Friedman Benda Is Opening a Paris Gallery, and Other News

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Friedman Benda Is Opening a Gallery in Paris

This week’s biggest gallery news comes from Friedman Benda, the prominent stronghold of American design founded by Marc Benda and Jennifer Olshin that maintains locations in both New York and Los Angeles. They plan to open their first international gallery in Paris early next year—a follow-up to their participation in the inaugural edition of Design Miami/ Paris that kicks off in mid-October. The new location will be inaugurated with a “cycle of curated group shows” of designers on their roster, many of which are based in Europe.

Creative Capital recently announced the election of new Directors of the Board: Raven Chacon, Kristina Wong, Grace Oh, and Corey Robinson, in addition to Sekka Scher as a new National Advisory Council member. Art21 also announced new appointments to their Board of Trustees: Abigail DeVille, Erica Samuels, Jasmine Tsou, Christine Turner, Nicole Deller, Mark Dorfman, Bill Gautreaux, and Diana Wierbicki. James Cohan was recently named board chairman, succeeding David Howe, who was named chair emeritus. 

Over in the design world, Flos recently appointed Barbara Corti as chief creative officer after serving as the brand’s chief marketing officer for six years. In her new role, she’ll set the creative strategy for developing product lines and content creation in every division. BuzziSpace, meanwhile, has appointed Tommaso Baldini as CEO and managing director. He succeeds Steve Symons, who’ll now act as president of the Belgian acoustic brand’s supervisory board. Reddymade, the architecture studio helmed by Suchi Reddy, shared that Kaija Wuollet has joined as principal. She previously served as director of city building at WXY Architecture and Urban Design and led Detroit-based practice Laavu for a decade. —Ryan Waddoups

Conservation groups call for India’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Stadium to be saved.

Conservation organizations, including the Twentieth Century Society and World Monuments Fund, are fighting to save the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Stadium in Ahmedabad, India, from demolition. Designed by Charles Correa and built largely from precast components, the stadium is slated for demolition to make way for a modern facility as part of Ahmedabad’s 2036 Olympic bid. The stadium has been in disrepair and was declared unfit for use by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, which has “in principle greenlit” the demolition plan. Notably, the stadium was listed in the World Monuments Fund’s most under-threat buildings in 2020 and is lauded for its visionary use of concrete and cantilevering. The conservation groups are urging the municipal corporation to reconsider the demolition, especially in light of a previous conservation plan developed with the Getty Foundation.

Swiss artist Daria Blum wins the first-ever Claridge’s Royal Academy Schools Art Prize.

Daria Blum, a Swiss artist known for her performance art and multimedia installations, has been named the inaugural winner of the Claridge’s Royal Academy Schools Art Prize. The award was presented at a ceremony at Claridge’s hotel in London, featuring honorary Royal Academician Marina Abramović and actor Russell Tovey. Selected by judges Yinka Shonibare and Eva Rothschild, Blum receives £30,000 ($36,000) for production costs and will have a solo exhibition at Claridge’s ArtSpace gallery in Mayfair. Eliza Bonham Carter, the curator and director of the Royal Academy Schools, praised Blum’s work for its emotional depth and complexity. Blum recently completed her postgraduate degree at the Royal Academy and has exhibited her work at various venues, including V.O Curations in London, the MAXXI Museum in Rome, and the Latvian National Museum of Art.

Zaha Hadid Architects wins the competition for a new cultural district in Sanya, China.

Zaha Hadid Architects has clinched the design competition for Sanya’s new harborside cultural district in Hainan, China. The sprawling 100-acre area aims to become a cultural hub, including facilities for performing arts, exhibitions, and commercial trade fairs. The scheme features a central axis separating the district into two areas: one for the arts and another for commercial activities. A layered roof structure, inspired by sails, cascades from this axis, framing the entrances to the theater and conference center. The district also incorporates sustainable elements, such as natural ventilation, photovoltaics, and rainwater collection systems that adapt to Hainan’s tropical climate. Public spaces like plazas, gardens, and marinas are integrated, along with city-center residences, hotels, and shopping amenities.

Jony Ive is talking to Sam Altman about building the “iPhone of artificial intelligence.”

Jony Ive, Apple’s former chief design officer, is reportedly in serious talks with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman to create a groundbreaking AI device, backed by more than $1 billion in funding from Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son. The duo aims to revolutionize the user experience with AI, much like how the original iPhone’s touchscreen changed mobile interaction. Ive, who has expressed concerns about the addictive nature of smartphones, sees this project as a chance to design a more responsible, screen-less device. While the project is still in its early stages, Son is pushing for his chip design company Arm to play a central role. No deal has been confirmed yet, but multiple ideas are being actively considered.

A German museum employee sold archival paintings and replaced them with forgeries.

An employee at the Deutsches Museum in Munich stole four paintings by early-20th-century German artists from the museum’s storage and replaced them with crude forgeries. He sold three of the stolen pieces at auction, netting roughly $63,000, which he used to finance a luxurious lifestyle. The theft was discovered when an in-house appraiser noticed that one of the paintings didn’t match its catalog entry. Judge Erlacher sentenced the employee to a commuted prison term of one year and nine months and ordered him to repay the money, citing his remorse and willingness to cooperate as reasons for the lenient sentence. The museum specializes in scientific and technical displays but also holds valuable art in storage, making the theft particularly egregious.

Today’s attractive distractions:

This American-themed buffet in Iraq serves up sushi, steak, and globalization.

Mehran’s Steak House was created as a joke between friends until last week.

Silicon Valley’s biggest AI developers are hiring poets and humanities experts.

Here’s how fungi can break down junk and waste and transform toxins into life.