Art Outlook: 20 November

Some of the stories and discussions we’ve spotted online this week

Five visual artists win Paul Hamlyn Foundation Awards

Bonnie Camplin, Michael Dean, Rosalind Nashashibi, Katrina Palmer and James Richards have been named as the five recipients of this year’s Paul Hamlyn Foundation’s Visual Arts Awards. They each receive £50,000 spread over three years to use as they please, no strings attached.

Whitney Museum of Art to open its new building in May

New York’s Whitney Museum of Art will reopen at its new downtown home on 1 May 2015. The new building, designed by Renzo Piano, has twice the exhibition space of its current location, allowing for more of the permanent collection to be displayed alongside temporary projects. Jack Orlik took a hard-hat tour of the site earlier this year.

Union attempts to prevent Imperial War Museum library closure

The union Prospect is calling for parliamentary scrutiny of the IWM’s proposal to close its library in London. Major government funding cuts have forced the institution to rethink its operations across its five UK sites. A petition against the closure has so far achieved some 8,500 signatures.

Georgia O’Keeffe smashes female artist auction record

Jimson Weed, White Flower No. 1 sold for $44.4 million at Sotheby’s this week, making Georgia O’Keeffe the highest-selling female artist at auction by a long, long way.

Prince’s Drawing School gets an upgrade

The Prince’s Drawing School has been granted royal status by the Queen, changing its name to the Royal Drawing School. The school was founded by the Prince of Wales in 2000, and offers tuition in observational drawing. It’s the first time an institution has received the title in almost 60 years.

What should be done with Gurlitt’s collection?

The Kunstmuseum Bern will soon announce what it intends to do with Cornelius Gurlitt’s infamous collection of art. Not long ago, Ronald Lauder of the World Jewish Congress warned the museum against keeping the works (see Art Outlook, 6 November). Now, in an interview with The Art Newspaper, Alfred Weidinger of the Belvedere in Vienna has suggested that the whole collection should be auctioned to benefit Jewish organisations.