Washington D.C. might get a kunsthalle, museums make use of big data, and more of today’s top news items:
— Sotheby’s Fights Resale Royalty Bill With Lobbyists: Auction houses like Sotheby’s and Christie’s have not only lawyered up, but they’ve recruited the help of Washington’s most powerful lobbyists, including Paul D. Clement, former solicitor general, and Podesta Group head and art collector Tony Podesta, to fight a Congressional bill that would give artists a cut of the sales of their work. While the initial December 2011 version of the bill failed to attract a single co-sponsor, auction houses are taking extra precautions. Jane A. Levine, Sotheby’s director of worldwide compliance, told the New York Times, “We’re taking it seriously, even though we don’t think it’s going to pass.” [NYT, Art Market Monitor]
— Jay Z Beefs With Drake Over Art Lyrics: Jay Z and Drake are embroiled in a rap battle over Jay Z’s continued use of art references in his tracks. In a February interview with Rolling Stone, the Canadian rapper Drake said, “It’s like Hov can’t drop bars these days without at least four art references. I would love to collect [art] at some point, but I think the whole rap/art world thing is getting kind of corny.” Jay Z fired back on the newly released Jay Electronica freestyle “We Made It,” with the lyrics, “Sorry Mrs. Drizzy for so much art talk/ Silly me, rappin’ ’bout shit that I really bought/ While these rappers rap about guns that they ain’t shot/ And a bunch of other silly shit that they ain’t got.” [Contact Music]
— Washington, D.C. Gets a Kunsthalle: Washington’s Corcoran Gallery of Art may sadly be facing a merger with the National Gallery of Art and George Washington University, but the city is already exploring plans for a new museum — a kunsthalle in the vacant Franklin School building. The establishment of a museum without a permanent collection would be a bold first for the city, and Washington officials, along with the non-profit Institute for Contemporary Expression (ICE), which is spearheading the project, are negotiating a contract to go to City Council in the fall of 2014. Dani Levinas, ICE’s executive director, said, “I’d like this to be a place to go, the place to see and be seen. This is why it’s called ICE, because it’s cool.” He added, “The city is changing, and it’s really ready for an institution like ICE.” [NYT]
— Museums to Make Use of Big Data: A new report from the American Alliance of Museums (AAM) encourages museums to use big data and online surveillance techniques to increase visitors. [CNBC, FT]
— Afghanistan’s Buddhas Might Be Rebuilt: Afghanistan’s Bamian Buddhas were destroyed 13 years ago, but now countries are debating whether to leave their void empty, rebuild from the remaining fragments, or make new copies all together. [NYT]
— ROM Announces Legacy Project Designs: The Royal Ontario Museum of Art has announced four legacy projects as part of its centennial celebration that will transform the museum space for visitors, including a Welcome Project for the interior lobby, and a new “outdoor gallery” performance space designed by Hariri Pontarini Architects. [Art Daily]
— Artist Christian Thee has replicated the Munich art trove painting “Two Riders on the Beach” in relief so that its blind owner David Toren can see it through touch. [The State]
— Original illustrations by Cliff Wright for two of J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter” books are headed to auction at Nate D. Sanders auction house in Los Angeles, with one estimated at $30,000. [Telegraph]
— In a piece for the Financial Times, Griselda Murray Brown wonders how Scotland can ensure a future for the many acclaimed artists it continues to produce. [FT]
— Alanna Martinez (@lanna_martinez)
(Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images for NARAS)