Daniel García Carrera, ex-husband of murdered gallerist Brent Sikkema, has been arrested in New York on charges of passport fraud. Carrera applied for a new passport for his child, falsely claiming it had been lost, when it was in the custody of Sikkema’s executor. Prosecutors claim Carrera is a flight risk, and asked for his detention.
Banksy’s bad month: his Finsbury Park mural of a green tree was vandalised barely 48 hours after being authenticated, and three of his artworks recently failed to sell. Last week, Happy Choppers (2006) didn’t reach its reserve in an auction at Anderson & Garland, Newcastle. This follows the dual disappointments of Laugh Now (2003) and Heavy Weaponry (2003) at Sotheby’s and Philips earlier this month.
Another Damien Hirst dead shark backdated. The Guardian reports that the tiger shark dated 1999 was actually made in 2017, just months before it was bought for $8M and installed in the Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas. The Unknown (Explored, Explained, Exploded) was the centrepiece of the resort’s dining room. The question everyone’s asking: is this just the tip of the iceberg?
Courtroom stunts: High Court rules Van Dyck belongs to bankrupt art collector James Stunt. The former multi-millionaire, and former husband of F1 heiress Petra Ecclestone, claimed the painting was owned by his father and on a long-term loan. The judge dismissed the claim, and the painting will now be part of Stunt’s bankruptcy proceedings.
Parliamentary panel rules three Rubens must stay in the UK. The paintings have a complicated provenance: they were once owned by the banker Franz Wilhelm Koenigs, but passed through several hands before ending up at The Courtauld. The UK Spoliation Advisory Panel rejected three separate claims to ownership and ruled the paintings are the property of the gallery.
Piero della Francesca’s Augustinian altarpiece back in one piece. The altarpiece was split up 450 years ago and just eight of the original 30 panels have survived. They’re now reunited at an exhibition at the Poldi Pezzoli Museum, Milan. The show was years in the making, as the panels are held in five separate museums across Europe and the US.
Harry Kane statue revealed after five years in storage: Waltham Forest Council has struggled to find an appropriate site for the statue of the Bayern Munich and England striker since it was completed in 2020. The Big Issue asked if the £7,200 statue was a waste of money that could be better spent on food banks, while others questioned the artistic value of the statue.
Russia lends Venice pavilion to Bolivia: Russia also skipped the 2022 Biennale, while Bolivia held its exhibition at Artspace4rent. Some have suggested that this act of geopolitical generosity is related to Russia’s desire for Bolivia’s lithium reserves.
Beaux-Arts de Paris accused of censorship after sections cut from history book. The book documented the entry of women into the famous French art school. It was published in January, but was recalled, pulped and reprinted without sections covering #MeToo and controversial former director Jean-Marc Bustamante.
Australian museum sued for discriminating against men: feminist artist Kirsha Kaechele installed a ‘Ladies Lounge’, only accessible to women, at the Museum of New and Old Art, Hobart, Tasmania back in 2020. The artist noted that women were banned from drinking in public bars in Australia until 1965. Visitor Jason Lau is now taking the museum to court for gender-based discrimination.
5 min read
The week in art news: Fourth Plinth artists announced, Damien Hirst in a pickle, Artforum finds new editor and more…
