— Workers Earn Little on Zaha Hadid Stadium: More troubling news for starchitect Zaha Hadid. The Guardian reports that migrant workers building the al-Wakrah World Cup Stadium in Qatar are earning less than £5 a day. The piece explains that workers’ pay rates are not in compliance with the worker welfare rules set by tournament organizers and are “among the lowest the Guardian found during a week-long investigation into conditions for migrant laborers across Qatar’s construction industry.” Hadid assured the Guardian, in a statement with design firm Aecom, that they are “working closely with our clients to ensure that any outstanding issues are resolved.” [Guardian]
— “The Goldfinch” Gets Film Deal: Donna Tartt’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel “The Goldfinch,” which centers on Dutch master Carel Fabritius’s painting of the same name, is set to hit the big screen. Warner Bros Studio has acquired the movie rights and producers Brett Ratner (director of “Rush Hour”) and Brad Simpson and Nina Jacobson (“Hunger Games” producers) are attached to the project. [BBC]
— New Director for Cincinnati Art Museum: The Cincinnati Art Museum has tapped Cameron Kitchin, currently director of the Brooks Museum of Art in Memphis, as its new director. Beginning October 1, Kitchin will become the museum’s ninth director, taking over for Aaron Betsky. He holds a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from Harvard, an MBA from the Mason Graduate School of William & Mary, and previously held a position as executive director of the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art. [Cincinnati]
— Corcoran Case Goes to Court: The case against the Corcoran’s merger had its first two days in court this week with the gallery’s lawyers painting a dire picture of the institution’s financial situation. [WP]
— Artist Among Air Algerie Victims: Bakary Diallo, a video artist from Mali, has been confirmed as one of the victims of the Air Algerie Flight 5017 crash. [Art Review]
— Getty Donates for Restoration: LA’s Getty Foundation has given €300,000 (about $416,000) to Vienna’s Kunsthistorisches Museum for the restoration of works by Caravaggio and Rubens. [Art Daily]
— Carolina A. Miranda makes three suggestions for what LA MOCA can do to fill its exhibition gap. [LAT]
— The Game Show Network’s new series “Skin Wars” premieres August 6 and will pit body artists against each other for a $100,000 prize. [NY Post]
— The Art Newspaper gives a fascinating look back at how the British Museum’s archives reveal the First World War’s impact on the institution. [TAN]
ALSO ON ARTINFO
Drone’s Eye View: A Q&A With Mark Tribe
After 39 Years at the Met, Museum President Emily Kernan Rafferty is Retiring
British Rock Redefined in “Sound + Vision” at Lincoln Center
VIDEO: A Journey Through the Middle East at New Museum
Check our blog IN THE AIR for breaking news throughout the day.
