Christoph Büchel exhibition cancelled in Düsseldorf

Our daily round-up of news from the art world

Christoph Büchel exhibition at K21 axed | A planned exhibition by the Swiss conceptual artist Christoph Büchel at Düsseldorf’s K21 museum has been cancelled after organisers deemed it ‘too complex’ to mount, reports The Art Newspaper. Büchel reportedly planned to install an entire supermarket within the show, as well as beds that visitors would have been permitted to sleep in. This, according to organisers, was not the catalyst for the last-minute cancellation (the show was due to open on 9 September): ‘the reason is that Büchel’s ideas became more and more complicated and complex,’ said a spokesperson for the museum. It’s not the first time Büchel’s work has been axed at the last minute: his controversial installation at last year’s Venice Biennale, which temporarily converted a deconsecrated church into a mosque, was brought to an early close after just two weeks.

Tate reveals BP sponsorship figures for 2007–11 | The Tate group has revealed details of its sponsorship arrangements with BP for the years 2007–11, following an order from the Information Tribunal on 26 July. The figures show that BP paid Tate £350,000 per year, except for in 2010, when Tate received £1.1 million from the company. A spokesperson for the pressure group Platform has described the sums involved as ‘paltry’, claiming that the payments represented ‘less than 0.5 per cent of Tate’s income’. The current sponsorship deal expires in 2017, and it is understood that it will not be renewed. According to the Guardian, Tate has declined to comment further.

Anselm Kiefer’s studio burgled | On Saturday night, thieves broke into the studio of German artist Anselm Kiefer just outside Paris and made off with material from one of his sculptures, reports Le Parisien. (French language article.) According to the report, the thieves appropriated 10 tonnes of lead and 12 tonnes of marble before fleeing when they were seen by a security guard. According to Le Monde, two women of Romanian nationality have since been arrested in connection with the burglary. (French language article.)

Hartog dish to return to Australia after 400 years | A pewter plate nailed to a tree almost 400 years ago in what is now Western Australia is set to return to the country for an exhibition. The engraved plate, which was left by the Dutch explorer Dirk Hartog in 1616, is believed to be the oldest object left on the continent by Europeans. The object, which is usually held at the Rijksmuseum, has been loaned to Perth’s Western Australian Maritime Museum for its forthcoming ‘Accidental Encounters’ exhibition, which will commemorate Hartog’s visit.