The week in art news: serious allegations at the top of the market, Christie’s to cut jobs, protestors shut Goldsmiths CCA and more…

An investigation by Air Mail reports sexual and financial misconduct at the top of London-based design firm Carpenters Workshop Gallery. According to numerous current and former workers, co-founders Julien Lombrail and Loïc Le Gaillard failed to ensure artists and fabricators were paid on time and fabricated sales figures. A number have also accused Le Galliard of sexual misconduct, claiming he was known for having affairs with junior staff. Lombrail and Le Gaillard also known in London as the owners of Ladbroke Hall. Is there more to this story?

Old masters dealers Edmondo di Robilant and Marco Voena are also facing accusations of racism, sexism and homophobia. According to a lawsuit filed in May by Virginia Brilliant, a curator and former gallery consultant at the fine art firm, Robilant+Voena, the pair made “misogynistic, antisemitic, racist and homophobic comments in the presence of and directed towards Plaintiff,” as well as pressuring Brilliant to trade sex for sales. There are more shocking revelations reported in The Daily Beast.

Christie’s auction house is reportedly planning to cut jobs, according to the Financial Times. A ‘senior member of staff’, guess who, gave a statement saying, “we constantly review our global resourcing needs to ensure we remain commercially resilient and adaptable; this can impact roles.” Christie’s move follows the news of up to 50 redundancies at rival Sotheby’s. Are you affected? We want to hear. Email us directly info@plastermagazine.com.

Meanwhile, a class action lawsuit against Christie’s has been filed in New York by Efstathios Maroulis, following the “foreseeable and preventable cyberattack” that released the personally identifiable information of up to 500,000 clients, including full names, genders, birthdates, birthplaces and identification documents. The Art Newspaper reports that the lawsuit requests damages, as well as the deletion or encryption of specific client data. It writes that a Christie’s spokesperson declined to comment on the lawsuit, citing business policy.

Student protestors shut down Goldsmiths Centre for Contemporary Art. A statement posted on Instagram announced that the gallery would shut until October, becuase the protest occupation had voided the terms of the gallery’s insurance policy. Protest group Goldsmiths for Palestine is demanding that the university “cut all ties” with Zak and Candida Gertler, property developers, founders of the Outset Contemporary Art Fund and close friends of Benjamin Netanyahu. The action coincides with a boycott of the university by University and College Union staff over job cuts. We’re asking: how will the CCA come back from this?

French culture minister demands new powers to deal with art protesters. Rachida Dati posted a blunt response on the social media platform X to the latest art-vandalism action by Riposte Alimentaire, an activist group raising awareness about climate change and the rising cost of food. “This destruction of art by delinquents cannot be justified in any way. It must stop!” She went on to say that she had contacted the justice ministry to create new guidelines “for this new form of delinquency which attacks the most noble aspect of our cohesion: culture!”

A lot’s kicking off at the Philadelphia University of the Arts. The college announced its sudden and surprise closure last week. Now, President Kerry Walk has resigned, staff have launched a class action lawsuit, and the Philadelphia City Council and the Pennsylvanian attorney general have announced an investigation into the closure. “The answer that this came all of the sudden is not acceptable,” said council member Mark Squilla. “We are not willing to take their word for it at this point.” State senator Nikil Saval commented, “It should wake many of us up to the fragility of the arts infrastructure in Philadelphia, which is extraordinary given how little support it gets.”

Meanwhile, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts has announced it will close in January 2025, making it the second arts university in the state to shut. Is there something in the water? Yanks, write in.

Finally, some good news for Philly: the city is getting a new art foundation. The Philadelphia’s Forman Arts Initiative, founded in 2021 by collectors Michael Forman and Jennifer Rice, has acquired a space in West Kensington. Rashid Johnson is on the board, and Theaster Gates will “steer the renovation and activation of the campus.”

Germany to reduce VAT on art. Right now, if you buy an artwork in Germany, you will pay an extra 19% in Value Added Tax. For years, German dealers have said this puts them at a disadvantage compared to their international rivals. How true is this? The UK charges 17.5%, France charges 20%, and some EU nations add a full 27% on top. Whatever the case, Germany is reducing VAT on art to a cool 7%. How much money will you save on your next Richter?

Speaking of good deals: an artwork listed for $1 has been valued at $13M. The pastel drawing by Edgar Degas, Éloge du maquillage (In praise of cosmetics) (1876), was thought to be lost. In 2021, it was spotted by an anonymous Barcelona-based buyer in an online auction, listed as a fake at just $1. A bidding war drove the hammer price up to $1,000, but it’s now been authenticated and given a high estimate of $13M. Not a bad return.