U.S. Capitol Display Gets First Statue by Black Artist, Embattled Art Adviser Lisa Schiff Is Under Federal Investigation, and More: Morning Links for June 9, 2023

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The Headlines

THE POLITICAL SCENE. Thursday was quite a news day in Washington, D.C., as politicians reacted to the bombshell that President Trump was being indicted in a case concerning his handling of classified documents. Before that, though, on Wednesday, a bronze statue was unveiled in National Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol that depicts the acclaimed writer Willa Cather, who died in 1947. It was created by Littleton Alston, who became the first Black artist to have work included in that collection. (Each state selects two statues to be displayed there; the Cather piece came from Nebraska.) In other news from the Hill, Congress is looking to hire a new Architect of the Capitol, who oversees its home and various collections. (The last one was ousted amid scandal. He has denied wrongdoing.) A member of the team seeking to fill the job told the New York Times, “This is a uniquely complex role. A term we often use is a ‘unicorn.’ ”

ARTISTS SPACE. It is one of those special days when editorial calendars align, and a bunch of great interviews are all published at once. Grab a cup of coffee! Grab a cocktail! There’s a lot to read. Apollo romped around Reykjavik with hometown hero and performance legend Ragnar Kjartansson. “What I love about being from Iceland,” he said, “is that I really did not understand the idea of the art object until I was 35 or something. Like, you go to the museum here and you just see some Icelandic shit… there is no art history, and there are no objects of mega-value.” Sculptor Anselm Kiefer, an expert in mega-value, has a new show at White Cube in London and spoke to the Guardian. Two more stories from England: Painter Hurvin Anderson, who has a show up at the Hepworth Wakefield, is in the New York Times, and Lubaina Himid, who’s presenting work at the Glyndebourne opera house, is also in the Guardian.

The Digest

In a court filing, a lawyer for Lisa Schiff said that the embattled art adviser is cooperating with federal and state investigations into her business, which she is liquidating. The attorney also rejected claims made in a lawsuit against her that she was running a Ponzi scheme. [The Art Newspaper]

In November, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York will present around 30 modern and contemporary Korean works on loan from South Korea’s National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art and Seoul’s Leeum Museum of Art, including a piece collected by the late Samsung chairman Lee Kun-hee. [The Dong-A Ilbo]

Around 40 prehistoric menhirs that were erected in Carnac, France, some 7,000 years ago have been removed to make way for a location of the DIY chain store Mr. Bricolage, according to an incensed French archaeologist. The local mayor said that the stones had “low archaeological value.” [AFP/France24]

Dealer Larry Gagosian gave a rare interview to the New York Post. While some gallerists have been opening in Tribeca and elsewhere, when it comes to “contemporary art nothing is supplanting Chelsea,” he said. And while he visits his artists at their Brooklyn studios, for a space “it’s a bridge too far, literally and figuratively.” [NYP]

This year’s shortlist for the Film London Jarman Award, which honors British artists working with moving images, consists of Ayo Akingbade, Andrew Black, Julianknxx, Sophie Koko Gate, Karen Russo, and Rehana Zaman. The winner of the closely watched prize receives £10,000 (about $12,600). [Ocula]

Norman Rosenthal, the former exhibitions secretary at the Royal Academy in London, said that he was not invited to the opening of its summer exhibition this year. “I think they would rather forget about me,” he said. “It was noted.” He also recommended Kiefer’s White Cube show. [Evening Standard/Yahoo! News]

The Kicker

BUCKLE UP. The big one, Art Basel in Switzerland, opens in a matter of days, and Bloomberg has a crisp preview of the festivities that also offers a look at the state-of-play in the art market. Amid uncertainty about the economy, dealer Marianne Boesky, who has galleries in New York and Aspen, offered some refreshingly candid thoughts. “Certain dealers you’ll talk to, they’ll tell you—no matter what day of the year or month—that sales are gangbusters and that everything’s perfect,” she told journalist James Tarmy. “But it’s not always perfect. It’s a bit of a rollercoaster.” Be careful out there, Baselers! [Bloomberg]

Update, 6:30 p.m.: An earlier version of this post stated incorrectly that the Met’s upcoming show of Korean art will consist of work collected by Lee Kun-hee. In fact, most of its works will be loans from two South Korean museums; one of those pieces was previously among Lee’s holdings.