Southbank Centre Chair Misan Harriman Resigns as London, Paris, and the Auction Market Make Headlines
Misan Harriman is stepping down as chair of London’s Southbank Centre after accusations that he shared antisemitic posts and videos containing conspiracy theories in the wake of the April 29 stabbing of two Jewish men. The photographer and activist denied the allegations, while Tracey Emin, Peter Doig, and others signed a letter defending him as the target of a “dishonest smear campaign” by right-wing British news outlets.
Harriman said on social media that he would leave in a few months, when his term expires, and that he had already decided to serve only two terms. The Charity Commission and the Arts Council are reviewing the allegations.
The controversy landed alongside a separate crisis in Europe: the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower closed early this week as a record-breaking heat wave pushed temperatures to punishing levels. In response, museums with air-conditioning in France have begun offering free or reduced admission, including the Musée National de l’Histoire de l’Immigration in Paris. Institutions in Nantes, Strasbourg, and Lyon have taken similar steps, with organizers describing museums as places of hospitality. But the Louvre said the combination of exterior heat, interior temperatures, and heavy visitor traffic made afternoon conditions untenable. The Palais de Tokyo also closed, as did the two towers of Notre-Dame de Paris.
Elsewhere, preservation efforts for painted-over Works Progress Administration Federal Art Project murals at Manhattan’s Bellevue Men’s Shelter have stalled, raising the possibility that the historic works could be lost. The day’s dispatches also noted the death of Korean fiber artist Song Burnsoo at 83, the resignation of Mark Berlin from the Canadian Museum for Human Rights over a forthcoming Nakba exhibition, and a Knicks-themed handbag by Jordyn Woods on view at the Guggenheim Museum in New York.
The market’s biggest jolt came at Sotheby’s in London, where Amedeo Modigliani’s *Nu assis au collier* (1917–18) is set to lead a sale from the collection of Joe Lewis and Vivienne with an estimate of £45 million ($59.22 million). Oliver Barker, Sotheby’s Europe chair, called the arc from scandal to institutional prestige unusually rare. The broader collection carries a total estimate of £195 million to £280 million and could challenge UK single-owner auction records.
