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Closure
And then there were two: Ann Freedman, the onetime director of the late Knoedler Gallery in New York, has settled the eighth of ten lawsuits filed against her stemming from allegations that she sold fake works that had been attributed to Abstract Expressionist giants. Freedman’s lawyer says that the dealer “feels very good about the…remaining cases.” [The Art Newspaper]
The very attractive Inverleith House at the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh, Scotland, which has hosted superb shows of contemporary art for 30 years, will close its gallery spaces because of financial issues, focusing instead on its botany and horticulture programs. [Herald Scotland]
“Very disappointing news,” artist David Shrigley says on Twitter, of Inverleith’s closing. “We have lost an important venue.” [@DavidShrigley/Twitter]
Transformation
Sonnet Stanfill, a curator at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, points out that, as of last year, the 12 art museums with the highest attendance worldwide were all led by men, and the top three have never been led by a woman. Changing that is long overdue. [The New York Times]
Siobhan Burke profiles the Jérôme Bel, one of the art world’s favorite choreographers, who is known for deskilling dance by using untrained performers. At the end of the month he will present a piece called MoMA Dance Company at the Museum of Modern Art in New York with 25 dancers tapped from departments across the museum. There will be only three rehearsals. [The New York Times]
Confections
Yayoi Kusama will get a space at the Madame Tussauds wax museum in Hong Kong. [MT via @CristinaRuiz/Twitter]
And here’s more from Cristina Ruiz on the the Kusama addition, which is being billed as an “artistic themed zone.” [The Art Newspaper]
White House pastry chef Bill Yosses will give a talk at the Toledo Museum of Art in Ohio titled “The White House State Dinner: Lessons in Soft Power.” [The Blade]
Bonus
Diane Simpson at Corbett vs. Dempsey in Chicago. [Contemporary Art Daily]
Tony Hope and Marissa Jezak at Rope in Baltimore. [Sex Life]
Greg Allen on a mysterious Warhol Polaroid that may have been an homage to Duchamp. [Greg.org]
“School of the Arts aims to transform boys and girls into insufferable young men and women.” [The Onion]