Frieze London Sales Accumulate, Museum Boards Go Under the Scope, and More—Morning Links from October 3, 2019 -ARTnews

Cy Twombly, Untitled [New York City], 1968 sold at Frieze London for $6.5 million.

TIMOTHY DOYON/©CY TWOMBLY FOUNDATION/COURTESY THE FOUNDATION AND HAUSER & WIRTH

News

Judd Tully filed a sales report from Frieze London and Frieze Masters, including news of a $6.5 million Cy Twombly, a $3.4 million Mark Bradford, and a $1.2 million Keith Haring, among others. [ARTnews]

A bronze sculpture said to be made from a Leonardo da Vinci cast is going to the auction block with a $30 million to $50 million estimate. Scholars of da Vinci are at odds about the authenticity of the piece, however. [Bloomberg]

In the run-up to the sale of a KAWS painting of Chairman Mao at Sotheby’s Hong Kong, some have begun burning merchandise by the artist and sharing it on social media, prompting the clothing company Uniqlo to remove all merchandise tied to the artist from their Chinese online store. [ARTnews]

Institutions 

“New Scrutiny of Museum Boards Takes Aim at World of Wealth and Status.” A big report by the New York Times looks into the makeup of museum boards and the issues they face.
[The New York Times]

Jason Farago got an advance look into the new MoMA taking form before its reopening later this month. [The New York Times]

The German city of Aachen said it would not give artist Walid Raad the Aachen Art Prize because of his support for Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions, a pro-Palestine movement. According to a report, however, the Ludwig Forum Museum will still award him the prize. [ARTnews]

The Rubin Museum of Art in New York City is reducing its staff by 25 percent and, as of next year, will shrink its number of exhibitions from five or six per year down to two. It will also be closed on both Tuesdays and Wednesdays. [The Art Newspaper]

The New Museum Union and the museum have reached a five-year agreement for a new wage structure and ensured safety on the premises for employees. [ARTnews]

Artists

A survey of work by German Expressionist Ernst Ludwig Kirchner at the Neue Gallerie prompts Will Heinrich to look back at the artist’s debaucherous and absinthe-filled life, and how his work maintained its precision and order throughout.  [New York Times]

Phaidon is set to release Great Women Artists, a book that spans 500 years of art made by over 400 female artists. [The Cut]

Misc. 

Taking a cue from the museum salary spreadsheet that circulated last year, baristas in Philadelphia have begun a similar spreadsheet where wages are shared with each other to hold employers accountable. [The Philadelphia Inquirer]

Controversial influencer Caroline Calloway has been revealed as a huge fan of Henri Matisse, and even creates her own versions of his Blue Nudes. [Elle]