– Adele Buys Middleton Portrait: British songstress Adele has acquired a portrait of Duchess Catherine, aka Kate Middleton, by artist Darren Coffield. "It's my ironic take on celebrity that made Adele come in to see my work," Coffield said. "I did Kate Middleton and I'm sending that to her." Adele may also have commissioned Coffield to create a portrait of her. "She was asking whether I would take a commission to paint her or maybe someone in her family," the artist added. [Bang Showbiz]
– Contemporary Art Trove to Philly: Curator Katherine Sachs and her husband, former Saxco International CEO Keith L. Sachs, are gifting some 97 works from their vast contemporary art collection to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, including pieces by Jasper Johns, Louise Bourgeois, Jeff Wall, Donald Judd, Allora & Calzadilla, Ellsworth Kelly, Kiki Smith, and many more. "This is an extraordinarily interesting and generous and thoughtful gift to the museum — a wonderful game-changer for us. So I'm as pleased as can be," said PMA director Timothy Rub. "The Sachses have collected artists who we've not been able to acquire. Their collection fills significant gaps in ours and complements ours in significant ways." [NYT, Philadelphia Inquirer]
– Castro Goes Gallery Hopping: Fidel Castro made a public appearance for the first time in nine months when he showed up at an art opening in Havana. Pictures show him conversing with artist Alexis Leyva at arts organization Romerillo Studio, which has been described by Communist Party publication Granma as devoted to "the development and dissemination of the arts and human understanding." The last time Castro made a public appearance was for a school inauguration in April. [Fox News Latino]
– Lynch Talks Photo: Ahead of his new show at the Photographers’ Gallery in London, David Lynch gave an extensive interview about his photographic work. [FT]
– Saadiyat Island Worker Conditions: Two recently released reports offer conflicting details regarding conditions for workers on Saadiyat Island in the United Arab Emirates, where the Louvre and the Guggenheim are building satellite museums. [TAN]
– New Art Rental Venture Launches: New York-based startup Art Remba allows clients to rent art from galleries in the city. [BW]
– British art public relations giant Sutton PR is crossing the pond and opening a New York office that will be led by Jennifer Joy, with gallery Lehmann Maupin as its first global client. [Press release]
– Andrea Fiuczynski is set to leave after 28 years at Christie's, where she currently serves as president of operations in Los Angeles, to helm Sotheby's West Coast operations beginning February 1. [NYT]
– Actress Rebel Wilson will play a night guard at the British Museum in the forthcoming third installment of the "Night at the Museum" franchise. [Deadline]
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