ARTNET AG Plus, what rock stars showed up to the Whitney? Which artist is backing billionaire Rick Caruso for L.A. mayor? Read on for answers.
Annie Armstrong, March 31, 2022
Every week, Artnet News brings you Wet Paint, a gossip column of original scoops. If you have a tip, email Annie Armstrong at [email protected].
DAVID ZWIRNER AND HAROLD ANCART PART WAYSIt's pretty rare to see an artist leave behemoth David Zwirner gallery, so you can imagine my surprise when Wet Paint learned that Belgian-born, New York-basedpainter Harold Ancartis officially no longer represented by the gallery.
Ancart, who made his debut with Zwirner in 2018, is known for his large-scale abstract paintings that are often comic-like depictions of horizons and the natural world.He was introduced to Zwirner by Harry Scrymgeour, a former partner at Clearing gallery whotoldArtnet News in 2018 he thought the painter was a perfect fit for the mega-gallery.
Ancart, you can imagine, was excited. "David Zwirner's program is probably one of the best in the world," he told Artnet News that year.
It seems like Ancart did well for Zwirner over the years. The gallery routinely hawked his paintings of lone matches and icebergs at fairs, selling them for as much as $300,000 a pop. His secondary market has been on a steady trajectory since he joined the gallery. Nineteen of his top 20 auction prices have been set since 2019, and last May, he broke seven figures for the first time when a very pleasant oilstick painting of flowers fetched $1 million at Sotheby's New York's contemporary evening sale. The estimate was $600,000 to $800,000.
Since his Zwirner debut, Ancart's works have been displayed far and wide, notably at this year's Whitney Biennial (where he showed up to the opening night party), and at the knockout 2019 Public Art Fund commission in Cadman Plaza Park, where he mounted a concrete sculpture emulating a handball court titled Subliminal Standard. His work is in the collections of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, DC's Hirshhorn Museum, Paris's Fondation Louis Vuitton, and the Beyeler Foundation in Basel, among others. There have also been rumors that Frank Oceanowns some of the artist's work.
Ancart broke into the broader art-world consciousness in 2016, when the Menil Drawing Institute in Houston acquired and presented a series of 27 oilstick on paper works that he created on an epic trans-America road trip. (He transformed the trunk of his jeep into a makeshift studio and pulled over anytime he saw something that inspired him.)
So why did Ancart and Zwirner part ways? Both parties declined to comment, but you can't stop me from speculating. Does it have anything to do with the fact that last year, Ancart was said to be dating actressDianna Agron, who has also been linked to Zwirner scion and head of content Lucas Zwirner? (Despite rumors from Instagram celeb-gossip factory Deuxmoi, however, sources told Wet Paint that Zwirner and Agron were not dating, and had merely been at a few of the same parties.)
Another source close to the artist simply told Wet Paint that he "left quietly as he felt he needed to refocus solely on his work."
THE WHITNEY MUSEUM OF AMERICAN FARTOpening night of the Whitney Biennial.
Did you guys smell that too? Last night, at the Whitney Museum of American Art'ssecondparty for the 2022 Whitney Biennial, guests noted a certain… aroma.
I know the old aphorism-whoever smelt it, dealt it-but in this case, Wet Paintcan reveal that the unpleasant scent wafting through the museum galleries was the work of two anonymous artists who cracked open a (harmless, health-wise) stink bomb. The duo wouldn't call the smelly blast an artwork per se, but instead labelled it "a reaction" to the crapiness of contemporary New York.
"There's a metaphorical stink of stagnancy over New York and the folks in power are trying to ignore it," one of the fart bandits told Wet Paint. "They want to live in denial that their old way is stinky. I'm just revealing the truth."
This wasn't the first time they've struck. Stinky events at the Jane Hoteland Lucien have been made actually smelly by the perps, and the launch of Lucien Smith's NFT project was also stink bombed. So was Julia Fox's famed birthday party back when she was dating Kanye West."It smelled very farty", a source told Wet Paint.
Where will the prankster artists strike next, I wonder? Will they make the trek over to Venice? Or will they stay local, haunting the New York art scene? Stay alert out there, party people.
SPOTTEDCourtesy a tipster.
