— Corcoran Gets a Funeral: On Sunday, former staff members of Washington, DC’s Corcoran Gallery of Art gathered to mourn its takeover by the National Gallery of Art and George Washington University rather literally — that is, with a full-on funeral ceremony, including black veils, eulogies, and a hearse. “We are left with a gorgeous building, but it is now no longer the Corcoran, but a cenotaph, a memorial to something that is not there, an empty tomb,” said former director Michael Botwinick, while probably fist-pumping that he found an occasion to use the word “cenotaph.” No news yet on whether or not the museum staff were in fact participating in a backdoor pilot for a spin-off of SNL’s “Goth Talk.” [Washington Post]
— Christie’s Adds 2 Percent Performance Fee: The auction house would be eligible for this new 2 percent commission when a lot goes for more than its highest estimate. As Art Market Monitor’s Marion Maneker speculates, amid complaints of hype-based estimate hikes, this might actually encourage Christie’s workers to keep their speculations low. [TAN, Art Market Monitor]
— SF Murals Get Makeover: Twenty-nine New Deal-era murals in San Francisco’s Rincon Center, a former post office, are set to be restored. Congress once denounced the controversial works by Anton Refregier, which include unfavorable portraits of pioneers and a hammer-and-sickle. [SF Gate]
— Tracey Emin Looks Back at Her Career: “A lot of men, their career peaks when they’re in their 40s. But women keep going. It’s the same as sex. Men have one big ejaculation, whereas women just keep coming and coming.” [The Guardian]
— A Day with Eric Fischl: The New Yorker spent the day with Eric Fischl at Art Southampton and lots of feisty comments and a minor car accident ensued. [The New Yorker]
— MONA Might Get Casino: David Walsh, the founder of Tasmania’s wacky Museum of Old and New, wants to install a casino at the institution. [The Guardian]
— RIP Walter Josef Fischer, AKA “Oz,” a legendary German street artist killed by a train in Hamburg. [The Guardian]
— Camille Henrot won the 2014 Nam June Paik award. [Artforum]
— Berry Campbell Gallery now represents Stephen Pace’s estate. [Art Media Agency]
ALSO ON ARTINFO
"I’m Not Making Hippie Pottery": A Q&A with JJ PEET and Tom Sachs
Reviews in Brief: 3 Gallery Shows in Berlin
Francesco Clemente Plans Talks with Nas, Alfonso Cuarón
Doll Breaks World Record at Auction With $394,000 Sale
Check our blog IN THE AIR for breaking news throughout the day.
