COURTESY BLUM & POE
Hello! We’re here with a special Friday-before-Labor-Day edition of Morning Links. Here’s a few art world tidbits to tide you over until Tuesday.
Kanye West
Last week, Blum & Poe’s Los Angeles gallery exhibited a sculpture by Kanye West that actualized the same tableau depicted in the video for West’s single “Famous”: Taylor Swift, George W. Bush, Donald Trump, and other totems of our times snoozing in a bed next to West and his wife, Kim Kardashian West. Lots of questions about this, sure, but mainly: Was it for sale? Well, despite early reports that the price tag was in the ballpark of $4 million, Blum & Poe co-founder Tim Blum says that it is definitely not on the market. [The Los Angeles Times]
That early report about a sale price for Famous may not be correct, but it does provide some backstory regarding how it came together. Scooter Braun, the pop star Svengali who discovered Justin Bieber, is a collector. He works with Kanye West now. He called Tim Blum. It happened. [The New York Times]
Our Local Correspondents
The New York Times will cut back on coverage of cultural happenings in the tri-state area, including restaurant openings, theater programming, and gallery shows. An email from a Times editor to longtime contributors lets them down like this: “Sorry about this, folks. I want to thank you for all you’ve done, all the fine writing you’ve given our readers. I wish you all the best.” [Deadline]
After 40 years in Albany, Albany Center Gallery is looking for a new location, possibly outside of Albany, due to rent issues. [The Times Union]
Appointments!
“The Old Master specialist Cécile Bernard has been named general manager of Sotheby’s France, the auction house announced on Wednesday 1 September.” [The Art Newspaper]
“The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) has announced that Elissa Tenny is the college’s new president. She is the fifteenth executive and first woman to take on this role in the history of the school.” [Artforum]
One Less Place to Buy Paint
New York Central Art Supply Inc., on 3rd Avenue and 11th Street, is closing. It’s been around for 111 years. Gosh, that’s almost as long as McSorley’s! Which is right around the corner! [The Wall Street Journal]
Is This Heaven? No, It’s Iowa
An investigation into the art scene in Des Moines, Iowa, and why it might be underrated. [The Des Moines Register]