Briefing
Unesco takes no action over Venice while thieves break into Anselm Kiefer’s studio
Unesco takes no action over Venice while thieves break into Anselm Kiefer’s studio
- Unesco’s World Heritage Site Committee has decided not to put Venice on its list of World Heritage in Danger sites, despite its own damning State of Conservation report on the city. Venice faces a number of problems resulting from the huge cruise ships allowed to pass close to the city, and the deep dredging of the lagoon to allow this; lax restrictions on motorized vessels; and the absence of a sustainable tourism strategy for the city and its lagoon.
- German artist Anselm Kiefer’s studio and warehouse space in Croissy-Beaubourg, about 25km west of Paris, was burgled on the weekend (French). The thieves took a ten-tonne lead sculpture of stacks of books, valued at €1.3m, and 12 tonnes of raw marble, worth around €1m. The culprits escaped but two women were arrested at the site on Sunday and charged with theft.
- United Talent Agency, a global talent and literary agency, has announced that it will launch UTA Artist Space, a new exhibition venue in downtown Los Angeles. The new 4,500-square foot arts space will open on September 17 with a show of works by photographer and filmmaker Larry Clark organized in collaboration with Luhring Augustine gallery. Among UTA’s roster of artists, musicians, filmmakers and writers are Ai Weiwei and Judy Chicago.
- A number of cultural projects in the UK are feared to be postponed or delayed despite assurances from the UK government that the Brexit vote would not affect organizations currently receiving European funding. Treasury Minister David Gauke said: ‘the referendum result changes nothing about eligibility for these funds. The Treasury will underwrite the payment of such awards, even when specific projects continue beyond the UK’s departure from the EU.’ Yet the next call for funding applications is expected to be delayed and deadlines for the Culture sub-programme of Creative Europe are likely to be postponed.
- Seattle Art Museum’s $45 million expansion of its Asian Art Museum has been met with opposition from local residents. The Volunteer Park Trust, a non-profit dedicated to restoring, preserving and protecting the Capitol Hill park where the Asian Art Museum is located, has written a letter to Seattle Art Museum reminding the institution to consider the needs of the park. Designed by LMN Architects, the expansion will boast of an additional 7,500-square-feet of space for exhibitions, an education studio and storage.
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