Happy Friday!
- Qatar has unveiled ambitious details for its inaugural quadrennial contemporary art exhibition set to coincide with neighboring Frieze Abu Dhabi in November.
- Fallout from the Epstein saga continues with new revelations of ties to SFMOMA.
- A small Michelangelo sketch of a foot just sold for a record $27.2 million.
The Headlines
QATAR’S NEXT MOVE.The first Art Basel Qatar comes to a close Saturday, but the Gulf emirate is already eyeing its next major art event: a new contemporary art quadrennial in Doha calledRubaiya Qatar, strategically timed to coincide with its neighbor’s launch of Frieze Abu Dhabi this November. On Friday, Qatar Museums, the organizers of the quadrennial, revealed new details about the event, which will unfold across the emirate and feature more than 50 artists and new commissions. The largest exhibition, “Unruly Waters,” will be curated byTom Eccles, Ruba Katrib, Mark Rappolt, andShabbir Hussain Mustafa, while broader exhibition themes will examine the circulation of people and ideas informed by the ancient Maritime Silk Road, natural geography, and current ecological and geopolitical transformations, according to a press release shared byArt Dependence. Confirmed participating artists includeLawrence Abu Hamdan, Sophia Al Maria, Mohamed Bourouissa, andLydia Ourahmane, among others.But reporters attending this week’s Art Basel Qatar talk with the country’s most influential collector,Sheikha Al-Mayassa, also learned of another, previously unpublicized exhibition within the quadrennial: a “pavilion” devoted to works byGerhard Richter. “This almost became an unreal project because it was very complicated and complex to realize … but it’s in the making and will open in November,” confirmed Al-Mayassa, who is also chair of Qatar Museums.
FALLOUT.Revelations from the Epstein files released last month continue to reverberate globally, with theSan Francisco Standardreporting that the convicted sex trafficker had ties to theSan Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Documents show thatJeffrey Epsteindonated an artwork byJohn F. Simon Jr.to SFMOMA in 2001 through a fractional-ownership agreement shared with the museum. SFMOMA reportedly deaccessioned the work in 2019, after Epstein was found dead in jail. Other documents suggest Epstein may have provided financial backing for an artwork byNeri Oxmanthat was later exhibited at the museum. Meanwhile,Le Mondereports that on Sunday,France’s Ministry of Foreign Affairswill question former culture ministerJack Langabout his relationship with Epstein. Lang, who is president of theInstitut du Monde Arabein Paris, has faced increasing scrutiny since documents revealed he was in contact with Epstein on a range of subjects, from arts philanthropy to property sales
The Digest
A rediscovered small drawing of a foot byMichelangelo, thought to have been made in preparation for the Sistine Chapel, sold atChristie’sfor$27.2 million, well above its $1.5 million–$2 million estimate. The result surpasses Michelangelo’s previous auction record of $21 million for a sketch sold in 2022. [Times of London]
A scheduled meeting intended to announce the winner of an architectural competition for a massive renovation of theLouvre—including a new, separate gallery for theMona Lisa—has been postponed indefinitely, raising doubts about the project’s future. [Le Figaro]
At her first major solo retrospective at Museum Voorlinden, artistClaire Tabouret defended her controversial proposal to install new stained-glass windows inNotre-Dame de Paris. Critics have objected to the plan because it would require removing existing windows that were undamaged in the 2019 fire, but Tabouret said, “When you live in a country with so much history, so much architecture, and heritage, you cannot just freeze time.”[The Guardian]
LACMAannounced its newDavid Geffen Galleriesfor its permanent collection will open on April 19 for members, while general admission ticketholders will have to wait until May 4. Peter Zumthor’s brutalist design of the 110,000-square-foot building is two decades in the making, and has divided local opinion. [ARTnews]
In what may come as no surprise to many, it makes more financial sense to invest in the stock market than in art, according to a new study byArtTacticandDeloitte. [Le Journal des Arts]
TheVilcek Foundationhas namedMatthew Bogdanosone of the recipients of its 20thannual prizes for excellence in the arts and sciences. Bogdanos launched the Antiquities Trafficking Unit division of theNew York District Attorney’s office, whic has seized over 5,000 looted anitquities estimated to be worth over $300 million. [ARTnews]