Collector Wilbur Ross to Host Glenn Youngkin Event, Black Trustees Alliance Names New Director, and More: Morning Links for July 27, 2023

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The Headlines

THE ART-WORLD PRIMARY. As the contest for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination heats up, some deep-pocketed art collectors are lending their support to candidates—and future candidates. Hedge-fund titan and Whitney Museum trustee Kenneth Griffin has donated to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, though a Griffin spokesperson recently told ABC News that he “continues to assess the field.”1 Now, Page Six reports, Trump Commerce Secretary and noted Magritte aficionado Wilbur Ross will soon hold an event at his Hamptons home for Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin. Though he’s seen as a rising conservative star, and a real contender, Youngkin has demurred on a White House bid (for this cycle), but Page Six claims—make of this what you will—that he is angling to be Donald Trump’s V.P. pick.

MISAPPROPRIATION ART. Opponents of a referendum to give Indigenous communities in Australia a voice in parliament have been using a painting by Indigenous artist Danny Eastwood on some campaign materials without his permission, ABC News (of Australia) reports. Eastwood is angry, and a commission is investigating if some of the campaign literature violates election rules. Meanwhile, Australian photographer Helen Whittle has accused the Italian street art Ciro Cerullo (who goes by Jorit) of using an image she shot of her daughter as the source for a pro-Russia mural in Mariupol, Ukraine, the Guardian reports, noting that Whittle told an Italian outlet that “it was distressing and painful for me to see my image copied and used in this way.” Jorit admitted to using elements of a photo of an “Australian girl,” adding, “And so what?”

The Digest

The Black Trustees Alliance for Art Museums hired Diane Jean-Mary, a former partner at the arts strategy firm LaPlaca Cohen, to be its next director. She succeeds Brooke A. Minto, who in March was named director of the Columbus Museum of Art in Ohio. [Culture Type]

The Royal Institute of British Architects established a new prize, the Reinvention award, for a project that transforms an existing structure. “We have a collective responsibility as architects to minimize our impact on the planet’s resources,” the group’s president, Simon Allford, said. [The Guardian]

Kering, the luxury giant founded by mega-collector François Pinault, is reportedly preparing defensive measures after activist firm Bluebell Capital Partners bought a stake in the firm. The Pinault family owns 42 percent of Kering, whose stock has recently underperformed that of rivals like LVMH. [Bloomberg]

In the run-up to his current show at Night Gallery in Los Angeles, artist Sterling Wells had been painting on a floating craft of his own design, on Ballona Creek in the Playa Vista area. Regrettably, officials made him desist from using his unlicensed craft, which is now on view in the exhibition. [Artnet News]

The Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre in Great Missenden, England, released a statement saying that the children’s book author’s “racism is undeniable and indelible but what we hope can also endure is the potential of Dahl’s creative legacy to do some good.” [BBC News]

The Kicker

THE ARTIST AS CRITIC. Over on his always engaging Instagram account, artist Takashi Murakami has a series of three posts about the revered filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki’s latest film, The Boy and the Heron. Spoiler: It’s a rave. Murakami writes that it “was a superlative experience of a work of art where I could thoroughly enjoy the internal workings of the brain of Hayao-san the artist.” Murakami also offers some nuanced thoughts about art and art history. Head to the ‘gram to read it all. [@Instagram]