— Collector Liu Yiqian Drinks Out of $36M Cup: Chinese collector Liu Yiqian has drawn criticism for drinking tea from the record shattering $36 million “chicken cup” that he recently purchased at Sotheby’s. Many have taken Liu to task after an image of him delicately sipping from the porcelain cup was posted online. “It happened when I was paying,” Liu explained. “A Sotheby’s staffer poured me some tea. I saw the [chicken cup] and excitedly poured some of that tea into the cup and drank a little. Such a simple thing — what’s so crazy about that?” [WSJ]
— RIP Otto Piene: Artist Otto Piene, a cofounder of the storied ZERO group with Heinz Mack and Günther Uecker, has passed away. Piene’s work was chosen for Germany’s Venice Biennale pavilion in both 1967 and 1971. His work can currently be seen at the Neue Nationalgalerie and will be in the Guggenheim’s ZERO exhibition this fall. [Artforum]
— “Girl with a Pearl Earring” Will Never Travel Again: Vermeer’s “Girl with a Pearl Earring” has returned to the Mauritshuis royal picture gallery in the Hague after completing its most recent world tour — this time, for good. The painting will no longer be permitted to travel or go on loan to another institution, joining a long list of other famous artworks that have similarly found their final resting place, including “La Joie de Vivre” by Matisse, “Guernica” by Picasso, and the “Mona Lisa” by Da Vinci. The primary reason for this decision is concern for the health of the painting, which, due to the materials used, makes it extremely sensitive to temperature changes. [Guardian]
— Getty Acquires “Happenings” Archive: The Getty Research Institute has acquired Robert McElroy’s archive of more than 700 prints and 10,000 negatives documenting the “Happenings” of Allan Kaprow, Jim Dine, Claes Oldenberg, and others. [LAT]
— Moishe Mana Gets Profiled: The New York Times tracked down Moishe Mana, owner of Moishe’s Moving and Storage and the founder of Mana Contemporary in Jersey City, for a short profile. [NYT]
— How Much Do Curators Make? Following news of Germano Celant’s hefty salary for organizing a pavilion for the Milan Expo 2015, the Art Newspaper surveyed 40 international curators and biennial organizers to see how their paychecks stack up. [TAN]
— Lauren Wright will curate the next iteration of Denver’s Biennial of the Americas. [Artforum]
— California African American Museum executive director Charmaine Jefferson is stepping down after 11 years on the job. [LAT]
— The city of Miami has approved plans to build a museum dedicated to the Cuban exile experience. [Fox News]
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