Art Industry News: How 3-D Printing Robots Could End the Stalemate Over the Parthenon Marbles + Other Stories

NEED-TO-READ

Professor Embroiled in Florida Fakes Scandal Speaks Out – University of Maryland American art professor Jordana Moore Saggese has released a statement in response to the controversy surrounding the now-impounded “Basquiat” works on view at the Orlando Museum of Art. She says her provisional analyses of the works were misrepresented in exhibition literature to appear more conclusive than intended. (Baltimore Sun)

Old Master London Auctions Fail to Impress – Dealers complained that supply to London’s Old Master summer sales was thin, with Sotheby’s scraping just £7.1 million ($8.5 million) from its 20-lot sale compared with last year’s £56.1 million over 37 lots. Grumblings over the houses padding out sales with sculptures and prints abounded, though Christie’s performed better, raking in £28.1 million ($33.5 million) across 35 lots, almost double the £14.9 million achieved in its July 2019 sale. (The Art Newspaper)

Can Robots Recreate the Parthenon Marbles? – Experts at the University of Oxford’s Institute of Digital Archaeology have developed a robot that can recreate copies of large historical objects, and they believe the 3-D machining can help resolve the dispute over the ownership of the Parthenon marbles. The robot has begun work on a detailed copy of one of the sculptures on view at the British Museum with the aim that one day it would display them in lieu of the originals sent back to Greece. “If we take the British Museum at its word, the only attributes of the marbles that matter to the museum are its physical qualities and the extent to which they reveal the history and aesthetics of antiquity,” the institute’s director Roger Michel said. (New York Times)

Casinos Get in on the Immersive Art Boom – In a union that really does make perfect sense, casinos looking to expand their audiences are hopping on the immersive art train. Atlantic City’s Hard Rock casino has opened “Beyond Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience.” The casino’s president Joe Lupo said: “The Van Gogh exhibit has been successful in every major market in the country, and Atlantic City needs to be looked at as one of those major markets.” ()

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Project Row Houses to Launch Biennial – Houston’s Project Row Houses is inviting submissions for its new Southern Survey Biennial, which opens in October. Artists living and working in the South should submit proposals before Friday, July 15, and seven artists will receive a $4,000 stipend to create their projects. (Glasstire)

Changing of the Guard for Laundromat Project – The places a welcome spotlight on the Laundromat Project, an art center opening its first permanent public space in Bedford-Stuyvesant on August 6. Director Kemi Ilesanmi is leaving her post after a decade, and will be succeeded by deputy director Ayesha Williams. (New York Times)

Natural History Museum Returns Remains to New Zealand – London’s Natural History Museum has repatriated more than 100 skeletal remains of the Indigenous people of Moriori, New Zealand. The restitution concludes 15 years of negotiations. (Evening Standard)

Veteran Singapore Arts Administrator Tan Boon Hui Has Died – Tan Boon Hui, the executive director of Singapore’s Arts House Limited and ex-head of the Singapore Art Museum, has died at 53, from complications following a stroke. (Channel News Asia)

FOR ART’S SAKE

Frieze Founder Prepares to Open Hotel – Frieze cofounder Matthew Slotover is one of three partners behind a new hotel in the British seaside town of Margate due to open on August 1. The historic 14-room Fort Road Hotel has been revamped by architect Gabriel Chipperfield and will include art by Margate-based Tracey Emin and other local artists including Lindsey Mendick and Hannah Lees. (TAN)