Our daily round-up of news from the art world
Bosnia’s National Museum Reopens | Sarajevo’s National Museum of Bosnia & Herzegovina (Zemaljski Muzej Bosne i Hercegovine) has reopened after a three-year closure. The museum – dubbed ‘the British Museum of the Balkans’ – is home to an estimated four million artefacts that reflect the region’s ethnic and religious diversity. Established in 1888, the museum experienced continual uncertainty over its funding following the Yugoslavian Civil War, and closed its doors indefinitely in 2012. Regional authorities have pledged financial support, and it can only be hoped that they deliver on it.
Zaha Hadid Abandons Tokyo Olympics Bid | Zaha Hadid, who recently resubmitted a proposal to design the main stadium for Tokyo’s 2020 Olympic Games, has abandoned her attempts to win back the commission. Hadid, whose initial, successful bid was dropped by the Japanese government due to cost concerns, was apparently forced to concede defeat due to difficulties finding a willing construction company, reports the Guardian.
Mecanoo Trumps Foster + Partners for NY Public Library Commission | In more positive architectural news, the New York Public Library has announced that Dutch firm Mecanoo is to take charge of its imminent renovation project. Egos will be punctured at the offices of UK firm Foster + Partners, whose ‘controversial’ proposal was abandoned last year.
Franz West Archive Sues Gagosian | The Vienna-based Archiv Franz West has filed a copyright lawsuit against the Gagosian Gallery, calling the works in an exhibition of the designer’s furniture at the gallery’s Upper East Side outpost an ‘unauthorised…version of West’s work’. There are, however, no plans to curtail the show’s two month run.
Glasgow International Festival Announces 2016 Programme | The line-up for next year’s Glasgow International Festival was revealed this morning in a press conference. Among the many events in the pipeline are commissions from Simon Starling and Sol Calero, and a group show at Tramway co-designed by Martin Boyce and featuring the work of Sheila Hicks and Amie Siegel. We’re excited.
Kunsthaus Zürich Receives the Knecht Collection on Long Term Loan| Much excitement in Zürich, where the Kunsthaus is to take in 50 17th-century Dutch and Flemish paintings from the Knecht collection on long term loan – possibly for a number of decades. The collection, which is currently featured in the Kunsthaus’s temporary exhibition, includes paintings by Brueghel the Elder, Adriaen Coorte and David Teniers.