Belgian police raid homes in Russian forgery investigation

Our daily round-up of news from the art world

Belgian police investigate Russian counterfeits | Police yesterday raided a number of homes in Belgium, as part of their investigation into the numerous forgeries found in the Museum of Fine Arts in Ghent’s recent exhibition of Russian avant-garde works, the Guardian reports. The Ghent public prosecutor’s office has declined to comment on the targets of the investigation, although Belgian newspaper De Standaard reports that police conducted the raids, during which they sealed computers, requested documents and interviewed Catherine de Zegher (the museum’s currently suspended director) following a formal civil complain filed by a group of art dealers and a descendent of one of the Russian artists whose work is alleged to have been forged (Flemish-language article).

New art fair to launch in Taipei | The inaugural edition of Taipei Dangdai, a new art fair at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center, will take place in January 2019, it has been announced. The event, planned to coincide with the Taipei Biennial, will include 80 galleries, with a range of international and Asian contributors. It has been founded by Magnus Renfrew, founding director of Art HK (now Art Basel Hong Kong).

Group organises against Memphis College of Art closure | A group of artists and professionals has formed in an attempt to reverse the planned closure of the Memphis College of Art in 2020. The college’s trustees voted to close last October, citing low enrolment figures, debt and insufficient endowment. The group, Save MCA, hopes to become a not-for-profit organisation, in an attempt to plan a sustainable model for the college’s future.