German artists protest arms manufacturer’s sponsorship of exhibition in China

Our daily round-up of news from the art world

German artists protest exhibition’s links to arms manufacturers | Six of 55 artists featured in a showcase of German art held across seven venues in Beijing have protested the exhibition’s sponsorship arrangements with arms manufacturer Rheinmetall. According to Art Asia Pacific, artists including Hito Steyerl, Rosemarie Trockel and Marcel Odenbach wrote to the co-curator of ‘Deutschland 8: German Art in China’ to protest the commercial link. The artists claim that subsidiaries of Rheinmetall have supplied weaponry that has subsequently been ‘deployed in actual war zones such as Yemen’.

Manhattan District Attorney rules that antiquity seized in New York should be returned to Lebanon | A senior official in the office of the Manhattan District Attorney has said that an ancient marble effigy of a bull’s head that was seized two months ago while on loan to the Metropolitan Museum of Art should be returned to Lebanon. According to ArtNet, officials believe that the effigy – itself the subject of an ongoing dispute between two American collectors and the Lebanese government – is ‘stolen property’, and should thus be repatriated. The collectors argue that the statute of limitations for any claim has long since expired.

Horniman Museum launches crowdfunding campaign to support major renovation | The Horniman Museum in south London has launched a crowdfunding campaign to bolster support for the £4.6m renovation of its South Galleries. The campaign aims to raise £30,000 in addition to the funds already raised from bodies including the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Foyle Foundation and the Pilgrim Trust.

Thessaloniki biennale to go ahead despite budget cuts | The Art Newspaper reports that Greece’s Thessaloniki biennale exhibition is to open as planned this month despite severe budget restrictions. The show, which features the work of some 75 international artists spread over four venues, has been organised with just 20 per cent of the funding available to previous editions.

Gavin Brown’s Enterprise to host fundraiser for Puerto Rico | New York gallery Gavin Brown’s Enterprise is to host a series of events on Thursday aimed at raising funds to aid with relief efforts on Puerto Rico, after the US territory was hit by a Category Five hurricane last week. Visitors will be asked to donate a minimum of $100 in order to ‘pool together resources to rebuild the island as soon as possible’.