The week in art news: Donald Trump launches sneaker line, Jeff Koons sends art to the moon, artist gambles to save Julian Assange’s life and more…

Transphobes at it again: Pink News reports right-wing outrage over Teresa Margolles’ upcoming Fourth Plinth installation. 850 ‘Improntas’ (850 Imprints) is made of face moulds of trans people, arranged in a Mesoamerica ‘tzompantli’ or skull wall. According to GB News, ‘campaigners’ wanted the Fourth Plinth to be reserved for a statue of the late Queen.

I wonder what the tabloids will have to say about this: the shortlist for the next two Fourth Plinth artworks has been announced. Seven artists are named: Chila Kumari Singh Burman, Gabriel Chaile, Ruth Ewan, Thomas J Price, Veronica Ryan, Tschabalala Self and Andra Ursuţa. Their proposals are on display at the National Gallery until the 17th March 2024. Two winners will be selected and will install their work in 2026 and 2028.

Russian artist Andrei Molodkin is threatening to destroy around $40M of art in an effort to save Julian Assange’s life. A decision is due this week on the Wikileaks founder’s extradition to the US, where he faces numerous spying charges and up to 175 years in prison. His supporters claim this is effectively, if not actually, a death sentence. 16 artworks are currently held in a custom-built 32 tonne safe, if Assange’s safety is not confirmed every 24 hours, the artworks will be automatically destroyed in acid.

Francis Bacon’s tribute to his lover Peter Lacy leads Christie’s spring auctions. It’s the first time since 1985 that the painting has been put to market. The 1963 painting, Landscape near Malabata, Tangier, was made one year after Lacy’s death. It’s estimated to reach up to $25M, almost 35 times the amount it was last sold for. It will go under the hammer in Christie’s 20th/21st Century London Evening Sale on the 7th March.

This was the one thing we didn’t want to happen: Jeff Koons and Elon Musk’s SpaceX teamed up to send 125 miniature stainless steel sculptures to the Moon. The Falcon 9 launched on 14th February and is due to arrive on Thursday. Needless to say, you can also buy an NFT commemorating the landing. Fingers crossed for another ‘rapid unscheduled disassembly’.

Mar-a-la-grail: Donald Trump launched his own streetwear line at Sneaker Con Philadelphia. The golden ‘NEVER SURRENDER’ hi-tops with embossed T (for TRUMP) logo are selling for $399. The former president faces multiple criminal trials as well as a $355M fraud fine. Plaster says: Trump’s a little late to the streetwear game. He should put his energy into building a wardrobe of timeless classics, rather than copping flashy pieces.

Adrian Cheng is lucky: heir to a $26B fortune, owner of Hong Kong’s K11 Art Mall, and chair of the city’s public arts body. Popbitch reports questions are being raised over taxpayer money used to launch a city-wide installation of artist Anya Hindmarch’s Chubby Hearts, especially given Hindmarch also happens to own a boutique in Cheng’s mall where she sells… love heart handbags.

Arts Council England u-turns on controversial funding clause. Last week, ACE caused outrage after warning that political statements made by individuals might breach funding agreements. Many saw the move as an unsubtle attempt at censorship. After listening to ‘feedback’, ACE pulled the policy and will be releasing an amended version.

Mire Lee picked for Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall. The South Korean sculptor was announced as the next artist to take part in the Hyundai Commission (as it’s officially known). Lee’s practice evokes body horror with organic and mechanical forms. Her installation is on display from the 8th October 2024, which should give you more than enough time to get together a niche Halloween costume for any art world parties.

Toppled statue of Bristol slave owner to go on permanent public display. The statue of Edward Colston was pulled down, defaced and drowned in the Bristol Channel during a wave of Black Lives Matter protests in 2020. The statue was recovered, and a city-wide survey showed wide support for placing it in a museum. It’s now lying on its side in the city’s M Shed museum.

Instagram-famous gallery owner Tove Langridge in court on nine counts of theft. This follows years of non-payment to artists and his refusal to return consigned works. Police recovered 20 artworks in a storage locker owned by the Brisbane gallerist. Langridge is in court on the 27th February and faces five years in prison if convicted.

Russian man SHOCKED to discover ‘worthless’ art collection valued at $2,000,000,000. Vladimir Putin, 71, fr0m Moscow, inherited the collection last week when his dear friend, the art critic Nina Moleva, sadly passed away. The collection includes over 1,000 works by artists including Da Vinci, Michelangelo and Rembrandt, but experts question its provenance. Mr Putin says he’ll use the money to go on a cruise, help his daughter buy a dacha, and use whatever’s left to fund his invasion of Ukraine.