— Ultra Violet Dies at 78: Isabelle Collin Dufresne, who went by the name Ultra Violet, died over the weekend at Manhattan’s Beth Israel Hospital after a fight with cancer. She was 78. Best known for starring in Andy Warhol’s films and for being a member of his famed Factory, the French-born artist, actress, and author was active until shortly before her death. A recent solo exhibition of her paintings, sculptures, prints, films, and neon works, titled “Ultra Violet – The Studio Recreated,” closed at New York’s Dillon Gallery three weeks ago. [NYT, Gallery Press Release]
—Guggenheim Helsinki Sparks Finnish Ire: Many Finnish artists and art professionals are speaking out against the Guggenheim’s plans to build a museum in Helsinki. The primary issue is the use of taxpayer money to fund the project. “Not only would we use public money at a time of economic hardship and cuts in arts spending to finance the Americans, but we would then have to pay the Guggenheim a substantial annual sum each year to lease their ‘brand,’” said Tiina Erkintalo, executive director of Checkpoint Helsinki, a new commissioning body for contemporary art. [Telegraph]
— Auction Houses Battle Over Handbags: Heritage Auctions has filed a lawsuit against Christie’s International after the recent departure of their handbag specialist, Matthew Rubinger, to its competitor. Heritage claims that Rubinger “breached his contract and stole trade secrets.” A spokeswoman for Christie’s stated, “We have reviewed the complaint and find it to be wholly without merit. We are prepared to vigorously defend these claims and Christie’s decision to expand our existing handbag department.” [NYT]
— More Turmoil at MOCA NOMI: The city-nominated director that the MOCA NOMI board rejected held a symposium at the museum, despite protestations from the institution. [NYT]
— P.Diddy Takes in St. Louis: While in St. Louis, P.Diddy took some time to check out the local art scene. [Riverfront Times]
— Koons Installation Challenges Whitney: “It’s the perfect storm of difficulties. There are the sheer physical demands of the objects themselves, their high values and the fragile materials, to say nothing of the cliffhanger of waiting for works that have been in production for years.” — Scott Rothkopf, the Whitney’s associate director of programs, on the museum’s upcoming Jeff Koons retrospective. [NYT]
— Scott Reyburn explores the trend of “the art gallery as destination.” [NYT]
— A new generation of Brazilian architects is part of an architectural renaissance taking place in the country amid the boom of stadium building leading up to the World Cup. [LAT]
— Independent art dealer Alex Rosenberg was questioned in the ongoing trial of three trustees of the Robert Rauschenberg Revocable Trust against the artist’s foundation. [News-Press]
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