A SUMMARY OF THE MOST EXCITING ART NEWS FROM AROUND THE GLOBE
While we focus on Indian art, we can’t obviously function in a vacuum. It’s a small world and everything is connected, especially on the web. So, let’s train our spotlight across the world map to see what’s going on — from art trends to socio-political issues to everything that affects the great aesthetic global consciousness. Or, let’s just travel the world and have some fun!
Art Basel Lines Up 285 Galleries for 2023 Edition in Switzerland
Courtesy- Art News
For its upcoming 2023 marquee edition in Switzerland, Art Basel has lined up 285 galleries from 36 countries and territories to show June 15 to 18 at its longtime home, the Messe Basel, with preview days set to take place June 13 and 14. Of those 285 galleries, 21 have never before shown at Art Basel, the world’s top art fair. This year’s number of participants is on par with last year’s edition, which featured 289 exhibitors. Among those first-timers, three galleries will be featured in the main Galleries section: blank projects (of Cape Town), Empty Gallery (Hong Kong), and Offer Waterman (London). They will join such enterprises as mega-galleries Gagosian, Hauser & Wirth, Pace, and David Zwirner. Other blue-chip outfits that will show at the fair include Sadie Coles HQ, Paula Cooper Gallery, Massimo De Carlo, Gladstone Gallery, Marian Goodman Gallery, Gallery Hyundai, Xavier Hufkens, Jenkins Johnson Gallery, David Kordansky Gallery, Kurimanzutto, Lehmann Maupin, Galerie Lelong & Co., Lisson Gallery, Matthew Marks Gallery, Victoria Miro, Thaddaeus Ropac, Jack Shainman Gallery, Templon, and White Cube. Details on Art News.
Collector of contemporary art Thomas H. Lee dies at 78
Thomas H. Lee, a pioneer in the trillion-dollar business of private equity, has died, his family confirmed yesterday. (The New York Post reports that he was found dead in his Manhattan office of what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.) During his four-decade career in leveraged buyouts, Mr. Lee struck enormous takeovers, including some hugely profitable ones, and helped define the industry as a major force on Wall Street. Forbes recently estimated his net worth at about $2 billion. Mr. Lee founded his buyout shop in 1974, drawing on an inheritance and a family loan, after working at L.F. Rothschild and First National Bank of Boston. What was then known as Thomas H. Lee Partners helped develop the traditional playbook for leveraged buyouts: borrowing huge sums of money to buy a company, then cutting costs and improving the bottom line before selling it again. Details on The New York Times.
Ukraine installs protective glass to protect Banksy’s murals
The government of Ukraine has installed special “impact resistant” glass over several Banksy paintings that first started appearing on buildings in the country in the fall of 2022. The paintings, which have already been vandalized in some places, will also get wireless security camera protection that alerts authorities when someone is trying to alter or steal the paintings, according to a new report from the Washington Post. The paintings started popping up late last year and were seen as a commentary on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which started exactly a year ago this coming Friday. Banksy is a semi-anonymous street artist from the UK whose artwork has sold for millions around the world, with his most expensive piece fetching over $25 million. And it’s that high price tag that makes Banksy’s art a target for thieves. Read more on Forbes.
