Property developer ordered to rebuild historic London pub

Our daily round-up of news from the art world

Property developer ordered to rebuild London pub ‘brick by brick’ | Westminster City Council has ordered property developer CLTX to rebuild a pub in west London that the latter had demolished illegally in April 2015. The developer had been refused permission to turn the Carlton Tavern in Maida Vale into flats, but continued regardless. The 1920s building, which was being considered for Grade II listing at the time of demolition, was destroyed with no prior warning, no approval, and no proper health and safety procedures in place, according to the council. CLTX’s appeal against Westminster’s enforcement order has now been dismissed, and the developer has two years to rebuild the Carlton Tavern in a style as close to the original as possible. For more on the subject, read Gavin Stamp’s piece on the lamentable loss of Britain’s pubs here.

Mayor of London blocks extra funding for ‘Garden Bridge’ | London mayor Sadiq Khan has called a halt to preparatory work on the proposed Garden Bridge, reports the Architects’ Journal. Khan, who has stated his support for the project, provided no more public money is put towards it, has halted preparations taking place on the north bank of the river, which would require extra funding from the public purse. The mayor has suspended work so that the financial implications can be examined by Transport for London’s finance and policy committee. Last month, the National Audit Office announced that it was launching an investigation into £30 million of public funds set aside for the project by the Department for Transport. What this means for the controversial project’s future is as yet unclear, but Khan appears markedly less enthusiastic towards it than previous mayor Boris Johnson.

Iranian artist reportedly accused of ‘spreading public anxiety’ | Parviz Tanavoli, the artist who was barred from travelling to London by Iranian authorities last week, has told The Art Newspaper that he is now facing criminal charges. ‘Yes, I am accused by the police,’ he wrote in an email to TAN. ‘The accusations are that my art is based on ‘spreading the falsehood’ and ‘creating public anxiety’. On 10 July I went to court with my lawyer and I was given the above allegations.’ If found guilty, Tanavoli faces a fine or even imprisonment.

Helena Newman appointed chairman of Sotheby’s Europe | Helena Newman, co-Head worldwide of Impressionist & Modern Art at Sotheby’s, has been appointed as Chairman of the auction house’s European operation. Newman, who has worked for Sotheby’s since 1988, will be responsible for directing business strategy and consignment across Europe, as well as nurturing and improving client relationships. In addition to her new role, she will continue her duties with the auction house’s Impressionist & Modern department.

Eric Shiner to join Sotheby’s | Andy Warhol Museum director Eric Shiner is to step down from the Pittsburgh institution to join Sotheby’s as Senior Vice President of the new Division of Fine Art, with a focus on private sales. Shiner, who has been at the helm of the Warhol Museum since 2008, has described the move from museum to auction house as a ‘natural transition’: ‘There’s much more porosity in the art world now between the market, the collector base, galleries and the nonprofit world of museums,’ he said.