isn’t a better sculpture. But in this one place, at this one time, its meaning and use value mushroom.” [Vulture/New York]
Authenticity
The Museum voor Schone Kunsten in Ghent has decided to take off view a show of Russian avant-garde art after experts disputed the authenticity of works it included, reports the Art Newspaper, which had done a deep-dive into the show. [The Art Newspaper]
Public Art
Here comes Christo! The artist’s latest large-scale project will involve a stack of “7,506 oil barrels and float on the Serpentine lake, behind Kensington Palace,” in London, the New York Times says. A larger version of the piece, which is shaped as a mastaba, will later be built permanent in Dubai, and the artist is billing that one as “the largest art structure in the world.” [The New York Times]
Events
Alan Shields fans, take note! This Saturday, New York gallery Van Doren Waxter will host a talk with Dan Byers, the director of the Carpenter Center for the Arts at Harvard, and artists Cheryl Donegan, Martha Tuttle, and B. Wurtz as part of its show that pairs the work of Shields with other artists. [Van Doren Waxter]
Martha Stewart fans, take note! The legendary entrepreneur will be at the St. Louis Museum of Art on March 3 discussing her new book, Martha’s Flowers: A Practical Guide to Growing, Gathering, and Enjoying. The Riverfront Times has the details. [The Riverfront Times]