The 18-foot-tall bronze monument to women and justice was beheaded in the early morning on July 8 while the campus was experiencing harsh weather and power outages due to Hurricane Beryl.

Footage of the vandalism was obtained by campus police, according to the New York Times, which first reported the news.

“We were disappointed to learn the statue was damaged early Monday morning as Hurricane Beryl was hitting Houston,” Kevin Quinn, the university’s executive director of media relations, said in an email to ARTnews. “The damage is believed to be intentional. The University of Houston Police Department is currently investigating the matter.”

The female figure, whose braided hair forms a pair of horns, wears a lacy collar in allusion to similar ones worn by Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the late Supreme Court justice.

The sculpture was installed in a plaza at the University of Houston after five months of display to critical acclaim at Madison Square Park in New York City. But when it traveled to Houston, it drew criticism from the anti-abortion Christian group Texas Right to Life, which called for a campus-wide protest “to keep the Satanic abortion idol out of Texas.” The University of Houston responded by cancelling a planned opening and artist talk, as well as choosing not to show an accompanying video work also by Sikander.

It’s worth noting that Sikander’s artist statement about the work contains no mention of Satanism. “The rams’ horns are universal symbols of strength and wisdom,” Sikander told Art in America earlier this year. “There is nothing Satanic about them.”

“The calls to remove this proud symbol of female autonomy unintentionally underscored the reason Sikander had created it in the first place,” Eleanor Heartney wrote in that profile of Sikander.

Sikander described the vandalism of Witness as “a very violent act of hate” and told the New York Times that it should be investigated as a crime.

In addition to exhibitions at museums around the world, Sikander has been the recipient of a MacArthur “genius” grant. A survey of her work is being held as a collateral event in tandem with this year’s Venice Biennale.

Quinn told ARTnews that conservators have been called in to advise on the necessary repairs to Witness, and taht the university had been in contact with Sikander about repairing the artwork “as quickly as possible.”

But Sikander has other plans. “I don’t want to ‘repair’ or conceal,” Sikander told the New York Times. “I want to ‘expose,’ leave it damaged. Make a new piece, and many more.”

Sikander did not respond to a request for comment from ARTnews.

Per the report, the bill introduced by Israeli politician Amit Halevi seeks to redistribute power over the West Bank archaeology’s sector, which currently resides with a unit in the Civil Administration, an Israeli governing body managed by the military. The bill states, according to the Times of Israel, that it is based on the premise that historical artifacts discovered there “have no historical or other connection to the Palestinian Authority.” The Palestinian Authority (PA) maintains civilian control in the West Bank.

“The discussion of the political status of the regions of Judea and Samaria has no relevance to Israel’s responsibility for the archaeological findings belonging to its people,” states the bill, referring to the West Bank by its biblical names. 

In July 2023, the Palestinian Authority (PA) accused Israel of plans to expand its powers over archaeological sites in Palestinian territory, citing multiple raids by Israeli military and settler militias on the Roman-era archaeological village of Sebastia in the northern city of Nablus. The PA called on UNESCO, the cultural arm of the United Nations, to intervene, given the UNESCO-supervised renovation project underway in Sebastia’s public plaza.

“This is an attack that falls within a plan to take over Palestinian archaeological sites throughout the West Bank and to impose Israeli control over them and annex them,” the PA’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement to the Middle East Monitor.

Archaeology in the occupied West Bank is frequently politicized as part of territorial disputes between Palestinians and Israeli settlers. In September of 2023, UNESCO added Tell es-Sultan—a prehistoric site in Jericho—to its World Heritage List, drawing ire from some right-wing Israeli politicians and organizations. The two parties protested the designation at a meeting at Hasmonean Palaces, one of several archaeological sites near Jericho under Israeli control and a new “touristic settlement” formed for the purported defense of world history.

ARTnews has reached out to the Palestinian Authority and the Israel Antiquities Authority for comment.

The decorated guns are inlaid with gold and silver, as well as engraved images of Napoleon, and carried an estimate from the Osenat auction house of €1.2 million to €1.5 million. The auction took place on July 7 in the city of Fontainbleau, south of Paris.

