– Diving for Ancient Chinese Treasure: A marine-archeology company is planning a mission to retrieve a cargo of blue-and-white Chinese porcelain that has been submerged at the bottom of the ocean off Indonesia for more than 400 years. Recovering the 700,000 pieces — Ming Dynasty fine bowls, dishes, and cups — will cost an estimated $6.3 million, in part because divers will have to construct a wooden platform in the ocean to prevent frequent trips back to land. But that's nothing compared to the staggering value of the loot, estimated at $43 million. [Bloomberg]
– Parents Protest Topless Sculpture Gift From the Chinese Government: A bronze sculpture by artist Yu Chang titled "Accept or Reject" that was donated to the Overland Park Arboretum in Kansas by the artist and the Chinese government has been rejected by the American Families Association, members of which find the work's deconstructed and bare-breasted female figure too risqué for their kids. Jo Anne Hughes, who has started a petition asking for the work's relocation, was not appeased by new cautionary signage alongside the temporary installation: "I'm fighting to keep this a G-rated venue." [Fox]
– John Lennon's Sexy Drawings Make a Comeback: A group of risque lithographs by John Lennon depicting nude women masturbating have returned to the neighborhood from which they were once banned. A scandalized judge ordered them to be removed from a Chicago exhibition and burned in 1970. Now, copies have returned to the Oak Brook neighborhood for a revival exhibition. [Chicago Sun-Times]
– Eli Broad Teaches Art Grads His Signature "Be Unreasonable" Method: Billionaire art collector Eli Broad delivered a commencement speech at Otis College of Art and Design that sounds suspiciously like the first chapter of his new autobiography/self-help book. "The reasonable man adapts himself to the world," he told the graduates, quoting George Bernard Shaw, as well as his own book's introduction. "The unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man." [Press Release]
– How the Market Thrives on Inequality: "Fine art...is not really part of the overall global economy," writes Adam Davidson in an essay exploring the latest sky-high prices paid at art auctions. "Instead, it’s part of the economy of a small subset of the super-superrich, whom some economists call Ultra High Net Worth Individuals, or U.H.N.W.I.’s. And their economy, unlike ours, is booming." [NYT, ATE]
– Renzo Piano Would Like to Thank the Academy: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has selected Renzo Piano and L.A. architect Zoltan Pali to design its forthcoming movie museum on the campus of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. The new space should fit right in: both architects previously designed portions of LACMA. [LAT]
– Sotheby's Bets on Blue Miró: The auction house is selling Joan Miró's 1927 canvas "Peinture (Étoile Bleue)" in London on June 19, where its early estimate of £15-20 million ($24-32 million) makes it a potential new record for the artist. His previous top sale, "Painting-Poem," happened at Christie's three months ago for £16.8 million ($26.9 million). Sotheby's exec Helena Newman says "Peinture" is "one of Miró’s most important paintings, effortlessly bridging the transition between figurative and abstract art," while others see the pre-sale hype as pure boosterism. [FT]
– U.S. Government Nearly Halts Havana Biennial Performance: A project by Russian artist duo Ilya and Emilia Kabakov for the Havana Biennial was almost cancelled after the U.S. Department of the Treasury denied them a license to bring five American schoolchildren to Cuba to participate in a performance titled "Ship of Tolerance." A government official said authorities feared the Cuban authorities might use the kids for political propaganda, but eventually granted the license after losing an appeal brought by the artists. [TAN]
– Only American Celebrities Can Save Pussy Riot: A lawyer for three members of the anti-Vladimir Putin feminist punk band Pussy Riot — an all-female spin-off of the anarchist Voina artists collective — says the only way to save his clients from incurring additional criminal charges is for Western celebrities to intervene. "I think the only option now is pressure from the outside," said Nikolai Polozov. "I don’t understand why Western pop and rock stars don’t want to support their Russian colleagues. There are many stars who speak out for various liberal values." [TAN]
– Herzog & de Meuron and Ai Weiwei's Serpentine Pavilion Sold Before Opening: The 2012 Serpentine Gallery Pavilion in Hyde Park, designed by the Chinese-Swiss trio behind Beijing's "Bird Nest" stadium, will open to the public tomorrow. But the subterranean space has already been purchased by billionaire collector Lakshmi Mittal, whose ArcelorMittal steel company sponsored Anish Kapoor's nearby Olympic monument. [Bloomberg]
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