Author: Ann Williams

A group of parents recently filed a lawsuit worth more than C$1.5 million ($1.16 million) against an art teacher and a school board after students found classroom artwork available for purchase on the teacher’s personal website. The students attended Westwood Junior High School in Saint-Lazare, Quebec. The suit, filed March 22 in Quebec Superior Court, seeks $1.58 million, or $155,000, for each of the 10 students, plus punitive damages, alleging copyright infringement by former teacher Mario Perron and the Lester B. Pearson School Board. Related Articles The lawsuit alleges that in January Perron assigned his 96 students to draw a…

As US museums continue to struggle with the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, many have drawn connections between the year-long decline in visitors and staff cuts. But as the number of visitors begins to stabilize, it is not clear whether the museums will regain their lost positions, a problem that has become more urgent as funds are diverted to other projects.The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York reported that it received more than 861,000 visitors in 2023, a 33% decrease from 2019. The museum laid off ten employees last December, citing rising operating costs, inflation and a drop in…

The former chief financial officer of New York’s Museum of Arts and Design (Mad) is suing the museum, alleging that she was fired after reporting alleged misconduct by the museum’s director. The lawsuit accuses the museum of retaliation and failure to comply with the whistleblower policy.According to the lawsuit filed by Denise Lewis, who worked at the museum from 2017 until she was fired in January of this year, museum director Timothy Rodgers wanted to use the organization’s funds to pay for personal expenses while on vacation in Mexico last October. After raising the issue with other museum leaders and…

Two museum bookends Godzilla: Asian American Arts Network, a 2021 Howie Chen-edited archival anthology about the eponymous and influential activist network in New York City. The first museum is a fantasy, a vision of an institution based on equity and representation. At a Godzilla formation meeting at Margo Machida’s Brooklyn studio on July 26, 1990, artists Ken Chu and Bing Lee and art historian Machida, according to the anthology’s minutes, “discussed ideas for forming an Asian American art organization. Asian American visual artists it would begin to respond to the emerging needs of our contemporaries.” Chuk and Lee outlined their…

One of Los Angeles’ most famous museums is getting a whole lot bigger in time for the 2028 Summer Olympics. On Wednesday, the Broad, the private museum founded by the late collector Eli Broad and his wife Edyth, announced plans to add 55,000 square feet of space, increasing the institution’s current footprint by about 70 percent. The Los Angeles Times reported that the expansion comes with a price tag of $100 million, nearly as much as the cost of constructing the original buildings. Diller Scofidio + Renfro, the architectural firm responsible for the original building, will return to work on…

A $9 million Willem de Kooning painting is among the sales on the first day of Art Basel Hong Kong. Hauser & Wirth sold the painting, which also sold Philip Guston’s the desire (1978) for $8.5 million and by Mark Bradford May the Lord be the first in the car… and the last to leave. (2023) for $3.5 million.On Tuesday morning, the fair kicked off the first of its two VIP days at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. This edition will see the fair return to its pre-pandemic size, with more than 240 galleries, a 37% increase in…

The winners of the Chanel Next Award, which honors ten artists working in the disciplines of art, film, performance and music, have been announced. Each will receive 100,000 euros to help deepen their practice and realize their most ambitious work. They will also be offered a two-year mentorship and will be given access to an international networking program created in collaboration with the French fashion house’s partners.The biennial award was launched in 2021 as part of Chanel’s Culture Fund, a funding initiative that aims to support and promote figures at the forefront of contemporary culture. The award’s jury includes some…

In 2022, Meta-owned social media platform Instagram came under fire for promoting short-form videos, which it calls “Reels,” over the still images the platform was once known for. Even some of Instagram’s top users, such as influencers Kim Kardashian and Kylie Jenner, called it out for “trying to be TikTok.” In July 2022, a campaign by the artist Tati Bruening called “Make Instagram Instagram Again” got more than 300,000 signatures, while the Artist Support Pledge organization called for “the same status of photos and videos”.While it’s hard to know for sure whether the Instagram algorithm prioritizes Reels, museums are taking…

Artemisia Gentileschi, “Self-Portrait as Allegory of Painting, with Male Portrait on Easel” (1630–35), oil on canvas, 38.58 x 29.33 inches (© National Gallery of Ancient Art, Palazzo Barberini) Artemisia Gentileschi, “Self-Portrait as Allegory of Painting, with Male Portrait on Easel” (1630–35), oil on canvas, 38.58 x 29.33 inches (© National Gallery of Ancient Art, Palazzo Barberini) Artemisia Gentileschi, “Self-Portrait as Allegory of Painting, with Male Portrait on Easel” (1630–35), oil on canvas, 38.58 x 29.33 inches (© National Gallery of Ancient Art, Palazzo Barberini) GENOVA, Italy — Exhibition Artemisia Gentileschi: Courage and Passion It is a failure of storytelling in…

The British Museum has sued former curator Peter Higgs for serious theft. The London museum has today, March 26, granted access to the eBay and PayPal records of a departed employee after detailed allegations were made at London’s High Court detailing years of theft from its collections. Higgs, who worked in the museum’s Greek collections department for 30 years before being fired last August, will be ordered by the judge to release information about the artifacts he is accused of stealing. The museum says that Higgs sold objects from the stolen collection to more than 45 buyers over a 10-year…