Rooney Marataking a smoke break in the West Village *** Gallerist Alex ShulanTweeting at Ryder Rippsabout whether Bored Ape Yacht Club's imagery is racist *** On that topic, Madonnais now the latest celebrity to ape in *** Futuraand Marc Jacobs telling a group of students about the time they first met at the legendary club the Roxy during an event sponsored by Free Arts NYC *** All five of the Red Hot Chili Peppersat the Whitney Biennial's opening party, as well as Diamond Stingily, Wu Tsang, Arthur Jafa, and Ebony Haynes *** Mills Moránhosting a Whitney after-party at Dr. Clark's, where Telfar Clemens, Chloe Wise, Antwaun Sargent, and Kayode Ojowere all present *** Francisco CorreaCordero, LucasZwirner, and Marlene Zwirner at the re-opening of Entrance after its renovations *** Don and Mera Rubell looking at a Cynthia Talmadge painting out of the back of Ellie Rines's van ***
56 Henry's Ellie Rines showing Don and Mera Rubell a piece by Cynthia Talmadge, which the gallery will exhibit next week at EXPO Chicago.
Comme des Garçons is collaborating with Dan Colen's Sky High Farms to create a clothing line that Sam Hine and Ella Emhoff will model … Artist Justin Owensbygot Sotheby's tattooed on his knuckles… Jacolby Satterwhitecreated a short film for musician Perfume Genius … Mark Grotjahnis on the hunt for a PA to help him set up Zoom calls-if you're hired for this job and oversee any juicy meetings, you know who to come to … Chloë Sevigny and Karmadirector Siniša Mačkovićrenewing their vows ("or something like that", Mačković clarified to Wet Paint), and Sevigny has been posting some cheeky bridal ware on her Instagram … Seminal black metal band Mayhemhave been filming something (a music video, perhaps?)at Lomex Gallery … And speaking of black metal and high art, Satyricon's Sigurd Wongravenwill have a show at the Munch Museum in the home of black metal, Norway …Miles McEnery Gallery is opening their fourth space at 525 West 22nd Street next month, providing an additional 7,000 square feet, bringing the gallery's footprint to 26,000 square feet, across 22nd and 21st Streets…Artworks by novelist Tao Lin are going to be on display at Ka-Vá Kava and Kratom bar in Williamsburg…Beloved Little Italy eatery Forlini's is officially shuttering some time next month… Alex Israel has taken to Instagram to voice his support for billionaire Los Angeles mayoral candidate Rick Caruso, a known supporter of anti-abortion politicians …
WET PAINT QUESTIONNAIREGod, I love subway art! Who wouldn't be a sucker for the Marcel Dzama mosaic at the Bedford stop in Williamsburg? Or the Mickalene Thomas piece at 53rd Street?
I'm glad you all share my enthusiasm. Last week, I asked you to name the best subway mosaics in New York, and the answers came pouring in.
Flack Sarah Goulet wrote in to say that, "according to my 18-month-old daughter, it's William Wegman's dogs at 23rd Street, but I'm partial to Nancy Spero's mythical women at Lincoln Center." Nazy Nazhand voted for the Beaux Arts-style ceramics installed by Squire Vickers, "including the 28th Street station, which is a stunning example."
Artist Christina Welzer agreed with me about the Dzama, but also named Monika Bravo's work at the Prospect Ave stop. "But it's definitely not the dogs in Chelsea," she added. (Artist Farah Al Qasimi, meanwhile, agrees with me that the Wegman dogs rock the house.)
Art advisor Jay Grimm volunteered Joyce Kozloff's mosaic at 86thStreet,"with a close second being Elizabeth Murray's coffee cups all over the Bloomingdale's stop." Katharine Overgaard, director at Franklin Parrasch gallery, named Jackie Ferrara's installation Grand Central: Arches, Towers, Pyramids."The tiled nature of this extensive mural lends itself so well to the concept of modularity which is central, I think, throughout Ferrara's oeuvre," she added.
Phillips public relations director for the Americas, Jaime Israni, said she just "wanted to give some love to Michele Oka Doner's installation at the 34th St-Herald Square."
My question for you this week is: Which art dealer is the best at video games? Write in your answer to [email protected]
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artnet AG published this content on 31 March 2022 and is solely responsible for the information contained therein. Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 31 March 2022 15:15:08 UTC.