According to auction house president Jean-Pierre Osenat, the weapons were nearly used to end the French ruler’s life in 1814 after his army was defeated by foreign forces.

“After the defeat of the French campaign, he was totally depressed and wanted to commit suicide with these weapons but his grand squire removed the powder,” Osenat told AFP, which first reported the sale.

As that failed suicide, Napoleon ingested poison but survived that attempt after vomiting. The French emperor later gave the two pistols to his squire General Armand de Caulaincourt, whose descendants consigned them to the auction house.

Other sales of Napoleon memorabilia that have garnered seven-figures include one of the famous “bicorne” hats, which sold for $2.1 million at another Osenat auction in November. Its original estimate was $650,000 to $870,000.

The French Ministry of Culture announced it designation of the two pistols as national treasures on July 6, shortly before the auction took place.

The designation and issuance of the export ban certificate meant the beginning of a 30-month period where the French government can make an offer to purchase the two pistols from their unidentified new owner, who also has the right to refuse.

Any cultural property deemed a national treasure, regardless of its value or age, can only leave France on a temporary basis.

“Being classified as a national treasure gives an incredible value to the object,” a representative of the Osenat auction house told the AFP, asking not to be named.

The Brera Modern will hold Modern art from Pinacoteca di Brera gallery, which is located down the street. On opening day, officials confirmed, there will be an annual gala premier of La Scala’s opera season.

Angelo Crespi helms the museum, having succeeded British-Canadian historian James Bradburne in February. Despite his efforts to have the Brera Modern open within his tenure, Bradburne had completed two four-year terms and was no longer eligible to continue his post.

This change was implemented by the hard-right Italian government, which has been appointing Italian citizens to lead notable cultural institutions.

Founded in 1809, the Brera is home to works by such masters as Canova, Caravaggio, and Raphael. A number of works in its collection, particularly its Modern art, however, have long been in storage.

Reasons for delays have included issues with asbestos and the air conditioning system.

As part of this new addition to the Brera, the institution is expected to total more than 500,000 visitors this year—an increase from last year’s 466,709 people.

Ever since, Halaby has continued to push the limits of oil abstraction obsessively to capture and embody various sensory experiences. Early on, she focused on prismatic refractions. One work, Aluminum Steel (1971), showcases her ability to draw inspiration from rather quotidian sources and experiences. A large-scale meditation in oil on the eponymous material’s interactions with light, the painting asserts Halaby’s vision of metal as “the only substance with colored highlights.” She divides lenticular metallic planes into hundreds of thin bands of color, creating a complex geometric field. Nearby, a hand-painted tone study and framed pencil sketch reveal the careful planning that underpins the painting. The work is a monument to dedication and patience—qualities so evident in her art, that must also have served her well in her career. Like so many women artists of her generation, she has waited for decades for a show like this. And like so many women, she enjoyed institutional recognition as an educator before she received her due as an artist: in 1972 she became the first woman to be appointed a full-time associate professor at the Yale School of Art.

Surely such neglect could warrant a little bitterness over the course of a long career, but if resentment exists within Halaby’s private thoughts, there is no evidence of it in her work. Her experiments are brave and far ranging, and her appetite for formal exploration is voracious. All the while, her use of color is joyful and kaleidoscopic: Mother of Pearl II (2018) features every color of the rainbow in an abstract swirl of mosaic-tile-like shapes. In her hands, abstraction is not a tool for turning her subject into a cipher; rather, it allows the work to open toward something universal—perhaps owing to how Arab art resisted representation long before abstraction was welcome in the United States.

Until the mid-1970s, Halaby was largely preoccupied with diagonal line drawings. In 1976 she left her position at Yale and moved to New York City, where she is now based. There, she settled in with new tools, new perspectives, and a whole new arsenal of geometric forms. Pink Walking Green (1983) is a Tetris-like composition with colorful blocky shapes: Halaby described the work to curator Rachel Winter as an effort to capture the experience of watching a woman in pink walking along the green of her verdant street. By the ’80s, Halaby was working not from photo references or models, but largely seeking to re-create sensory experiences of life in her paintings, including attendant sounds, the feeling of the wind, and the visual interactions of shapes and colors.

