Art Industry News: Why the Arts Need a New Deal-Style Government Bailout Just Like the Airlines + 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 Friday, March
20.

NEED-TO-READ

Museum Leaders Ask Congress for $4 Billion –
American museum leaders are
lobbying Congress to allocate $4 billion to nonprofit museums as
part of a broader bailout package to address the economic fallout
of the current health crisis. The American Alliance of Museums and
the Association of Art Museum Directors stress that institutions
employ 760,000 people and annually contribute $50 billion to the US
economy. During the coronavirus shutdown, they are losing an
estimated $33 million a day. The AAM notes that some staff have
already been put on furlough or been laid off; even an institution
as well-funded as the Metropolitan
Museum of Art is bracing for a $100 million shortfall
and possible drastic
cutbacks. (Hyperallergic)

Will This Discovery Recalibrate Ancient History? – New
research suggests that radiocarbon dating, used to identify the
dates of events in prehistory, could have been off by years, or
even a few decades. Experts argue that the use of radiocarbon traces
to date ancient events in Europe and the Mediterranean, such as the
death of King Tutankhamen, failed to take into account regional
variations in how trees grow. Cornell University professor Sturt
Manning and his colleagues note that the radiocarbon level on Earth
varies according to region and season. Adjusting the dates
accordingly, Manning says, has the potential to rewrite
prehistory—including which groups were significant in shaping
classical civilization. (Science
Daily)

Is It Time for a Cultural Bailout? – The economic impact on the arts of the
coronavirus pandemic will be so great that the US will need a
version of the 1930 New Deal, William S. Smith argues—and it is essential
that culture be part of that equation. He cites the Federal Art
Project during the Great Depression, which funded both individual
artists’ work and institutions’ shows when private philanthropy
plummeted, leading to a flourishing of mural painting and laying
the foundation of the postwar rise of art in the US. Smith proposes
that museums today might receive more direct public funding in
exchange for offering free admission. “Private markets and
philanthropy will be changed on the other side of this pandemic,”
he writes, “so it is time once again to envision what art looks
like as a public good.” (Art in
America)

Artists Reflect on the Virus’s Impact – The American artist Trevor Paglen’s show in
Turin is half-installed and in lockdown. Bill Fontana’s show in the Kunsthaus Graz had
just opened when all of Austria’s museums were abruptly
shuttered. Like fellow artists
around the world, they are now working out what they will do
next. Fontana will take
advantage of the long stretches at home to organize his archive,
which spans five decades. Paglen, who has a studio in Berlin, says
he will take a deep dive into researching “the things that make us
feel safe in a very broad way.” (The Art
Newspaper)

ART MARKET

Long-Lost Ana Mendieta Sparks Lawsuit – Mendieta’s estate is suing Sotheby’s and the
consignor of a photograph by the
feminist artist that was pulled from auction after doubts
were raised about its provenance. Galerie Lelong, which represents Mendieta’s
estate, first spotted the photograph Guanaroca, which was previously thought to be lost, in a
sale catalogue. The artist’s
estate believes the work was in Mendieta’s possession at the time
of her death in 1985 and says it is unclear how the previous
owner, Edward
Meringolo, came to possess
it. (ARTnews)

Art Advisor Goes on a Spending Spree Before Lockdown –
Before New York City and other hubs around the country went into
lockdown, the New York-based art
adviser Todd Levin made a last dash to examine artwork in person.
He jumped on a plane and headed to Denver and Salt Lake City to
assess two top-dollar 20th-century works on offer, though he
declined to name them. “People are selling,” he says. “With this
kind of money being talked about, these pieces have to be looked
at. I can’t do a condition report from afar.” Levin is now back home and hunkered
down. (Bloomberg)

COMINGS & GOINGS

Director of the Pinault Foundation Steps Down
– Sylvain Fort, the former presidential press
director who was hired to lead billionaire art collector François
Pinault’s foundation, is quitting after just six months on the job.
The launch of Pinault’s Parisian gallery has been indefinitely
delayed due to the current health crisis. A spokesman said the
split was “by mutual agreement.” (The Art
Newspaper)

MOCA Founder Merry
Norris Has Died – The art
consultant who helped reshape the artistic landscape of Los Angeles
has died at the age of 80 from pneumonia unrelated to
COVID-19. Norris was on the city’s Cultural Affairs Commission
and a key founder of the Museum of Contemporary Art.
(Los Angeles
Times)

Los Angeles Auctioneer Peter Loughrey Has Died
– The influential Los Angeles curator, collector, and
founder of Los Angeles Modern Auctions died this week at age 52,
from cancer. Loughrey established LAMA at the tender age of 24 and
built it into a leading hub to buy and sell the work of California
artists long before the blue-chip art market began to recognize its
value. (Architectural
Digest)

FOR ART’S SAKE

Biennale of Sydney
Remains Open – The 22nd edition of the Biennale of Sydney
is still open to the public, free of charge, despite the
coronavirus outbreak. The organization said it was taking all the
necessary precautions outlined by authorities, including frequent
cleaning and abundant hand sanitizer. The exhibition, “Nirin,”
includes work by Huma Bhabha, Anna Boghiguian, and Tania Bruguera,
among others. (Press release)

African American Artists on Their Inspirations
– If you are looking for a refreshing break from
COVID-19 content, allow us to recommend this New York
Times feature in which 35 top African American artists
identify one work that most inspires them. Painter Kerry James
Marshall selected the film Get Out (“It wasn’t a
movie; it was cinema”), while TV producer Kenya Barris selected
Glenn Ligon’s Double America 2 (“the simplicity
of it is radical and confrontational”). (New York
Times)

Artist and Comedian Harry Hill Offers Cute Coronavirus
Tips – The artist, who is a regular exhibitor at the
annual Royal Academy Summer show, has some tips on helping the
world fight the coronavirus. With images borrowed from the toy
brand Sylvanian Families, Hill shares the commandments: stay
indoors, avoid unnecessary gatherings, and, please, don’t stockpile
food. (Instagram)

The post Art Industry News: Why the Arts Need a New
Deal-Style Government Bailout Just Like the Airlines + Other
Stories appeared first on artnet News.