World Monuments Fund gets $1 million for sites on 2018 watch list

Our daily round-up of news from the art world

World Monuments Fund gets $1 million for sites on 2018 watch list | The financial services corporation American Express (Amex) has awarded $1 million to the World Monuments Fund for the preservation of sites on this year’s World Monuments Watch list of endangered cultural heritage sites. Amex is a founding sponsor of the biennial World Monuments Watch, which in its latest iteration selected 25 sites in need of conservation or protection. The eight sites that will be the recipients of the funding announced today include the Potager du Roi at Versailles in France; the Blackpool piers in the UK; and the Monte Albán archaeological site in Oaxaca, Mexico.

Musée Rodin considers outpost in China | The Musée Rodin in Paris is considering opening a new outpost in China, Artnet reports (via China Daily). It is reported that the French museum’s director Catherine Chevillot has visited a number of potential locations, and this weekend held a meeting with Chinese museum directors, academics and artists where she  stated that a final decision on the site would be made after meeting with France’s culture ministry.

Italian judge rules that Getty bronze belongs in Italy | In a ruling issued on 8 June, an Italian judge rejected the J. Paul Getty Museum’s appeal against the order that the Greek bronze sculpture known as the Victorious Youth be restituted to Italy. The Getty Museum purchased the work for $3.95 million in 1977, and throughout the long-running case has maintained that the sale was legitimate, stating ‘the statue was found in international waters in 1964’ and ‘has only a fleeting and incidental connection with Italy’.

Shane Campbell Gallery sues Frieze art fair | Last week Frieze announced that it would offer a 10 per cent refund to galleries that participated in its 2018 New York edition and were affected by a heat wave during the fair. On Friday, Shane Campbell Gallery filed a lawsuit against the fair, accusing Frieze of gross negligence resulting in ‘substantial financial losses’ for the gallery and seeking a full reimbursement of its exhibitor’s fees.

Miriam Escofet wins the 2018 BP portrait award | The London-based painter Miriam Escofet has won the £35,000 BP portrait award with a depiction of her mother drinking tea. The work was described by judge Rosie Millard as ‘very sensitive’ with ‘a surreal quality’. The prize comes with a £7,000 commission and was presented to Escofet by the actor and model Lily Cole at the National Portrait Gallery on Monday evening.