Art Outlook: 21 August

Some of the stories and discussions we’ve spotted online this week:

The president of Gwangju Biennale has resigned

Lee Yong-woo stepped down following the controversial censorship of a painting from the ‘Sweet Dew’ exhibition at the Gwangju Museum of Art. The work depicts the South Korean president assailed by victims of the MV Sewol ferry disaster.

Bin Laden family buy into Italy’s Carrara marble quarries

Osama Bin Laden’s family has become the primary share holder in Marni Carrara, the company that quarries the famous Italian stone, used in some of the country’s most famous Roman and Renaissance works of art.

More protest vandalism: man disrupts Jeff Koons exhibition

A visitor to the Jeff Koons retrospective at the Whitney Museum splashed red paint on the walls before adding his signature. Thankfully no work was damaged: similar recent incidents have been more destructive.

Guercino painting stolen from an Italian church

A large painting of Madonna with St John the Evangelist by Renaissance artist Guercino has been stolen from a church in Modena, northern Italy. The church lacked the funds to repair a broken security alarm, leaving the work unprotected.

Another major departure at Art Basel

Art Basel’s director of new initiatives, Annette Schönholzer, becomes the second member of the executive team to step down in recent weeks: Magnus Renfrew announced his departure a month ago.

A river runs through it: Olafur Eliasson unveils ‘Riverbed’ in Denmark

Olafur Eliasson has transformed the south wing of the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art into a riverbed which threatens to overwhelm the rooms…