Building Design announces ‘Carbuncle Cup’ shortlist

Our daily round-up of news from the art world

Shortlist revealed for Building Design’s ‘Carbuncle Cup’ | It’s that time of year again. Building Design (£) has revealed the six-strong shortlist for its annual ‘Carbuncle Cup’, an accolade that recognises Britain’s worst new building. Of the unlucky contenders this time round, three (Make’s new UBS headquarters at Broadgate, Rolfe Judd’s Saffron Square in Croydon, and Lincoln Plaza on the Isle of Dogs by BUJ Architects) are, unsurprisingly, located in London. However, the others (a new library for Sheffield University by Twelve Architects, Intelligent Design Centre’s extension for Poole Methodist Church and One Smithfield by RHWL Architects in Stoke-on-Trent) offer more than enough ugliness to give the capital a run for its money. The ‘winner’ will be announced on Wednesday.

Cécile Bernard named General Manager at Sotheby’s France | Drouot’s Cécile Bernard has been appointed to the post of General Manager at Sotheby’s France, the auction house announced earlier this week. Bernard, who joined Drouot last year, began her career at Christie’s Paris, where she spent 22 years before moving on. According to Mario Tavella, Sotheby’s head of European operations, her appointment is intended to ‘strengthen the development of Paris in liaison with Sotheby’s global strategy’.

Capability Brown gardens granted listed status | Two landscapes designed by Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown have been granted Grade-II listed status by Historic England, marking 300 years since the landscape artist’s birth. Stoke Place in Buckinghamshire and Peper Harow Park in Surrey have both been added to the National Heritage List, while seven other sites have been either relisted or given greater protection. For the full list, see here.

Recommended reading | The big museums are announcing their programmes for 2017, some of which have led to some raised eyebrows. In the Guardian, Jonathan Jones asks: should the V&A really be hosting a Pink Floyd show? Meanwhile in Le Monde, Michel Guerrin reports on the battle to up visitor numbers at French museums after last year’s terror attacks. (French language article.) ‘The drop in numbers is serious, and in terms of revenue it’s tragic,’ a museum director tells him. In the New York Times, Stephen Heyman investigates Syrian architect Marwa al-Sabouni’s theory that the Assad regime’s ‘thoughtless’ urban development schemes helped fan the flames of the country’s civil war. ‘Of course, I’m not saying that architecture is the only reason for war,’ she tells Heyman, ‘but in a very real way it accelerated and perpetuated the conflict.’