Art Industry News is a daily summary of the most important developments in the art world and the art market. Here’s what you need to know this Thursday, January 13.

NEED TO READ

MOCA requires visitors to wear surgical masks (no fabric) – The Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles has become one of the first major US museums to ban cloth masks in an effort to improve public safety in its galleries. On Tuesday, amid Omicron’s surge in Los Angeles, the museum updated its mask policy to require medical-grade (N95, KF94, or KN95) face masks, posting on Twitter that “cloth masks are no longer acceptable”. (Los Angeles Times)

Travis Scott sued over centaur art – French artist Mickaël Mehala (also known as Black Childish) is suing rapper Travis Scott for hundreds of thousands of dollars in US court for alleged copyright infringement. Mehala claims that Scott stole his artwork depicting Scott as a centaur for the cover of his “Travis La Flame” compilation project. Scott’s attorneys said the lawsuit was “frivolous and without merit” because the artwork for the compilation project was created by fans and uploaded to streaming services by fans, not Scott. (TMZ)

Man attacks statue at BBC broadcasting office – One protester took a hammer to a statue of Eric Gill at BBC headquarters in London while another live-streamed a rant about the entertainer’s history of paedophilia. Diaries published after the prominent British artist of the early 20th century died in 1940 revealed that he had sexually abused his daughters and the family dog. BBC officials said the presence of Gill’s sculpture, which was installed in 1933 and depicts Prospero and a partially nude Ariel from Shakespeare’s play. Storm, had been “an obsession” for far-right activists and conspiracy groups critical of the broadcaster. (Guardian)

Serpentine eventually dropped Sackler’s name – After officially moving away from the controversial Sackler name and rebranding Serpentine North last spring, the London gallery has finally removed the “Serpentine Sackler” lettering above its entrance. (The arts journal)

MOVERS AND SHAKERS

Jean-Paul Engelen named president of the Americas at Phillips – Phillips Auction House has promoted Vice President Jean-Paul Engelen to the newly created position of President of the Americas. Engelen will continue to oversee the contemporary art department as well as new business strategy responsibilities in the United States and South America. (Press release)

The London Gallery Weekend will take place in 2022 – After its successful first edition last year, London Gallery Weekend will return from 13-15 May 2022, with a focus each day on central, south or east London. New funding from Art Fund will enable regional institutions across the UK to send 20 curators to London for the event. Art Fund will also host a panel discussion to explore how the museum and commercial gallery sectors can better support each other. (Press release)

Announcement of the Marcel Duchamp Prize finalists – The four finalists for France’s most prestigious art prize, the Marcel Duchamp Prize, have been announced. They are the painter Giulia Andreani, the sculptor Ivan Argote, the multidisciplinary artist Mimosa Echard and the new generation Op-artist Philippe Decrauzat. (Le Figaro)

Richard Klein leaves Aldrich Contemporary – The director of exhibitions at the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum in Connecticut, Richard Klein, is stepping down after 30 years to pursue freelance projects. He will remain at the museum until June 2022 before leaving to focus on creating and exhibiting his own work. (art forum)

FOR ART

The National Gallery organizes the Winslow Homer Show – The National Gallery in London will mount an exhibition of the great American realist painter Winslow Homer, who made a name for himself as an artist-reporter during the American Civil War and whose austere images confronted the main problems facing the States States and their relations with Europe and the Caribbean. The exhibition opening in September 2022 will feature over 50 paintings, and it will be the first in-depth exhibition in the UK by an artist known in the US (Guardian)

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