Europe

German Art Collectors Face a Painful Past: Do I Own Nazi Loot?: After World War II, few Germans with sizable art holdings made a point of digging into their collections for signs of Nazi looting. And because private collections were off limits for those trying to track down stolen art, works of unexamined provenance have hung for decades in family homes and office corridors, the stories of how they were acquired often vague, inconsistent or simply not discussed.

14.03.2017, The New York Times: German Art Collectors Face a Painful Past: Do I Own Nazi Loot?

14.03.2017, Art Forum: German Government Designates $3.6 Million Fund for Provenance Research

Jeff Koons LLC and the Centre Pompidou are both found liable for copyright infringement in Paris court case: The lawsuit concerns the reproduction of a sculpture by Koons that resembles a picture by the French photographer Jean-François Bauret.

10.03.2017, The Art Newspaper: Jeff Koons LLC and the Centre Pompidou are both found liable for copyright infringement in Paris court case

09.03.2017, Art Market Monitor: A French Court Fines Jeff Koons €44k for Copying Naked

Art Loss Register Helps Track Down Trove of Paintings Stolen Sixteen Years Ago: The Art Loss Register announced that eight paintings stolen from a Danish home in December 2000 have been found. Last fall, ALR discovered that one of the stolen works—a portrait by the Danish painter Carl Holsøe of a young lady reading a book—was at a US auction house while conducting a routine search of one of its catalogues.

15.03.2017, Art Forum: Art Loss Register Helps Track Down Trove of Paintings Stolen Sixteen Years Ago

Bankrupt French company’s huge stock of precious manuscripts to go on sale: The world’s greatest private stock of manuscripts, which includes around 130,000 items and several cultural treasures, is coming to market. Acquired over a dozen years by the scandal-hit Aristophil company, the precious pieces are due to be auctioned at Drouot as early as next September, under the guidance of the auctioneer Claude Aguttes.

16.03.2017, The Art Newspaper: Bankrupt French company’s huge stock of precious manuscripts to go on sale

Christie’s plans to close South Kensington saleroom: Christie’s is planning to close its second London saleroom in South Kensington by the end of this year, it announced last week. The shake up is part of a review of the company’s operations, which are increasingly focused on Asia and online sales.

13.03.2017, The Art Newspaper: Christie’s plans to close South Kensington saleroom

Calm after the storm: older works revive auctions: “The market is back”, announced Francis Outred, Christie’s head of postwar and contemporary art for Europe, during this week’s auction series in London. In total, Christie’s sold £82.2m (£96.4m with fees) and Sotheby’s £107m (£118m with fees) at their evening sales on March 7 and 8. Last year’s combined total was £80.2m (£94.1m with fees).

10.03.2017, The Financial Times: Calm after the storm: older works revive auctions

Just How Big Is The Art Market? Leaders Do Some Serious Numbers-Crunching: The Art Market Report, issued by The European Fine Art Fair (TEFAF) each year during its 10-day March event in Maastricht, Holland, is something of a bible for costs and trends in the world’s art market. So when, this year, the widely accepted and TEFAF-promulgated $60-something-billion market size was replaced by a $40-something-billion dollar price tag, collectors and journalists alike gave a collective gasp.

15.03.2017, Forbes: Just How Big Is The Art Market? Leaders Do Some Serious Numbers-Crunching

Behind closed doors, private sales prosper: Auction houses, reckoning with weak sale totals in 2016 and facing continued uncertainty in 2017, are beefing up their private sales services, seeing it not only as a way to pad the bottom line in lean times but also as an increasingly necessary tool in their business-getting arsenal.

08.03.2017, The Art Newspaper: Behind closed doors, private sales prosper

United States

Trump Pledges to End the National Endowment for the Arts and Humanities: In a move many feared was coming, the Trump administration has revealed a proposal to cut the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) in its federal budget plan.

16.03.2017, Artnet: Trump Pledges to End the National Endowment for the Arts and Humanities

15.03.2017, The New York Times: Trump Proposes Eliminating the Arts and Humanities Endowments

As Dubai’s Skyline Adds a Trophy, the Architect Calls It Stolen: The Dubai Frame, set to open this year, is literally and figuratively a frame imposed on the overwhelming view — two parallel towers linked by an observation deck. The Mexican-born architect whose initial design inspired the structure, Fernando Donis, has accused the Dubai municipality of breaching his copyright in a lawsuit filed in December in United States federal court. Nine years ago, Mr. Donis won an international competition to design the building, besting more than 900 other entrants. Yet he was not included in the project’s execution and was not compensated for his intellectual property, his lawsuit claims.

08.03.2017, The New York Times: As Dubai’s Skyline Adds a Trophy, the Architect Calls It Stolen

Asia Week broadens its horizons with 50 exhibitors: Fifty galleries are taking part in Asia Week New York (9-18 March), the annual convergence of auctions and exhibitions of Asian art and antiques, including visiting dealers from Europe and Asia. The sharp increase in official participants—up from 16 galleries in the inaugural year of 2009—suggests that dealers remain optimistic, despite the economic contraction in China, by far the largest driver of this market.

14.03.2017, The Art Newspaper: Asia Week broadens its horizons with 50 exhibitors

16.03.2017, The Antiques Trade Gazette: Fujita Museum sale makes over £200m and lifts Christie’s Asian art week to record level

World

Dubai attracts auction players: It is an important week for Christie’s and Sotheby’s in Dubai. Sotheby’s opened a gallery space and office on Tuesday (14 March) in the Dubai International Financial Centre which, says Edward Gibbs, the chairman for the Middle East and India, will “bring together the best of our global business in one hub”.

17.03.2017, The Art Newspaper: Dubai attracts auction players

14.03.2017, Artnet: Sotheby’s Officially Opens Dubai Gallery and Office Outpost

South Korea Culture Ministry Pushes for Legislation to Protect Artists from Discrimination: After the administration of impeached president Park Geun-hye of South Korea came under fire for blacklisting artists over their political beliefs, the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism has pledged to call for new legislation that would protect artists from discrimination and political oppression.

15.03.2017, Art Forum: South Korea Culture Ministry Pushes for Legislation to Protect Artists from Discrimination

09.03.2017, The Korea Herald: Culture Ministry pushes for ‘anti-blacklist’ bill

Priceless remains lie in ruins at Mosul museum: It was once home to priceless archaeological treasures, but these days you get into Mosul museum in Iraq’s second city via a gaping hole in the basement.

12.03.2017, AFP: Priceless remains lie in ruins at Mosul museum

Law of Return: Nazi-looted art brought to Israel after World War II now reposes in that country’s museums and is at the centre of a debate over restitution. Egon Schiele’s Krumau: Crescent of Houses (1915) is among the modern masterpieces in the collection of the Israel Museum in Jerusalem.

15.03.2017, Art & Antiques Magazine: Law of Return