Artist attempts to create Europe’s largest environmental art project with 5,000 trees Street artist Escif wants to plant 5,000 trees in the shape of a low-battery symbol atop Mount Olivella in Italy. An Indiegogo campaign has been launched to help fund the project.
‘Pull the plug’ on Garden Bridge says Hodge review Margaret Hodge, who was asked by London mayor Sadiq Khan to assess the viability of the multi-million pound Garden Bridge project over the Thames, has said the Thomas Heatherwick designed bridge represents poor value for money and “it is difficult to justify further public investment”.
Ai Weiwei and Brook Andrew to headline 21st Biennale of Sydney Japanese artistic director Mami Kataoka announces preliminary lineup of 21 artists, including Brighton’s Semiconductor, former Turner Prize nominee Ciara Phillips, Scottish artist Anya Gallaccio, and London/Paris-based Oliver Beer. Kataoka, who has worked with Ai Weiwei since 2007, said the Chinese artist and activist was developing new work that engaged with the European refugee crisis.
National Portrait Gallery acquires Wellington painting after £1.3m plea Sir Thomas Lawrence’s unfinished Duke of Wellington portrait will plug 161-year gap in collection. Director Nicholas Cullinan said the gallery had been looking for a suitable depiction of the Duke of Wellington since it was founded in 1856.
Sky Arts launches Art 50 commissioning fund The new fund, which takes its name from Article 50, will commission 50 new works exploring what it will mean to be British after the country’s exit from the European Union.
Legal battle over Schiele works owned by Jewish entertainer who died in Dachau Heirs’ attempts to recover two watercolours will be framed by president Obama’s Holocaust Act, which was signed into law last December. The statute affirms a US interest in the restitution of art stolen during the Nazi era.
Victoria Miro to open new gallery in Venice in May Located in the San Marco district, the gallery will be Miro’s fourth location – she currently has venues in Mayfair and Wharf Road in London. Miro will take over the 17th-century building from Galleria il Capricorno, which was founded by Bruna Aickelin in 1971.
Egypt’s cultural initiatives resume six years after the country’s revolution The 2011 revolution in Egypt during the Arab Spring put a halt to many of the country’s major museum projects. However, the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, which started construction in Cairo’s al-Fustat neighborhood in 2004 and still remains unfinished, opened a temporary exhibition space in February. Meanwhile, the Museum of Islamic Art reopened in January.
William Kentridge mural vandalized in Rome South African artist’s Triumphs and Laments frieze, located along the Tiber River in Rome, has been vandalised with graffiti. The 1,804-foot-long mural, the largest public art project in Europe, had its official opening in April 2016.
Christie’s challenges French court ruling over paying artists’ resale rights Christie’s and France’s associations of antiques dealers and galleries have been embroiled in an eight-year legal battle over artists’ resale rights. On March 24, a French court ruled that they must be paid by sellers. However, Christie’s plans to appeal the decision, arguing it may hurt the contemporary art market.
Image:
1. Rendering of Breath by Escif, curated by Antonio Oriente and Incipit. Courtesy: Breath
2. Sir Thomas Lawrence, Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, 1829. © National Portrait Gallery, London
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