Lawrence Weiner wins Aspen Award for Art

Our daily round-up of news from the art world

Lawrence Weiner wins Aspen Award for Art | Conceptual art pioneer Lawrence Weiner has been announced as the 2017 Aspen Award for Art honouree. The American artist is known for his site-specific language-based installations that explore society, politics and art. The award, given in recognition of Weiner’s ‘exemplary’ contribution to the arts, will be presented at the Aspen Art Museum’s annual fundraising event in August, ArtReview reports. Previous winners of the award, which was established in 2005, include heavyweights such as Richard Tuttle, Ed Ruscha and Roni Horn.

Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center handed over to Greek state | The Greek state has assumed control of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center following an official ceremony. The Renzo Piano-designed centre opened in Athens in June 2016, and the handover takes place amid concerns regarding the state’s capacity to ensure its proper maintenance. The foundation has, however, announced that it will continue to provide financial support, with Greek prime minister Alexis Tsipras welcoming a ‘generous donation’ of €617 million at yesterday’s public ceremony.

Congressman files lawsuit over removal of Ferguson protest painting from US Capitol | Missouri congressman William Lacy Clay has sued the Architect of the Capitol over the removal of a student artwork from an exhibition at the US Capitol, the Washington Post reports. The painting at the centre of the ongoing dispute was inspired by the protests and riots that took place in Ferguson in response to the shooting of an unarmed black teenager in 2014. Congressman Clay has stated that the removal of the work, painted by Missouri student David Pulphus, violates Pulphus’s right to free speech, adding that ‘[t]his case is truly about something much bigger than a student’s painting. It is about defending our fundamental First Amendment freedoms which are currently under assault in this country.’

Courtney J. Martin named as Dia Art Foundation’s new deputy director | New York’s Dia Art Foundation yesterday announced the appointment of Courtney J. Martin, an assistant professor at Brown University and a specialist in 20th-century British art, as the foundation’s new deputy director and chief curator. Martin is to replace James Meyer, who leaves the post after less than two years and will now serve as Dia’s curatorial and academic advisor.