Art news daily: 8 October | Apollo Magazine

Our daily round-up of news from the art world

Art UK initiative uncovers Van Dyck portrait in Liverpool’s Walker Art Gallery | The Infanta Isabella Clara Eugenia, a 17th-century portrait attributed to the studio of Anthony van Dyck, has been found to be an autograph work by the Flemish painter, with minimal studio assistance. The discovery is thanks to sleuthing on Art Detectives, Art UK’s online forum frequented by experts and academics as well as members of the general public, following the suggestion of art dealer Fergus Hall. The work was authenticated by Van Dyck expert Susan J. Barnes, who described it as a ‘compelling likeness of the Archduchess [Isabella Clara Eugenia]’; it is the only Van Dyck in the Walker Art Gallery’s collection.

Musée Rodin to open China outpost | The Musée Rodin in Paris has revealed plans to open a satellite museum in Shenzen. Through the partnership with China, a new site will be built over the next two or three years and will house more 100 works by the French sculptor, some sold and some on loan from the Paris institution.

Desert X board members resign over planned collaboration with Saudi government | Three board members of the Coachella Valley-based sculpture biennial Desert X – artist Ed Ruscha, art historian Yael Lipschutz, and philanthropist Tristan Milanovich – have resigned over the decision to mount an exhibition funded by the government of Saudi Arabia. The exhibition, scheduled for 2020, will be held in the AlUla desert, home to the Al-Hijr archaeological site, a UNESCO World Heritage property. Lipschutz described the project as ‘completely unethical’, citing the Saudi government’s record in Yemen and discrimination against the LGBTQ community.

Artist and landscape architect Walter Hood wins $250,000 Gish prize | After winning the MacArthur Foundation ‘genius’ grant earlier this year, landscape architect Walter Hood has been awarded the annual Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize, a $250,000 grant for US-based artists across disciplines. ‘My work is not always about beauty,’ Hood told ARTnews in an interview. ‘It’s about getting people to understand the complexity of spaces, particularly American civic spaces.’