David Goldblatt (1930–2018)

Our daily round-up of news from the art world

David Goldblatt (1930–2018) | The photographer David Goldblatt has died at the age of 87, his gallery announced today. Born near Johannesburg in 1930, Goldblatt began taking photographs in 1948. Working almost entirely in black and white, chronicled the institutional injustices of Apartheid-era South Africa and documented communities from all walks of life and racial backgrounds. After the end of Apartheid, Goldblatt continued to explore and expose tensions and injustices across the country. Earlier this year, a major retrospective of his work was held at the Centre Pompidou in Paris, for which Goldblatt himself provided commentary and the text for captions.

Chagall back on view at National Gallery of Canada | A painting by Marc Chagall that sparked a nationwide controversy when it was almost deaccessioned earlier this year has returned to display at the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa. The Art Newspaper reports that artist’s Eiffel Tower (1929) went back on permanent display on Saturday, having initially been removed when the gallery announced plans to sell it. The proposed sale was intended to finance the acquisition of a painting by Jacques-Louis David.

Gallery owner arrested after OxyContin protest | Gallery owner Fernando Luis Alvarez has been arrested for his part in installing a large steel sculpture of a burnt heroin spoon outside the Connecticut headquarters of pharmaceuticals company Purdue Pharma, reports the New York Times. Working with the sculptor Domenic Esposito, is taking part in an exhibition called ‘Opioid: Express Yourself’, currently at the Alvarez Gallery, Fernando Luis Alvarez is said to have intended the installation as a gesture of protest against Purdue’s role in the production of the opioid OxyContin.

Tania Coen-Uzzielli appointed director of Tel Aviv Museum of Art | Tania Coen-Uzzielli has been named as the next director of the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, the institution confirmed last week. Coen-Uzzielli, who is currently head of curatorial services at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, will replace Suzanne Landau, who will retire at the end of the year after six years at the head of the museum.