Weekend roundup

The news of the weekend broke late Friday: The University of Iowa regents unexpectedly released the University of Iowa Museum of Art's assessment of its famed 1943 Jackson Pollock, Mural. The evaluation reveals that in 2007 Sotheby's guaranteed UIMA $150 million if it could auction off the painting, a shameful bit of unseemly predatory behavior. The Los Angeles Times' Christopher Knight called the offer "shocking."

(Reminder: The University of Iowa regents are only looking at the value of the Pollock when it comes to considering its flood-related costs. They have not evaluated the worth of UI's science labs/facilities, the books in its library or its medical research facilities for possible sale.)

The UIMA report inadvertently makes the case for a legislative re-evaluation of auction house behavior: The New York state legislature should make it illegal for auction houses (and dealers) to approach non-profits with the purpose of encouraging them to violate the basis of their tax exemptions. Such legislation should extend to keeping predatory auctioneers from targeting not just 501(c)3s, but related institutions, such as universities and their art museums. (UIMA is not a separate, independent (c)3. Perhaps it should study becoming one.)

UPDATE, 10/6/08: Sotheby's disputes that the auction house was the protagonist; would not specifically address the Beckmann. If Sotheby's responded to solicitation from UIMA regarding all paintings, Sotheby's has not been acting in a predatory fashion, as I said in this post earlier today. UPDATE, 10/7/08: UIMA corrects itself, says that it made initial contact with Sotheby's on the Pollock. Still waiting for information on the Beckmann, etc. UIMA stands by its report regarding Sotheby's and the Beckmann and other pieces.

In a related story, this is the biggest art world news story of the last couple months. The Wall Street Journal, the LAT and Time have all covered it. Bringing up the rear: The Des Moines Register and, of course, the pathetically oblivious New York Times, which seemingly runs only art-news items first leaked to its staff. (Meanwhile, from NYT 'Weekend' editor Jan Benzel last week.: "I mean, don't you want to know how Daniel Radcliffe spends his time between 'Harry Potter' shoots? I certainly do.")

• Robert L. Pincus examines director Hugh Davies' tenure at MCASD via acquisitions. Unfortunately Pincus opens the piece with the most misunderstood quote in 20thC art history.
• I dig the lede of Richard Lacayo's story on Renzo Piano's new California Academy of Sciences. (It's in Golden Gate Park, across from the de Young.)
  
• The Minneapolis Star Tribune does all it can to screw up a neat Linda Mack story about the last building Eliel Saarinen designed before his death: Minneapolis' Christ Church Lutheran: In cutlines it gets the name of the architect wrong, and it cuts the story off a third of the way through. So a little link jujitsu: Here's a full version of the story, here's the slideshow.
• In the Village Voice, Ben Davis reviews a Bronx Museum show in which artists respond to failed urbanity.
• In the NYT, Dorothy Spears on Mary Heilmann as the new 'hero' artist: No macho, just a painter who perseveres.
  
• I Twittered myself into a political pundit, and the Minnesota Indy picked up my explaining the similarity between Sarah Palin and Matthew Barney.
• Via Jen Graves, this is cool.