– George Zimmerman’s eBay Art Sale: George Zimmerman, who just recently faced domestic violence charges, has taken to eBay to sell his patriotic, American flag-themed artwork. The auction started at $50, but as of this writing, with four days to go, the American flag-themed work is already at $99,966. In the description, Zimmerman writes: "First hand painted artwork by me, George Zimmerman. Everyone has been asking what I have been doing with myself. I found a creative, way to express myself, my emotions and the symbols that represent my experiences." [NYMag]
– $142M Bacon Heads to Portland: The most expensive artwork ever sold at auction, Francis Bacon's "Three Studies of Lucian Freud" — which sold for $142 million at Christie's last month — will go on view at the Portland Museum of Art on December 21 and remain on view through March 30, 2014. PMA chief curator Bruce Guenther managed to track down the work's mystery buyer and secure the loan — though he wouldn't name the lender, Guenther revealed that the collector is based on the West Coast. A museum press release announcing the loan credited the support of the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, fueling speculation that the buyer is Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. [NYT]
– Resale Royalties Recommended to Congress: Reversing a recommendation made in 1992, the U.S. Copyright Office has come out in favor of artists being granted resale royalty rights, known as droit de suite, which would award artists royalties when their work is resold for a profit. In a new report, the office says visual artists should receive royalties in the same way writers or composers do and they have asked congress to "consider ways to rectify the problem." While 70 other countries have droit de suite rules, they have failed to gain significant support in the U.S. [NYT]
– Hirst Less Popular Than God: The Qatar Museums Authority has released attendance figures for its current exhibitions — which include major shows by Adel Abdessemed and Francesco Vezzoli, and a Damien Hirst retrospective — revealing that more people visited an exhibition devoted to the pilgrimage to Mecca at the Museum of Islamic Art than the Hirst show. [FT]
– National Park Service Crushes George Lucas Museum Dream: The National Park Service has submitted a "strong recommendation" that San Francisco's Presidio Trust hold off on picking one of three projects — including George Lucas's proposed art museum — for its Crissy Field plot for several years until other nearby construction projects are completed. [SF Chronicle]
– Real Estate Industry Helps Museum Expansion: The board of New York City's Tenement Museum is expected to raise $1 million at the institution's spring gala towards an $8-million expansion project, with the bulk of that sum coming from the 10 or more real estate industry bigwigs on the board. [WSJ]
– New York cookie and noodle empire Momofuku’s popular publication "Lucky Peach" is holding an exhibition of contributors’ artwork at the Bleecker Street Arts Club. [Eater]
– MOCAtv’s new series "Ambiance Man," which is part-sketch comedy, part-art criticism, features Jack Black and Fred Armisen and debuts on Friday. [Press Release]
– The Tate Modern has named Andrea Lissoni, formerly curator of Pirelli HangarBicocca, as the museum’s new film and international art curator. [Press Release]
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