The week in art news: New York gigaweek begins, Christie’s website security incident, warning shots for Maurizio Cattelan and more…

It’s ‘gigaweek’ in New York. Around 1,700 works are going on sale between the three major auction houses – Christie’s, Sotheby’s and Philips – in their spring sales, which will take place this week. Sales are expected to reach between $1.2B to $1.8B. Those are some big numbers, but not big enough for some. Writer Kenny Schachter called the upcoming season “wretched” in comparison to 2022, when the same sales netted $2.8B.

And in the worst possible timing, Christie’s website remains down 6 days after digital “security incident”. In a statement, CEO Guillaume Cerutti said that the auction house is consulting security experts and has taken its website offline as a precautionary measure. He also said that all eight New York sales, expected to bring in around $840M, will go ahead. However, the statement doesn’t address concerns about customer data security… a word of advice; change your passwords and check your bank statements.

Meanwhile, the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam was targeted by scammers, who set up fake ticket websites to steal unsuspecting visitors’ cash. The museum said that less than 50 buyers were affected before the website was shut down. But it warned future visitors to always check the URL in the address bar.

Warning shots: artist’s lawyers contact Maurizio Cattelan over copycat claims. Anthony James claims that Cattelan’s new bullet-marked gold panels are a rip-off of his own bullet-marked steel panels. The British-born artist has been making his Bullet Paintings series since the 2000s. James’ lawyers sent Cattelan a letter, reminding him that while ideas can’t be copyrighted their expression can be, and asking Cattelan to outline when and how he came up with his idea.

Students and faculty walk out at New York’s Cooper Union over art school’s ties to Israel. Last Thursday, students and staff called for “full disclosure” of the school’s investment portfolio, as well as divestment from Israeli companies and US military manufacturers. Students also complained about the recent installation of CCTV cameras inside studio buildings.

Congrats to Damien Hirst and Sophie Cannell, who just announced the birth of their baby boy on Instagram, last week. Hirst posted a hospital bed pic of Cannell and their newborn, as well as a picture of himself and a weak joke about trying to enjoy the snooker. The baby is Hirst’s fourth kid, and his first with Cannell. If you ask us, it’s his best creation since that ‘1999’ tiger shark.

Days after Eugène Delacroix’s Liberty Leading the People was rehung at the Louvre, climate protesters targeted the painting. Two activists of Riposte Alimentaire, a group which advocates for food security and equality, threw orange powder in the gallery and stuck stickers around the painting, saying “Resisting is Vital.” The Louvre said that the newly-restored painting wasn’t damaged by the protest.

Hettie Judah steps down as chief art critic for The Independent. She announced the move in a post on X, “It is with sadness that I announce that after eight years as Chief Art Critic on @theipaper (and many before that on The Independent on Sunday) that I have today stepped down. Thanks to all who have followed my writing and supported the paper over the years.”

Is it an oak tree? Is it a glass of water? Visitors to the Royal Academy will decide when Michael Craig Martin’s retrospective comes to the gallery this autumn (21st September- 10th December).. The exhibition will include An Oak Tree (1973) alongside Craig-Martin’s later tape drawings, and, because it’s 2024, a new immersive digital work.

200 years with this one: Nat Gal celebrates bicentennial. In May 1824, London’s National Gallery was founded at 100 Pall Mall as the world’s first national gallery. It moved to Trafalgar Square in 1838 and has stayed there since, surviving the Blitz and a post-war plan to demolish the Victorian building. This year, the gallery is marking the special occasion with a year-long “festival of art”.

Egon Schiele dispute reaches New York court. Three separate parties claim ownership of the 1917 drawing, Portrait of the Artist’s Wife. The work is currently owned by the Robert Owen Lehman Jr. Foundation, but the heirs of two Jewish collectors, Karl Mayländer and Heinrich Rieger, also claim ownership, saying documents were lost during the second world war. The decision will now be up to state Supreme Court judge Daniel J. Doyle.