There’s always something going on in the art world. Every Monday, Agora starts the new week by looking back at what happened the week before. Here are our top art news stories from April 24th – April 30th, 2016.
Source: artnet news
This week we saw a fire destroy Delhi’s Natural History Museum while elsewhere, connections were found between artists and psychopaths and a number of paintings created by zoo animals went up for auction.
Top Art News Stories
London Gallery Closes and Sends Staff Home as Part of an Exhibition
German artist Maria Eichhorn has ordered staff at the Chisenhale Gallery to close up shop and go home as part of her exhibition 5 weeks, 25 days, 175 hours. The staff at the gallery will be on full pay but are not required to do any work. By omitting any artwork, the closed gallery becomes a conceptual piece itself- prompting viewers to question art and exhibition alike. For now, Agora Gallery’s staff will have to rely on their vacation days for time off. Full Story Here →
Source: The Guardian
Study Reveals Artists and Psychopaths Share Common Traits
A new study published in the journal Personality and Individual Differences found that artists, actors, and musicians share personality traits with psychopaths. The investigation, conducted by psychologists from De La Salle University in Manila, found that creative people, like psychopaths, tend to be more prone to engage in dishonest and risky behavior as well as having higher levels of emotional disinhibition. Full Story Here →
Britain Receives Self Portrait of Lucian Freud
A never-before-seen self-portrait of Lucian Freud is set to go on show at London’s National Portrait Gallery. The portrait was bequeathed to Britain for $805,054 in lieu of inheritance tax owed by Freud’s estate. Starting June 11, the portrait will be displayed at the National Portrait Gallery as part of a Freud show. Full Story Here →
Paintings by Animals at San Francisco Zoo up for Auction
The San Francisco Zoo held an auction titled “Zoofest” where 50 paintings created by zoo animals went under the hammer to raise funds for the institution. The auction itself took place on April 30th, although the works were available for bid on eBay before this date. A number of people have questioned the ethics of profiting from artworks made by captive animals. Full Story Here →
Source: artnet news
Fire Tears Through Delhi’s Natural History Museum
A huge fire has destroyed most of the irreplaceable collection at Delhi’s Natural History Museum. The fire started on the sixth floor early Tuesday morning and took eight hours to completely extinguish. The extensive damage was due to poor maintenance of the building. The museum’s water safety systems were not working properly, resulting in water having to be delivered from a nearby metro station. One of the more devastating losses of the fire was a 160 million-year-old dinosaur bone. Full Story Here →
Fly By Night
The artwork by Duke Riley will fill the weekend’s night sky with Pigeons and LED lights. Every Friday through Sunday night between May 7th and June 12th, thousands of pigeons will be beckoned by a whistle from their home on a converted historic boat at the Brooklyn Navy yard. Their leg bands, which were traditionally used to hold messages, will be replaced by lights to add to the majesty of this quirky event. This project pays homage to the longtime act of pigeon keeping and their domestic roles throughout history. If you’re in New York, this is one you can’t dare to miss! Full Story Here →
These are just some of the many news stories that caught our eye this past week. For more stories as-they-happen, be sure to also follow our Facebook and Twitter. You can also sign up for our newsletter for news about Agora Gallery, our exhibitions, and our artists!
We love to hear from you. Tell us about the art and news that you’ve seen online or in person this week!
