Melbourne to get major new contemporary art museum

Our daily round-up of news from the art world

New contemporary art museum planned for Melbourne | The government of the state of Victoria and the National Gallery of Victoria have announced plans to build Australia’s largest contemporary art gallery. According to the Art Newspaper, NGV Contemporary (as the planned museum is currently known) will be constructed on a site in Melbourne’s arts precinct that is currently home to a six storey, 61,000 sq m office building. The museum will allow the National Gallery of Victoria to display contemporary works of art in its collection, also hosting major temporary exhibitions. The state government is set to invest A$208m into the project over the next two years, sourcing additional funding through philanthropic initiatives.

Kasmin to open new space in New York | The Kasmin gallery has announced that it is to open its fourth space in Manhattan’s Chelsea district, located at 509 W 27th St. Designed by studioMDA, the new gallery will feature a rooftop sculpture garden situated adjacent to the High Line that will provide an extra 5,000 sq ft of outdoor space. The gallery will open in October with an exhibition of new paintings by Walton Ford and an outdoor installation of Joel Shapiro sculptures.

Lyndel King to leave Weisman Art Museum after 40 years | Lyndel King is to step down in 2020 as director of the University of Minnesota’s Weisman Art Museum after nearly four decades in the role. Weisman joined the museum in 1978 and took over as director three years later. Since then, she has presided over the institution’s move to a larger space designed by Frank Gehry in 1993 and overseen more than 200 exhibitions.

Frieze offers partial refund to exhibitors affected by excessive heat of New York fair | Frieze has offered a 10 per cent refund to galleries that participated in its 2018 New York edition, reports ArtNet. The fair was compromised by unseasonably hot weather, which made conditions inside its custom built tent on Randall’s Island uncomfortable. In the days that followed, some commentators suggested that high temperatures dissuaded collectors from visiting the fair.

Sarah Needham appointed director of Hill Art Foundation | J. Tomilson Hill has appointed Sarah Needham director of his soon-to-open public exhibition space in New York, reports Art News. Needham was previously a programme officer at the philanthropic Stavros Niarchos Foundation and will bring her knowledge of arts education to bear in her new role. The Hill Foundation space is set to launch in November with an exhibition of Christopher Wool paintings.