I n our lead story this week, the Whitney Museum of American Art announces the artists participating in next year’s Biennial (which Sotheby’s proudly sponsors) – marking the first presentation of the prestigious survey of contemporary art since the museum moved to its new location in downtown New York. Also, at age 84, Latin America’s most collectible artist shows no signs of slowing down. W Magazine catches up with Colombian painter Fernando Botero on the occasion of his fittingly voluminous new book.
Whitney Biennial
The 63 participating artists in this year’s Whitney Biennial range from emerging to well-established individuals and collectives, and were selected around this year’s theme of ‘the formation of self and the individual’s place in a turbulent society.’ (The New York Times)
Drawings Labelled Imitations
An art history professor at the University of Toronto in Canada claimed to have discovered a sketchbook containing more than 60 drawings made by Vincent van Gogh. But Amsterdam’s Van Gogh Museum, the leading authority on the artist and the owner of the largest collection of his artworks, stated that the drawings were likely imitations. (The Guardian)
Keeping Things Supersized
On the occasion of his new, fittingly voluminous book by Assouline, the Colombian icon reflects on his hugely influential six-and-a-half-decade career. (W Magazine)
Beijing’s Central Academy of Fine Arts Art Museum faces criticism for moving ahead with a major exhibition of work by artist Anselm Kiefer, even after the artist disavowed the show, which he said was organised without his consent. (The Art Newspaper)
Elephant Statue Vandalised
Italian police are looking into the suspected vandalization of a 17th century landmark by one of the country’s leading figures of Baroque art. Gian Lorenzo Bernini's Elephant and Obelisk lost the tip of its left trunk in an incident last week, spurring calls to better protect the city’s cultural heritage. (The Telegraph)
Cultural Heritage
Art Recovery International (ARI) announced the launch of Artive, a new non-profit organisation formed with the aim of protecting and preserving ‘the world’s cultural heritage through the use of technology.’ (ArtNet News)
Other Stories We Love
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•Elaine Wynn, Buyer Of $142 Million Painting, On Her Love Of Art (Forbes)
•Nike Enlists Street Artist KAWS to Paint Murals on New York Basketball Courts (Architectural Digest)
