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Jeff Koons moves exclusively to Pace Gallery after years at David Zwirner and Gagosian.
To help consolidate the management of his sales, Jeff Koons is consolidating his representation exclusively to Pace Gallery. Previously, the mega-artist was represented both by David Zwirner and Gagosian. “He’s one of the great living artists, who changed the way we look at our culture and at each other,” Marc Glimcher, president and CEO of Pace Gallery, told the New York Times. “Having been so committed to sculpture for 60 years, we think we have something to contribute to the next phase of Jeff’s career.” His first exhibition with Pace will showcase a single sculpture at the gallery’s Palo Alto space in 2022, with a major New York exhibition of recent work the following year.
The winning bidder of a Jean-Michel Basquiat NFT has the option of destroying the original.
Whoever becomes the lucky winner of an NFT of a Jean-Michel Basquiat drawing will have the option of destroying the original piece. The mixed-media work, called Free Comb With Pagoda, had previously been offered on Heritage Auctions for between $80,000–$120,000 but never found a buyer. In this auction, however, the winner can potentially “deconstruct” the drawing on purpose in order to “memorialize ownership,” according to the self-described digital provocateur Daystrom, which is sponsoring the auction. While purchasing NFTs rarely confers copyright, it’s difficult to view this auction as much else besides an example of iconoclasm.
SOM has transformed Chicago’s famous Willis Tower with a sky-high observation deck.
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) has completed an extensive renovation of the Chicago Willis Tower, including an observation deck and a new interactive exhibit highlighting how architecture shaped Chicago’s identity. Now reopened, the Skydeck is part of SOM’s ongoing design stewardship of the building, which began with the building’s conception and continued in 2009 with the addition of the Ledge.
Activists announce a plan to protest in the MoMA in a letter to the museum’s director.
For the past three weeks, activists have taken post every Friday in the plaza across from the Museum of Modern Art to incite a “post-MoMA future” wherein the interests of communities are prioritized over billionaire museum donors. Coined by the activists, these “pop-up deoccupations” have thus far been peaceful, focusing on “speakouts” and performances with COVID-19 safe distancing from the museum’s entrance. That all might change on Friday, April 30, however, when they plan to escalate their protests and bring them into MoMA’s halls.
Kenzo parts ways with designer Felipe Oliveira Baptista while LVMH evaluates low sales.
After two years as artistic director of Kenzo, the Portuguese designer Felipe Oliveira Baptista is stepping down. His contract will expire at the end of June, and LVMH has yet to name a successor. The fashion label has struggled to renew its image as interest in its offerings of embroidered tiger sweatshirts and low-top sneakers has diminished. While other LVMH brands have reinforced their position as top-priced luxury brands with exclusive retail strategies, Kenzo has been stuck at a premium price point. Its $250 sweatshirts aren’t difficult to find in department stores and multi-brand boutiques often at a discount.
Today’s attractive distractions:
This innovative laundry detergent is made from recycled carbon emissions.
Critics aren’t too fond of an NFT featuring the late actor Chadwick Boseman.
The critic Antwaun Sargent shares a handy eight-step guide for looking at art.
LVMH launches an online resale platform to source high-quality materials.
