COURTESY TOLEDO MUSEUM OF ART
The New York Times has an interview with John Auerbach, who’s amping up Christie’s online efforts ahead of the Sotheby’s-eBay partnership: “Our research shows that about 53 percent of those who register to bid online are under the age of 45. As for the most popular categories of our online auctions, they are postwar and contemporary art, fashion and photographs, followed by wine and jewelry.” [The New York Times]
Sir Norman Rosenthal interviews Jeff Koons: “NR: Don’t you like to smile? The ecstasy of sex is one thing, which is a pleasurable thing, but there’s also the ecstasy of smiling. JK: Norman, I like to smile, I think that my works have aspects to them which are very, very cheerful, that bring about a smile, but at the same time they have the aspect of tragedy. So they are not just free of this other side. They want really to be balanced, to be full and rounded.” [The Independent]
“Mark Rothko’s badly faded mural cycle painted for Harvard University in 1962 is getting a second life after decades in storage, through a groundbreaking conservation approach. Opening on Nov. 16 at the newly renovated Harvard Art Museums, “Mark Rothko’s Harvard Murals” will return the five monumental canvases to public view, enhanced by projections of colored light intended to restore the appearance of their original hues and the cohesiveness of the grouping.” [The New York Times]
The Toledo Museum of Art has acquired a large work by the 17th-century Italian painter Luca Giordano. [The Blade]
Lawrence Abu Hamdan will be the commissioned artist for the 2015 Armory Show. [The New York Times]
The United States Army will buy 23 World War I paintings for $600,000. [The Washington Free Beacon]
Jori Finkel checks in with Colin Bailey, the Frick’s former chief curator, who departed last year to become director of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. [The New York Times]
“Some Oakland County commissioners say they want the Detroit Institute of Arts to pay back bonuses and raises given to two top museum executives.” [Associated Press]