Gagosian’s former gallery in San Francisco. Photography by M-PROJECTS, courtesy of Gagosian Gallery…
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Locals dispute claims that San Francisco’s viability as an art market is in jeopardy.
“The closure of two art galleries—the SFMOMA-adjacent Gagosian in late 2020 and the imminent shuttering of Palo Alto’s Pace Gallery, both of which are reopening in Los Angeles—led to speculation in a recent New York Times article that San Francisco’s viability as an art market, if not its very soul, were somehow in jeopardy. To Pamela Hornik, a collector in Palo Alto who spends part of the year in Manhattan’s gallery-filled Chelsea neighborhood, the premise is simply untrue. ‘The presence of Gagosian and Pace neither makes nor breaks the San Francisco arts scene,’ she told The Standard. ‘I don’t think either one was ever at the center of it.’” [H/T The San Francisco Standard]
Selfridges aims for half of its sales to be circular—rental, resale, and reuse—by 2030.
“The luxury department store chain said Friday it is doubling down on rental, resale and reuse as it looks to deliver on climate commitments. By the end of the decade, the retailer is aiming for 45 percent of transactions to come from products made from recycled materials or through services like resale, repair or refills. Today, less than one percent of its transactions meet that bar. Moving towards these kinds of circular business models is an elusive but increasingly mainstream goal within the fashion industry, offering companies a way to resolve the tension between sales growth and environmental impact.” [H/T Business of Fashion]
Foster + Partners’ new office in Venice Beach, California. Image courtesy of Foster + Partners…
Foster + Partners expands its California footprint to a sunny office in Venice Beach.
“Five years after starting an office in San Francisco during the design of Apple Park, Foster + Partners has expanded its California footprint south to Los Angeles. In April, the U.K. headquartered firm quietly opened an outpost on Ocean Front Walk a few blocks south of Rose Avenue in Venice. Housed in a new multiuse development, the studio—which is on track to host 12 employees, mostly designers, by the end of the year—is an airy double-height loft space with large glass sliders that give access to a rooftop terrace and stunning views of Venice Beach and the Pacific Ocean.” [H/T The Architect’s Newspaper]
Inflation and rising travel costs cause an unusually quiet summer in Wine Country.
“Many Napa and Sonoma County business owners have described a slowdown, attributing it to a number of factors, including the surge in international travel and inflation. The costs of gas, airfare, and lodging are all on the rise. Wine tasting fees have also gotten more expensive in Napa and Sonoma counties. The scene is a dramatic departure from last summer, when Napa wineries reported off-the-charts demand and tourists were more than willing to shell out for tastings that cost upwards of $500. According to Smith Travel Research data, hotel bookings were down by 3 percent in July from 2021 and by 10 percent from 2019. In spite of that decline, July hotel revenue increased by 28 percent compared to 2019 due to higher room rates. The average daily room rate in Napa Valley this year is $455, up from $349 in 2021 and $318 in 2020.” [H/T San Francisco Chronicle]
A Banksy mural and the Downtown L.A. building it adorns head to the auction block.
“In 2010, while in town for the Los Angeles premiere of his documentary “Exit Through the Gift Shop,” the British street artist Banksy left a gift for fans: a mural of a girl on a swing, dangling beneath the five-foot red “A” of the word “PARKING” on a gritty downtown lot. Now that girl—as well as the historic building in the downtown fashion district that serves as her canvas—is for sale to the highest bidder. Banksy’s painting, known to fans as both Swing Girl and Girl on a Swing, adorns an exterior wall of 908-910 S. Broadway, an Art Deco mid-rise building with a storied silver-screen past.” [H/T The New York Times]
WeTransfer launches a charity to support underrepresented artists and organizations.
“WeTransfer has just unveiled a new independent charity, called The Supporting Act Foundation, with €600,000 ($597,000) worth of funding to support emerging underrepresented and underfunded artists and organizations, plus community-centered initiatives. WeTransfer’s mission with the new venture is to open up entry points into the arts and to tackle age-old barriers that make the industry inaccessible.” [H/T It’s Nice That]
Image courtesy of Soho House…
Today’s attractive distractions:
Soho House’s colorful new magazine will support its annual awards program.
