David Hockney to Return to Royal Academy in 2016

Our daily round-up of news from the art world

Royal Academy Reveals 2016 Exhibition Programme | The Royal Academy of Arts has announced its 2016 exhibition programme. An exhibition devoted to Abstract Expressionism – the first major show UK devoted to the movement in over 50 years – will take place next September, while the Sackler Wing of Galleries will host a show of new paintings by David Hockney in the summer. Hockney’s last major exhibition at the RA was only three years ago – a rather short turnaround in museum terms.

Archaeological Find Suggests Ancient Rome ‘Far Bigger’ than Previously Thought | Not to be outdone by last week’s ‘Mona Lisa’ discovery in Florence, The Eternal City has offered up secrets of its own. Archaeologists working on a dig beneath Rome’s Palazzo Canevari have discovered the remains of a house thought to date from the 6th century BC, reports The Art Newspaper. The find suggests that Ancient Rome’s residential quarter was not entirely concentrated around the forum, as previously thought.

Manifesta Reveals Details for 11th Edition | In Zurich, preparations for Europe’s Manifesta contemporary art biennale are gathering pace. Manifesta 11, which will take place next summer, is under the curatorial direction of Christian Jankowski – the first artist ever to be named in the position. The centrepiece of the event will be the ‘Pavillon of Reflections’, a floating platform on Lake Zurich. Let’s hope it’s as buoyant as the organisers’ spirits.

Dia Foundation Drops Plans for Chelsea Space | Sometimes, it pays to stay put. The director of New York’s Dia Foundation has told The Art Newspaper that longstanding plans to establish a new space in Manhattan’s Chelsea district have been abandoned. Jessica Morgan, who took the helm at Dia in January, is ‘not pursuing’ the plans mooted by her predecessor.

Theaster Gates to ‘Amplify’ Bristol | Theaster Gates has recruited hundreds of local musicians, artists and public speakers to fill a bombed-out church in Bristol with what the artist describes as a ‘continuous programme of performance’. Gates’s Sanctum project is an attempt to ‘amplify’ the city. Bristolians hoping for a quiet night in between 29 October and 21 November may wish to book a last minute holiday…

Leonid Nikolayev (1984–2015) | Russian artist and activist Leonid Nikolayev has died aged 31. Nikolayev, who was a principle member of the anti-establishment Voina collective (famous for its links to the band Pussy Riot), was reportedly killed in a timber cutting accident.