Category: visual

• The estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat threaten legal action against a Basquiat fan website and shut it down. – The Art Newspaper

In our frantic race towards modernization and productivity, we have begun to fear slowness – to equate leisure with the insidiousness of being idle.  In “Slowness of Speed” eight Korean artists examine the notion of time in the traditional Oriental sense – where the boundary between past and present is much less defined than in the West – and the conflict between traditional values and the needs of modernization. – Korea Times

— has hired Joseph Rosa, an architect and architectural historian, as its new curator. – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

American investors have bought a Russian porcelain factory, but encountered resistance when they went to take control of it. “The struggle for control of the Lomonosov porcelain factory has all the elements of Russia’s own national struggle. It is a tale of Russians against foreigners, socialism against capitalism, the Kremlin against private investors, alleged Russian crooks against brazen interlopers – with a priceless imperial treasure as the prize.” – The Globe and Mail (Canada)

The New York Foundation for the Arts has pulled out of administrating a major city-sponsored art project this summer to paint and display 1,000 fiberglass cows. The city had sought to have the foundation impose a rule on artists stating: “Designs that are religious, political or sexual in nature will not be accepted.” – Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel (New York Daily News)

Florida bargain hunter says she bought a Rodin drawing at a gift shop for $1.99. – Yahoo (Reuters)

Chicago bookstore wins “Niche-Of-The-Year” award by making a go of selling only books and memorabilia related to Abraham Lincoln. – Publishers Weekly

The Nazis stole 600,000 pieces of art in Germany and the countries they occupied during Hitler’s 12 years in power, says the U.S. government’s top expert in stolen art from that era. – The Oregonian (AP)

London group gets together to buy art. Their combined funds and expertise about contemporary art give them a leg up on the market. – The Telegraph (UK)

Comics legend Stan Lee (“Spider Man” Fantastic Four”) has a prescription for fading comics. Take ’em to the web with a new way of making them: “simple online animated shorts Lee calls “webisodes.” Designed to accommodate slower modems, they will run between 3 and 5 minutes–complete with bone-crunching, cape-swishing sound–and take between 1 1/2 and 3 minutes to download at 28.8K.” – Time