— On Kawara Dead at 81: Japanese-born conceptual artist On Kawara died yesterday at 81. News first came by way of Frieze Magazine’s Twitter account, and was confirmed with an announcement by David Zwirner Gallery on its website. The artist was internationally known for his meticulous date paintings that chronicled each day of his life, and a large-scale retrospective of his work is planned to open at the Guggenheim on February 8, 2015. [David Zwirner Gallery]
— “Diana” Returns to Philadelphia: The Philadelphia Museum of Art’s iconic statue “Diana” has returned after a yearlong restoration process to regild the artwork. The statue’s green copper body has been exposed for 80 years until a gift of $200,000 from Bank of America gave the museum the funds they needed for the project. Once again overlooking the Great Stair Hall, the statue has a new, more muted golden coat that is similar — but not identical — to the shiny plating that originally covered in it 1893. [Philly.com]
— National Gallery Names Modern Art Curator: Lynne Cooke has been named senior curator of special projects for the National Gallery of Art, beginning next month. Cooke previously served as a professor at the NGA’s Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts, deputy director and chief curator at the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, and a curator at the Dia Art Foundation. While at the NGA, she has been working to organize an exhibition about the relationship between formally taught and self-taught artists in the US during the 20th and 21st centuries. [WashPo]
— Elon Musk Gives $1 Million to Tesla Museum: A tweet from cartoonist Matthew Inman, who has led a fundraising campaign for the Tesla Science Center, to Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla Motors, prompted the billionaire to pledge $1 million to the new museum. [TIME]
— Iraq’s Antiquities in Danger: Christopher Dickey of the Daily Beast spoke to NPR about how the current crisis with ISIS in Iraq is affecting museum antiquities and archaeological sites in the country. [NPR]
— Sotheby’s to Sell World Famous Watch: Sotheby’s plans to sell the Henry Graves Supercomplication, the most famous and complicated watch in the world, in Geneva on November 14. [Art Daily]
— An audit of 1,218 museums by the French government has revealed many are in danger from improper storage and inadequate protection from theft. [Hyperallergic]
— The Victoria and Albert Museum has launched a campaign to raise £5 million to buy four bronze angels whose history is tied to Henry VIII and Cardinal Thomas Wolsey. [Guardian]
— Instagram is proving a real player in online art selling. [Vogue]
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