The week in art news: Dinh Q. Lê 1968-2024, Marlborough Gallery shuts after 80 years, Ron’s Place receives Grade II listing and more…

Vietnamese-American artist Dinh Q. Lê has died at 56. He was best known for his woven photo artworks that explore the legacy of the Vietnam War. Lê was born in Ha Tien in 1968. In 1978, his family fled the Cambodian-Vietnamese war and moved to Los Angeles. In the US, Lê studied at the University of California and later at the School of Visual Arts in New York. In 1998, he moved to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Lê was represented by P.P.O.W gallery, New York.

Marlborough Gallery shuts down after 80 years. The blue-chip gallery, which specialised in post-war artists and had locations in London, New York and Madrid, announced its closure last week. There’d been trouble at the top of the gallery since 2020 – a family dispute saw a shakeup of senior staff, and the gallery lost the representation of Paula Rego and Frank Auerbach – but still, the closure came as a surprise. The gallery announced it will shut in June 2024, and will dissolve its collection, estimated to be worth $250M, over the next few years.

Manchester arts centre cancels – then uncancels – event on Palestinian art. HOME was due to host “Voices of Resilience” on 22nd April, but cancelled the event following complaints. Counter-protests and an open letter called for the event to be reinstated, while around 100 artists removed their work from the gallery in protest of the cancellation. The event has now been reinstated, with Home apologising for “any distress or upset caused” and stating, “We support Palestinian and all community voices, and acknowledge that we can learn from how this was handled.”

Ron’s Place, the fantastical Birkenhead flat owned by outsider artist Ron Gittins, has been given Grade II listing. Gittins spent 30 years decorating the rented ground-floor flat with wall-sized murals, concrete sculptures and handmade costumes. Since his death in 2019, the flat has been looked after by volunteers. They hope to open it to the public in 2025.

Judge halts demolition of Mary Miss’ Greenwood Pond: Double Site at the Des Moines Art Center, Iowa. The wooden pagoda and pathway leading into a pond was built in 1994 but is now showing serious signs of neglect. The DMAC said demolition was necessary as the artwork had come to the end of its serviceable life, while Miss accused the centre of breaking their contract not to damage, relocate or modify the structure. On Tuesday, a judge issued a temporary restraining order halting the demolition.

Eyy, woah, I’m seein’ art here! New York’s Times Square is getting a 65ft tall, confetti-spewing hot dog later this month thanks to artist duo Jen Catron and Paul Outlaw. Jean Cooney, director of Times Square Arts, said. “Through the unassuming lens of a hot dog, Jen and Paul invite us to let our guard down and dig into the meaty complexities of our society with humour, audacity, and an unabashed embrace of the absurd.” Only in New York babey!

Meanwhile, Venetian residents aren’t so happy with their city’s latest piece of public art. A series of sculptures by artist Manolo Valdés inspired by Velazquez’s Las Meninas have been installed in Saint Mark’s Square ahead of the upcoming Venice Biennale. Local heritage group Italia Nostra-Venezia criticised the installation and the “biennalisation” of the city, saying, “it reads like yet another imposition, yet more violence on an already tortured body.” Ouch!

Ukraine identifies 100 stolen artworks in Russian “propaganda” video. The video was shot at the Central Museum of Tavrida in Russian-occupied Crimea and aired on Russian TV in September 2023. The Ukrainian Kherson Art Museum reposted the video on Facebook and highlighted the works they claim to have been looted. The museum estimates these 100 works are “less than 1%” of the total stolen by Russian armed forces. The theft of any kind of “cultural property” is a war crime under the 1954 Hague Convention.

French authorities seize 100 stolen Russian avant-garde paintings. The paintings, owned by Uthman Khatib, were being held as evidence in a forgery case against their previous owner, art dealer Itzhak Zarug. But when the charges were dropped the paintings were returned to Zarug, rather than Khatib. They later turned up on the open market. Khatib warned buyers that there are more stolen works in circulation.

It’s a buyer’s market at Sotheby’s. The auction house announced a new fee structure that will see lower costs for buyers, higher costs for sellers and a flat commission rate. In recent years, buyers have had to pay premiums as high as 27%, while sellers got away with paying practically nothing. The new fee structure, which comes into effect over the next month, is designed to simplify complex transactions. It’s reportedly part of a larger plan to increase participation in the market. Some experts believe it’ll also help cut the costs of negotiations and administration.

Update on the Brent Sikkema murder case – It’s been revealed that the murdered art dealer cut ex-husband Daniel Carrera out of his will and left $1M to another former lover, Carlos Ramos. Carrera is suspected of masterminding Sikkema’s murder at his home in Rio de Janeiro. Last month, Carrera was arrested in New York on suspicion of passport fraud, and detained as a flight risk. Last week, Artnet News reported a Brazilian judge has demanded the “urgent” extradition of Carrera to face trial in Rio de Janeiro.