Getty Trust creates $10m fund for arts organisations in Los Angeles

Our daily round-up of news from the art world 

Getty Trust creates $10m fund for arts organisations in Los Angeles | The J. Paul Getty Trust in Los Angeles has announced that it is establishing a fund of $10m to help arts organisations in Los Angeles County that have been affected by Covid-19. The fund, which is to be administered by the California Community Foundation, will be available to small and medium-sized non-profit museums and other arts organisations in the region; grants are expected to range from $25,000 to $200,000.

Royal Albert in Exeter looks set to restitute Canadian objects | The Royal Albert Memorial Museum (RAMM) in Exeter is reportedly about to return a set of sacred artefacts to the descendants of a chief of the Blackfoot Nation in Canada, from whom they were acquired in the 19th century. The objects, which include a buckskin shirt and leggings and a deer-hide necklace strung with the claws of a grizzly bear, have been the subject of a restitution claim from a cultural centre in Blackfoot for several years.

La Biennale Paris to sign up for government funding bailout | La Biennale Paris has announced that it is making use of a bailout package provided by the French treasury, to exempt dealers scheduled to participate in the fair in September from their usual advance payments, asking them instead to pay in instalments over the four months after the fair. The scheme offers up to €300bn in credit guarantees to businesses affected by Covid-19.

Christie’s follows Sotheby’s in announcing staff furloughs | Christie’s has announced cost-cutting measures, including laying off temporary outside contractors based in Europe, and a voluntary salary sacrifice for high-earning employees. The news comes after Sotheby’s told staff of planned redundancies and furloughs yesterday (2 April).

Recommended reading | In Frieze, Thomas McMullan considers whether virtual exhibitions are anything more than a short-term solution for the art world. In the New York Times, Cara Giaimo talks to the medical illustrators behind the now-ubiquitous image of the Covid-19 organism.