Getty grants $1.3 million for conservation of Modernist landmarks

Our daily round-up of news from the art world

Getty puts up $1.3 million to conserve Modernist masterpieces | The Getty Foundation has announced that it is contributing around $1.3 million in grants intended for the conservation of nine landmark Modernist buildings, as part of its ‘Keeping it Modern’ initiative. This year’s list has a truly global reach, spanning four continents. The structures include Sir Frederick Gibberd’s Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral, Eileen Gray’s Villa E-1027 on the Côte d’Azur, France, Gevorg Kochar and Mikael Mazmanyan’s Sevan Writers’ Resort outside Yerevan, Armenia, and Nickson and Bory’s Children’s Library in Accra, Ghana.

Archaeologists discover probable ‘Dark Ages palace’ in Cornwall | Archaeologists working on an English Heritage funded project near Tintagel, Cornwall, have discovered what they believe may have been the site of a Dark Ages palace. The dig has unearthed what appear to be walls at least a metre thick, probably dating from the 5th or 6th century AD. According to the Independent, it is ‘likely’ that the structure was once the main residence of the rulers of the ancient kingdom of Dumnonia.

Developer withdraws appeal in victory for Shepherd’s Bush Market campaigners | Plans for a residential development on the site of the historic Shepherd’s Bush Market in west London have now been conclusively scrapped. In March, a compulsory purchase order was quashed by the UK’s Court of Appeal. The freeholder applied to appeal to the Supreme Court against the ruling, but has now dropped its challenge. The victory for heritage campaigners and market traders comes after a long and complex legal battle over the site’s future. Plans must now be made for a ‘sympathetic regeneration’ of the market, allowing it to retain its architectural character.

Ronald Lauder voices doubt over provenance of a work in the Neue Galerie collection | Following efforts to address the provenance of works in the Neue Galerie collection, the gallery’s founder and Commission for Art Recovery chairman Ronald Lauder has said that a ‘major work’ at the museum may have a ‘clouded’ history, says the New York Times. Though the work in question has not yet been named, Agnes Peresztegi, a Paris based lawyer working on behalf of Lauder, has stated that the museum is ‘in the process of evaluating the provenance information of an artwork, and discussion about restitution is currently ongoing’.

Alan Cristea to relocate to Pall Mall | London’s Alan Cristea Gallery is to move from its long-term home on Mayfair’s Cork Street to new premises on Pall Mall. The new space will launch with an exhibition of new works on paper by Howard Hodgkin when it opens in October.