Indeed, one is able to intuit a lively interaction in Pink Walking Green, just as Angels and Butterflies (2010) successfully imparts the movement of wings with nothing more than rays of color unfolding at sharp angles. Her interest in capturing motion led her to computational experiments in the mid-’80s: she enlisted Amiga, a newly available personal computer, to craft kinetic visual experiments. The resulting “Kinetic Paintings” (1988–ongoing) reveal an eagerness to try any tool that might unlock new possibilities in abstraction. In later compositions, more explicit figuration returns, but her interest in motion persists: Bamboo (2010) is a stunning and synthesized vision of gentle light seen through leaves and moving in every direction.

Not all the movements she captures are as whimsical as breezes and butterflies. The exhibition’s title derives from an inscription on a watercolor work, Occupied Palestine, that Halaby created during a 1995 visit to Jerusalem, her birthplace. It presents an abstract field of pastel brushstrokes and confetti-like sunbursts, overlayed with punctuating brown and black swoops. Though Halaby only rarely adds text to her compositions, this one bears a handwritten caption. “It is as though I am here to witness the last moments in the life of this beautiful and ancient city of Jerusalem,” Halaby penciled into the bottom margin of the image. “My Jerusalem is being murdered. And I make this painting feeling the pain and beauty of Jerusalem.”

Nearly 30 years since this witnessing, and the murder has only multiplied; meanwhile, in the US, Halaby is one of several artists to have faced professional consequences for taking a stance. “Eye Witness” was initially planned as one-half of a joint exhibition between MSU and Indiana University (IU), where she completed her MFA. But in January, IU abruptly canceled her exhibition, citing vague “safety concerns” and dismissing the artist in a two-line email. The cancellation followed Halaby’s post on Instagram decrying Israel’s bombing of Gaza.

The exhibition catalog, Centers of Energy, went to print before the cancellation, and shares a title with the aborted IU exhibition; it begins with a directors’ foreword cowritten by leadership of the two institutions. There is a tragic irony in the contribution of David A. Brenneman, director of the Eskenazi Museum of Art at IU; he asserts that the museum’s 2017 renovation, including the establishment of its first contemporary art department, advances its purpose “to spark reflective dialogue within our university community around artistic issues that include identity, changing cultural landscapes, and social justice.”

One can hardly think of an artist more perfectly poised fulfill this mission than Halaby, whose work so eloquently bears witness both to injustice and to everyday beauty. The IU cancellation is disturbing and disappointing. Yet it would be regrettable to allow this slight to overshadow the triumph of her MSU solo debut; here, the Broad allows Halaby to serve as a witness, and to be witnessed.

The museum, one of two institutions run by Plattner in Potsdam, opened in 2017 and is now well known for its Impressionist art collection, with paintings on view by Monet, Renoir, and others of note. Plattner, who has previously appeared on the ARTnews Top 200 Collectors list, has distanced himself from the corruption proceedings, according to the German press agency dpa.

The Museum Barberini did not respond to ARTnews’s request for comment.

The court’s decision rested on events that allegedly took place during 2014 and 2015, before the museum opened to the public.

One of the defendants, a technical adviser on the museum’s building, received a suspended sentence of one year and two months in prison. The other, a subcontractor, must pay 216,000 euros, or around $22,700.

According to the court, the technical adviser, a 57-year-old referred to only as Karsten D., got a friend to work on the project, allegedly with the aim of sharing proceeds with him. D. was accused of having sent competitor construction companies insider information about the project and of having made attempts to cover up having done so.

D. must now forfeit 113,000 euros ($122,000) and pay 20,000 euros ($21,600) to a Potsdam children’s charity.

The subcontractor, a 61-year-old named Andreas L., is accused of having conspired in D.’s alleged scheme. He must pay his fee of 216,000 euros in 120 daily installments of 180 euros each.

