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The Headlines
PASTURES NEW. Following his split from Michael Werner Gallery, dealer Gordon VeneKlasen has revealed plans to relaunch under his own name while reshaping the gallery’s structure, ARTnews reported. After more than three decades running Werner’s New York space, VeneKlasen will take over that location along with the London gallery, both now operating as VeneKlasen Gallery. Werner’s Los Angeles outpost, which opened in May 2024, will close, allowing the gallery to focus on its New York and London programs. Two longtime directors have been promoted to partners: Justine Birbil, who oversees global operations, and Kadee Robbins, who leads the London gallery. VeneKlasen will continue representing artists he originally brought to Michael Werner, while gradually expanding the roster to include more conceptually driven practices. The gallery will debut at Art Basel Qatar with a solo presentation by Issy Wood, alongside inaugural exhibitions of works by Sigmar Polke in New York and London.
IN FROM THE COLD. This year’s Winter Show at Manhattan’s Park Avenue Armory offers a remarkable rediscovery for art lovers: a rare 16th-century portrait by Sofonisba Anguissola, Artnet News reports. Anguissola is celebrated as one of the greatest female painters of the Renaissance. Portrait of a Canon Regular (1552) depicts a preacher with his hand raised over an open Bible and is on view at the booth of veteran Old Master dealer Robert Simon. The work was unexpectedly found in a private collection in Durham, North Carolina, after experts had believed it might be lost. Simon noted that the painting is one of fewer than 20 signed works by Anguissola and had previously been known only through a black-and-white photograph at the Frick Art Reference Library. In 2024, Michael Cole of Columbia University, who has written a monograph on the artist, gave a lecture on recent discoveries in her work. The owners, realizing the significance of their inherited painting, reached out to Cole and ultimately decided to sell it through Simon to share it with a wider audience.
The Digest
A rare bronze reliquary cross has been uncovered during archaeological excavations at a church complex in the ancient city of Lystra, in central Turkey. [Heritage Daily]
As attention spans shrink in the digital age, an increasing number of institutions are eliminating labels entirely. [The Art Newspaper]
Francis Irv, one of New York’s most unpredictable young art spaces, announced that it will close after more than three years. [Artnet News]
Sotheby’s is set to host its second sale in Saudi Arabia this weekend, led by works by Picasso and Warhol. [Semafor]
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro has filed an amicus brief in a lawsuit against the Trump administration over the removal of slavery-related exhibits at Independence National Historical Park. [Press release]
The Kicker
MIXED SIGNALS. With Art Basel Qatar set to kick off next week, the Financial Times’s Melanie Gerlis looks at the promise and perils of the Middle East and the Gulf for the art world. Gerlis doesn’t pull any punches, speaking with dealers and analysts about the art world’s penchant for clustering in tax havens—Qatar, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia have no income tax for residents—as well as the region’s human rights and censorship concerns. As Gerlis outlines, not everyone is sold on the Gulf as the next great art hub. We’ll find out more next week.
