David Koloane (1938–2019)

Our daily round-up of news from the art world

David Koloane (1938–2019) | The South African artist David Koloane has died at the age of 81. Born in the township of Alexandra in 1938, Koloane became known for his figurative paintings as well as his writing and curating during and after the apartheid. His work was exhibited internationally and in 2013 he was part of the South African pavilion at the Venice Biennale. In 1977, Koloane opened the first space dedicated to black artists in Johannesburg and in 1991 he co-founded the Bag Factory Artists’ Studios, which still offers studio spaces to black artists. He was also a teacher and headed the fine art section of the Federated Union of Black Artists. As a curator he produced a mini-exhibition on South African art for the ‘Seven Stories About Modern Art in Africa’ exhibition at the Whitechapel Gallery in 1995.

Nan Goldin leads protest against Sackler wing at Louvre | American photographer Nan Goldin led a protest against the Sackler wing at the Louvre in Paris yesterday. Joined by some 15 activists from her campaign group Pain, which was set up to address the opioid crisis, Goldin called for the museum to rename the wing because of the Sackler family’s connections to the prescription drug Oxycontin. The Louvre has confirmed that the protest took place but declined to comment further. 

Bartomeu Marí named executive director of Museo de Arte de Lima | Bartomeu Marí has been named the new executive director of the Museum de Arte de Lima in Peru. In the past Marí has directed several institutions including the Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art in Rotterdam, the Museum of Contemporary Art of Barcelona and, most recently, the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art of the Republic of Korea from 2016 to 2018. 

Heidi Zuckerman to step down as director of Aspen Art Museum | Heidi Zuckerman will step down as the CEO and director of the Aspen Art Museum in Colorado after 14 years in the role. She leaves the museum in September, but the reasons for her departure have not been announced.