Art Industry News: Beijing’s Forbidden City Reopens Tomorrow—But Only for Those With Proof They’re Healthy + Other Stories

Art Industry News is a daily digest of the most
consequential developments coming out of the art world and art
market. Here’s what you need to know on this Thursday, April
30.

NEED-TO-READ

How Do You Close a Museum? – A recent survey of
European museums found that one in 10 may close as a result of the
pandemic, which begs the uncomfortable question: how do you
actually close a museum, anyway? Turns out, it’s
complicated. The Netherlands
has a 35-page manual for the “disposal” of museum objects,
including rules stipulating that works must be first offered back
to the original donors. If works were acquired with government
funds, the pieces must be offered to another museum. Staff will
likely need to stay on for years after the museum closes to manage
the deaccessioning and other technical issues. (New York Times)

ICA Commissions Digital Art – The Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami has
come up with a novel way to facilitate the production of new work
while its facility is closed. The museum is commissioning four
local artists—Cristine Brache, Domingo Castillo, Faren Humes, and
Terence Price II—to create new digital works for its Instagram and
website. Each artist has created short video works, with Brache’s
launching today at 1 p.m. EST. (Press release)

Beijing Reopens the Forbidden City – After
a long and stringent lockdown, Beijing is beginning to reopen
cultural institutions, including Beijing’s imperial Palace Museum
and Forbidden City. State museums will reopen tomorrow for the
national May Day holiday, which is traditionally a popular week for
domestic tourism. Under the new public-health rules, visitors to
the Forbidden City will be capped at 5,000 a day and indoor
exhibition areas will remain closed. In order to gain entry,
visitors must also pre-book, undergo a temperature check at the
door, and present a digital health code that confirms they have not
recently traveled to any virus hotspots. Face masks will be
required and social distancing will be enforced. (The Art
Newspaper)

An Indigenous Artist Will Represent Taiwan in Venice –
For the first time, Taiwan will
present works by an indigenous artist at the Venice Biennale.
Artist Sakuliu Pavavaljung will be the subject of the Taiwan
Pavilion, organized by Patrick Flores, in 2021. Pavavaljung,
part of the 100,000-member Paiwan community, is known for making
work across media in collaboration with other artisans and for his
advocacy work in education reform. (Art Asia Pacific)

ART MARKET

Dallas’s Craighead Green Gallery Is Re-Opening Next Week
– Unlike museums in the state,
the Dallas gallery is planning to take advantage of the reopening
of Texas on May 5. “Every surface will be cleaned after each
visitor, we will have hand sanitizer available for all to use, and
we will, of course, be wearing our stylish masks,” the gallery said
in a statement. “With over 5,600 sq. feet of gallery space, we have
plenty of room for you to keep your distance and still enjoy some
gorgeous artwork.” (Glasstire)

The Seattle Art Fair Is Cancelled – Set to take place from July 23 to 26, the West
Coast fair founded by the late collector Paul Allen in 2015 has
been called off this year due to the ongoing health
crisis. (Press release)

Sotheby’s Prints Sale Nets $3.4 Million – Sotheby’s Prints & Multiples sale made its
highest-ever total for an online auction in the category yesterday,
with 88 percent of lots sold. Highlights included Andy
Warhol’s Grapes (Suite of
6), which
made $375,000, and
Jasper Johns’s colorful Target (1974), which sold for
$162,500. Half of the buyers were making a purchase from Sotheby’s
for the first time, according to the house. (Press release)

COMINGS & GOINGS

Terra Foundation Announces $8 Million Relief Fund –
Chicago’s Terra Foundation for
American Art has created an $8 million relief fund for visual arts
organizations affected by COVID-19. The fund will provide emergency
money for US-based and international arts organizations engaging
with American art, as well as ongoing relief over the next two
years for organizations in the US. (Press release)

Documenta Archive Names New Head – The German art historian Nadine
Oberste-Hetbleck is taking over for Birgit Jooss as the director of
the Documenta Archive, which will soon be housed in an independent
international research institute. Oberste-Hetbleck, who currently
serves as art history professor at Cologne University, will take up
the new post on August 1. (Artforum)

Curator Paul Smith Dies at 88 – The curator and museum director Paul J. Smith
has died at 88. The former director of the Museum of Contemporary
Crafts in New York (now called the Museum of Arts and Design) was
known as a champion of American Craft. (ARTnews)

FOR ART’S SAKE

People Aren’t Sure What to Make of Cuomo’s Mask Collage –
During his daily press conference yesterday, New York governor Andrew Cuomo unveiled what he
called a “self-portrait of America,” a collage of hundreds of face
masks that were mailed to New York from citizens in other states.
But amid a shortage of personal protective equipment, some viewers
were left wondering why the masks were used for a photo op and not
distributed to people who need them. (Observer)

A Museum Is Opening… Underwater – A Museum of Underwater Art in Queensland,
Australia, was slated to open this month after installation was
completed in December, but the opening (like all others) has now
been postponed. The project installed 60 feet under the sea hopes
to draw tourism to the area as well as become a habitat for marine
life amid the environmental decimation of coral reefs. Bonus: it’s
probably not too difficult to remain six feet apart with all that
scuba diving gear. (NBC) 

The post Art Industry News: Beijing’s Forbidden City Reopens
Tomorrow—But Only for Those With Proof They’re Healthy + Other
Stories appeared first on artnet News.