— Rosen’s Hirst Rankles Neighbors: Collector Aby Rosen has rankled his Old Westbury, New York neighbors by installing Damien Hirst’s 33-foot-tall statue “The Virgin Mother” on his front lawn. The village is considering a new law that would limit sculptures to 25 feet in an effort to bring down the painted bronze sculpture of a pregnant woman with an exposed fetus. “It is out of character with the neighborhood,” the village’s mayor, Fred Carillo, said. [NYT]
— Triptych of Bacon’s Lover Heads to Auction: This summer, Sotheby’s London will offer up a triptych of portraits by Francis Bacon of his lover George Dyer during its flagship evening contemporary art sale. The rare series is likely the first in which Bacon used photographs by his friend John Deakin as source material. The paintings, which have been part of the same collection since 1970, are coming to auction now for the first time ever and are estimated at £15-20 million. “Painted less than a year after their first encounter, ‘Three Studies for Portrait of George Dyer’ marks both the height of Bacon’s affair with Dyer and the zenith of his achievement in portraiture,” said Oliver Barker, Sotheby’s senior international specialist in contemporary art. [Art Daily]
— China Detains Artist For Tiananmen Work: Chinese-Australian artist Guo Jian has been arrested in China after discussing his Tiananmen Square-commemorating artwork in an interview. Approximately 50 people have disappeared or been detained in the weeks leading up to the 25th anniversary of the massacre, according to rights groups. “The Australian embassy in Beijing has contacted Chinese authorities to seek further information on the reported detention of Mr. Guo Jian and to underline our strong interest in the matter,” said a spokesman for the Australian department of foreign affairs and trade. “The Australian government stands ready to extend all possible consular assistance to Mr. Guo.” [The Guardian]
— National Academy Museum Faces Layoffs: The National Academy Museum and School has laid off senior curator Bruce Weber as well as its two registrars, a marketing director, and a building manager. Carmine Branagan, the National Academy’s director, says the layoffs were financial, but close sources claim the firings were due to disagreements over the promotion of Maurizio Pellegrin to creative director. [GalleristNY]
— Protests at Hollande’s Musée Soulages: Violent protests and a brief hostage standoff occurred when French President François Hollande visited the new Musée Soulages last Friday in Rodez. [TAN]
— Rosie the Riveter’s Factory Gets a Museum: The Detroit factory where the real life Rosie the Riveter worked during World War II, Willow Run, is in final negotiations to be the new home for the Yankee Air Museum. [Crain’s Detroit]
— A judge has dismissed two cases against the NYPL, now resolved since the institution abandoned the renovation plans in question. [NYT]
— FIAC has announced the galleries that will participate in its 2014 edition. [AiA]
— Anselm Franke has been named as the chief curator of the 2014 Shanghai Biennale. [Artforum]
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