— Sydney Biennale Chairman Resigns: After scores of artists withdrew from the Sydney Biennale due to ties with sponsor Transfield Holdings, organizers have announced they will cut all ties with the company that serves as a contractor for the country’s immigration detention centers. That includes accepting the resignation of board chairman Luca Belgiorno-Nettis, who also serves as chairman of Transfield’s board. Belgiorno-Nettis’s father founded the Biennale and he has been chair for the past 14 years. “We have listened to the artists who are the heart of the Biennale and have decided to end our partnership with Transfield effective immediately,” organizers said in a statement. [The Guardian]
— Oakland Wants George Lucas Museum: The city of Oakland is the next to offer real estate for George Lucas’s museum, after it was recently rejected from San Francisco’s Crissy Field. Oakland councilwoman-at-large Rebecca Kaplan has suggested the city’s Kaiser Convention Center as the perfect venue. “I am excited to inform you that your dream could be a reality in Oakland,” Kaplan wrote in a letter to Lucas. “Our city has sites that could meet your needs for space, style and location.” [SF Gate]
— Art Ranks Low Among One Percent Collectibles: A new study by Knight Frank and WealthInsight has revealed art to be the worst performing collectible of 2013, making it less lucrative than cars, coins, and stamps. But despite the numbers, art remains the most popular category and is reportedly growing in popularity among 44 percent of people worth $30 million. [CNBC]
— Nathansons to Sell: L.A. collectors and LACMA board members Jane and March Nathanson are selling three works by Richard Diebenkorn, Richard Serra, and Sam Francis in the May 14 sale at Sotheby’s. [LAT]
— Denver Prioritizes Art: The city of Denver has unveiled an elaborate, citywide plan to increase both arts funding in the city and the amount of public art. [Denver Post]
— High Wattage at Neon Museum: More than 60,000 people went to Las Vegas’s Neon Museum last year. [Review Journal]
— Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited L.A.’s Museum of Tolerance yesterday. [LAT]
— Sculptor Elliott Arkin tried to sneak into this year’s all-women “Brucennial” by submitting work under Monica Gripman’s name. [TAN]
— Italian artist Carla Accardi, known for co-founding Gruppo Forma, has passed away. [Artforum]
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