CHRISTIE’S IMAGES LTD. 2019
Los Angeles
Following a $10 million gift from the president of its board, Carolyn Clark Powers, the Museum of Contemporary Art plans to institute a free admission policy. Klaus Biesenbach, the museum’s director, said, “MOCA should feel like a public library where you can go and have access to culture.” [The New York Times]
Over two dozen murals by Shepard Fairey and 30 other artists have been unveiled at Dr. Maya Angelou Community High School in South L.A. The permanent works were commissioned by Los Angeles Unified School District and the organization Branded Arts. [Los Angeles Times]
Activism
A report from Decolonize This Place’s Friday protest at the Whitney Museum of American Art, which included a march to the home of Warren B. Kanders, the vice chair of the institution’s board and the owner of defense manufacturing company Safariland. [ARTnews]
Market Mysteries
The client for whom dealer Robert Mnuchin purchased Jeff Koons’s Rabbit for $91.1 million at auction last week might be Steven A. Cohen, an art collector and hedge fund investor. [The New York Times]
Endings
A redesign of the Hirshhorn’s sculpture garden may alter landscape architect Lester Collins’s celebrated 1981 renovation of the outdoor space. According to the Times, “the museum has tapped the architect and artist Hiroshi Sugimoto to provide a new vision for the grounds.” [The New York Times]
The inaugural Biennale of Australian Art, which was set to feature work by more than 150 artists, has folded due to financial trouble. [Artnet News]
Miscellaneous
The Museum of London has released two never-before-seen photographs of Queen Victoria to mark the 200th anniversary of her birth. Francis Marshall, senior curator at the institution, said that the images show “a younger, fresher, more fashionable Queen” than we’re used to. [The Guardian]
A look at some of the “physical remnants of government secrets” collected by former NASA archivist Peter Merlin, who is the subject of artist Trevor Paglen’s new book. [The Paris Review]