The 2024 edition of the fair will be the first to be led by Bridget Finn, a former gallerist who was hired to serve as the fair’s director last year. This year’s figure is slightly above the 277 galleries that took part in the marquee US fair last year; the 2022 edition also hosted 283 exhibitors.

The fair will also include 32 first-time exhibitors, the biggest grouping of newcomers to a Miami Beach fair since 2008. Among those are Gallery Wendi Norris, ILY2, Fabian Lang, Dastan Gallery, Gallery Baton, Pearl Lam Galleries, Catinca Tabacaru, Gallery Nosco, Gajah Gallery, and Sweetwater. While participating galleries come from 34 countries and territories, the fair said that around two-thirds are from the Americas.  

Among the blue-chip exhibitors are Gagosian, Hauser & Wirth, Pace, David Zwirner, Blum, Sadie Coles HQ, Paula Cooper Gallery, Jeffrey Deitch, Gladstone Gallery, David Kordansky Gallery, Lehmann Maupin, Galerie Lelong & Co., Victoria Miro, Mnuchin Gallery, Thaddaeus Ropac, and Jack Shainman.

Additionally, 25 galleries will show in the fair’s main Galleries section for the first time. Of those, 21 of them are doing so after previously participating in a different section; they include Instituto de Visión, Edel Assanti, Daniel Faria Gallery, Central Fine, and Afriart Gallery and Rele Gallery, who will share a booth. Several of these galleries benefit from the introduction of a minimum-size booth option.

In a statement, Finn said, “It was incredibly important that we carve out a more equitable path to participation for small and mid-sized galleries entering the main sector of this show, and the proof is in the extraordinary number of newcomers joining this edition. We remain super agile and attuned to the changing and individual needs of our galleries and their artists, and committed to creating an absolutely cannot-miss experience for them and for collectors, museums and foundations, major cultural partners, and visitors from Miami Beach and around the world.”

In addition to the main Galleries section, the fair will also include five additional sections: Nova, for work made in the past three years; Positions, for solo showcases of emerging artists; Survey, for presentations of work made before 2000; Kabinett, for presentations within a main booth; and Meridians, for large-scale works, which this year is curated Yasmil Raymond, the outgoing director of Portikus. Details on the latter two sections will be announced at a later date. This year’s edition will also see the return of the fair’s Conversations program, which will be organized by writer Kimberly Bradley.

Galleries in the Nova section include Charles Moffett, Kendra Jayne Patrick, Pequod Co., Silverlens, Soft Opening, Gallery Vacany, and Welancora. Positions includes Sebastian Gladstone, Gordon Robichaux, Gypsum Gallery, Peana, Proyectos Ultravioleta, and Verve. And Survey will feature Luis De Jesus, Charlie James Gallery, Lyles & King, PKM Gallery, and Ryan Lee.

“We have an exceptional roster of galleries participating in our Miami Beach show this year, coming from all corners of the Americas, Europe, and Asia,” Finn said. “The proposals in Nova, Positions, and Survey are of exceptional quality and ambition, and it’s clear that galleries in the main sector will not be holding back come December, bringing their best of the best to this all-important fair in the world’s leading art market.”

Galleries

Nova

*Espacio Valverde and Fabian Lang will share a booth.

Positions

Survey

McMillan has a range of experience in the art market. Most recently, she founded her itinerant gallery and consultancy company, Saint George Projects, which has staged exhibitions for artists like Alvaro Barrington and Henri Paul Broyard in New York, Los Angeles, Johannesburg, Berlin, and elsewhere.

Prior to that, she was a director at David Zwirner for a year, and worked at Gavin Brown’s Enterprise for four years, where she was also a director. She has also worked at Alexander Gray Associates and the Studio Museum in Harlem.

“I am honored to join The Armory Show at this important moment in the fair’s history,” said McMillan said in statement. “My goal is to empower collectors and emphasize the fair’s role as a platform for artists, galleries and art enthusiasts. The Armory Show has long been celebrated as a foundational fair for New York and the US art market. I look forward to building on The Armory Show’s achievements, while also championing new voices and creating opportunities for diverse perspectives in contemporary art.”

