COURTESY NASA
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The California Fires
Thanks to “1.2 million square feet of thick travertine stone covering the outside walls, the crushed rock on the roofs, and even the plants chosen for the brush-cleared grounds,” the Getty Center in Los Angeles is well shielded from fire, the New York Times reports in an in-depth look at the institution’s fire-protection measures. [The New York Times]
The Art Market
Documents newly released by the Berkshire Museum, which is involved in a legal battle with the Massachusetts attorney general over whether it can sell 40 works from its collection, show that Sotheby’s, which has contracted to auction the pieces, may have agreed to waive its typical fee for withdrawing work from sale, under certain conditions, in the event that the AG objected to the sale, according to a Berkshire Eagle story. [The Berkshire Eagle]
The auction world has made a rare appearance on the New York Times editorial page, which weighed in on the mystery of whether or not Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman shelled out nearly half a billion dollars for the Leonardo last month. It writes, “Was this a game of gulf one-upmanship, with more to follow? Can the royal wunderkind of Saudi Arabia square his spending with his reforms?” [The New York Times]
AIPAD named the more than 100 exhibitors who will participate in its Photography Show in April in New York. More than 25 of them are appearing at the fair for the first time. [AIPAD]
International Relations
Nearly a year after it imposed unofficial sanctions against South Korean art, China has lifted them, following talks between the two countries, according to a story in the Art Newspaper. The embargo had been a response to South Korea installing a U.S. anti-missile system as a result of the increased threat from North Korea. [The Art Newspaper]
Fun
Carsten Höller will build one of his crowd-pleasing slides for an upcoming solo show at the Bundeskunsthalle in Bonn, Germany, the Art Newspaper says. The exhibition will run from the end of May through most of October, but the site-specific work will remain on view for a few years. [The Art Newspaper]
The data-transfer service WeTransfer is presenting an online exhibition called A Message From Earth that features work inspired by the Golden Record contained on the Voyager Spacecraft, which has been hurtling away from Earth (that sounds nice) for the past 40 years. The contributors include Gilles Peterson and Oneohtrix Point Never. [A Message From Earth]
Politics
After Democrat Doug Jones delivered a speech late Tuesday night to mark his stunning victory over Republican Roy Moore in the Alabama senate race, his campaign played the Cali Swag District classic “Teach Me How to Dougie,” Noisey notes. [Noisey]
Newsweek was also quick to note that Jones supporters were celebrating the win online with memes involving Dougie Jones, a central character in David Lynch’s television show Twin Peaks: The Return. [Newsweek]
Rhizome is hosting a handy little Tinder-style app on its homepage, designed by DIS and Rachael Haot, to help you discern whether or not you support net neutrality. Start swiping and see! [Rhizome]
Artists who have participated in Documenta have started a petition calling for a new supervisory structure for the quinquennial, Artforum reports. The letter demands that the officials involve “not prioritize revenue above all other priorities.” [Artforum]
The Talent
Bryan Knicely is leaving as director of the Evansville Museum of Arts, History and Science in Indiana after completing his three-year contract in order “to pursue other interests,” the Evansville Courier & Press reports. [Evansville Courier & Press]
The Daily Illini, an independent student newspaper at the University of Illinois, reports that Jon Seydl, the senior director of collections and programs and curator of European art at Worcester Art Museum in Massachusetts, has been named director of the Krannert Art Museum in Champaign. [The Daily Illini]