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LGDR Gallery Splits Up After Two Years
LGDR is splitting up after two years. Formed by four prominent art dealers—Dominique Lévy, Brett Gorvy, Amalia Dayan, and Jeanne Greenberg Rohatyn—to subvert the traditional gallery model, the consortium aimed to offer something different in competition with mega-galleries. Greenberg Rohatyn announced her departure from the group and will relaunch Salon 94 in October, which is kicking off with exhibitions of sculptures by Karon Davis, ceramics by Myrtle Williams, and hip-hop jewelry by Dynasty & Soull Ogun. The remaining members will continue working together and will be known as Lévy Gorvy Dayan. —Ryan Waddoups
Milan’s famous San Siro stadium, originally designed in the 1920s and shared by football clubs Inter Milan and AC Milan, has been saved from demolition due to its cultural heritage. The Regional Commission for the Cultural Heritage of Lombardy intervened, recognizing the stadium’s distinctive design. Instead of being replaced by a Populous-designed arena called the Cathedral, AC Milan and Inter Milan are now reportedly seeking two separate sites for their future stadiums, with AC Milan planning a 60,000-70,000 seat stadium in San Donato Milanese, and Inter Milan likely working with Populous for a new stadium south of Milan.
OpenAI, the company behind AI systems like DALL-E and ChatGPT, is acquiring its first company, the New York–based AI design and development startup Global Illumination. This acquisition brings in a team that has worked at the intersection of AI and tangible product with major tech companies like Instagram, Facebook, Google, and Pixar. The move appears to be aimed at enhancing OpenAI’s product expertise, potentially aiding in the development of new applications and tools. The acquisition highlights a growing trend in the tech industry, where designers are working to harness the largely untapped potential of AI, transforming it from a prompt-driven utility to software that can dynamically reshape its user interface.
The Whitney Museum of American Art is selling its former building at 945 Madison Avenue, but will leave behind the artwork Dwellings (1981) by Charles Simonds on a long-term loan. The piece, consisting of miniature buildings and landscapes, has been a part of the building’s stairwell for more than four decades. Sotheby’s, which bought the Marcel Breuer–designed structure, will act as stewards of the work, keeping it accessible to the public in its original location. The sculpture, depicting tiny settlements made of humble materials, represents the ruined homes of an imaginary civilization.
Workwear, originally designed as safety clothing for manual laborers, has seen a resurgence in fashion, with wide-legged pants and utility jackets coming back into vogue. Willy Chavarria, known for blending workwear with streetwear, is collaborating with Dickies on a capsule collection that reimagines classic workwear items. The collection, available at Bergdorf Goodman, includes nine pieces such as structured work shirts, oversize bomber jackets, and wide-leg cargo pants. Chavarria’s designs aim to reflect the evolution of workwear, paying homage to its origins while offering a high-fashion interpretation.
New York City officials have announced plans to ease the conversion of office buildings into housing and open manufacturing areas for residential development in Midtown Manhattan. The initiative aims to address the city’s housing crisis and revitalize the business district, with one plan potentially allowing for 20,000 new homes through office building conversions. While the proposals have been commended by developers and housing advocates, they require City Council approval and do not provide funding for conversions, leading some to question how many building owners will proceed without financial incentives. The plans are part of a broader effort to adapt to changing work trends, but they fall short of fully addressing New York’s housing shortage, estimated to be in the hundreds of thousands of homes.