McMillan’s appointment is the first major leadership change at the fair since it was acquired by Frieze in 2023. The fair’s next edition is scheduled to run in early September. Marking its 30th anniversary this year, the upcoming edition announced its exhibitor list last month. Frieze’s director of fairs, Kristell Chadé, and its Americas director, Christine Messineo, were in charge during the application process.

In a statement, Chadé said, “We are thrilled to welcome Kyla McMillan as Director of The Armory Show. Her wide-ranging experience and creative drive will undoubtedly take the fair to new heights, fostering an inclusive and dynamic environment. Her past projects have demonstrated a talent for reaching new audiences and forging meaningful connections with art.”

The bronze work, located next to the Round Pond in Kensington Gardens, is titled Pumpkin and stands at 19.5 feet tall and has a diameter of 18 feet. It is painted yellow with black polka dots in the artist’s signature style.

Kusama is known for her immersive installations, intricate paintings, and large-scale sculptures. Since 1946, pumpkins (known as kabocha in the artist’s native Japan) have featured regularly in her practice, and the new artwork is her tallest pumpkin sculpture to date.

“I am sending to London with love my giant pumpkin,” she said. “Since my childhood, pumpkins have been a great comfort to me, they are such tender things to touch, so appealing in color and form. They are humble and amusing at the same time and speak to me of the joy of living.”

Hans Ulrich Obrist, the Serpentine’s artistic director, said it was an “honor” to present Kusama’s sculpture. “Her signature pumpkins have become a landmark motif for the artist, and this project is a reunion for Kusama and Serpentine.”

Kusama’s first retrospective in the UK was at the Serpentine in 2000. It explored her fascinations with polka dots, nets, food, and sex.

SPK is the largest cultural employer in Germany, with approximately 2,000 employees and 4.7 million objects across 15 museums in Berlin, as well as libraries, research institutes, and archive facilities. Current president Hermann Parzinger will retire at the end of next May after 17 years in the position.

Ackermann, who is currently director general of the Dresden State Museums, will be managing a “major overhaul” of the state-funded organization after a two-year, 278-page study published in 2020 said that the SPK was “too large to function effectively.”

She was unanimously chosen by a search committee that included Germany’s culture minister, Claudia Roth, and will officially start in the position on June 1 next year. She had also served on the foundation’s advisory board for several years.

In a press statement released by the organization, Roth called Ackermann “an excellent museum manager, art expert and strategist who is well connected both nationally and internationally.”

“One of the important factors in her appointment was her proven track record in successfully shaping transformation processes,” Roth said. “I am sure that she will bring the comprehensive reform of the SPK to an excellent conclusion and take the foundation into a sustainable and successful future with extraordinary expertise, new ideas and much energy.”

Ackermann’s previous work experience includes taking over the management of the Stuttgart Art Museum in 2003 at the age of 38, making her the youngest director of a major museum in the country at that time. In 2009, Ackermann became the director of the Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen in Düsseldorf. In 2016, she was appointed the general director of the Dresden State Museums. Dresden State Museums, whose 15 institutions receive more than 2 million visitors annually.

In addition to working as a curator and museum director, Ackermann was co-chair of the Bizot Group until 2023 and also served on the executive board of the Goethe Institute until earlier this year. Ackermann is also jury chairman of the Kaiserring Goslar art prize for international artists in modern and contemporary art.

The SPK was first established in 1957 to oversee the world-class art collections in West Berlin. After the Berlin Wall separating East and West Germany fell in 1989, the organization’s focus has been combining the collections and overseeing major projects, such as the multi-decade renovation of the Pergamonmuseum.

The independent report released in 2020 prompted the directors of individual museums in Berlin to write an open letter criticizing the SPK for its bureaucracy, hierarchy, lack of funding, and ability to make decisions and as hindering their ability to give “a quick response to topical questions and desires of the public.” The report also identified several staffing shortages in multiple departments.

In April, the SPK announced that several of its museums would close on Mondays and Tuesdays to help save money in response to ongoing funding issues and growing operating expenses.