Inverleith House saved from closure

Our daily round-up of news from the art world

Inverleith House saved from closure | Inverleith House in Edinburgh has confirmed that is to continue staging contemporary art exhibitions. The Art Newspaper, reports that it is likely to present two to three shows a year, as has previously been the case. The closure of the historic house, which is in the grounds of Edinburgh’s Royal Botanic Garden, and was the first home of Scotland’s National Gallery of Modern Art, was announced last October. More than 10,000 people to sign a petition to save it. The decision to keep it open was made after an expert panel urged the Royal Botanic Gardens to reconsider.

Jacobean ceiling torn down in Bristol | A 17th-century fresco that has been described as one of the best surviving examples in the country has been destroyed just days after Historic England received an urgent listing request for it. According to the Daily Telegraph, the fresco had occupied the ceiling of a house in Bristol’s Small Street conservation area, which is now being repurposed for student accommodation. Though a spokesperson for Historic England has confirmed the building’s developers were within their rights to tear down the ceiling, the body has said it is ‘saddened’ to hear of its deliberate destruction.

Laura Bartlett Gallery to close | Laura Bartlett Gallery in east London has announced that it is to close its doors after 12 years. Founded in 2005, the gallery has been a launchpad for a number of prominent contemporary artists, including Cyprien Gaillard, Marie Lund, and Sol Calero, all of whom staged their first solo gallery exhibitions there. Bartlett herself will continue to collaborate with artists as an advisor, and will also work on private and public commissions.

Haegue Yang wins 2018 Wolfgang Hahn Prize | Haegue Yang has been awarded the 2018 edition of the Museum Ludwig’s prestigious Wolfgang Hahn Prize (German language article). Museum director Yilmaz Dziemwior praised the ‘sensual quality’ of the South Korean-born artist’s work, comparing it to that of the Fluxus group. The prize, awarded annually since 1994, involves the museum acquiring a work or a series of works by the laureate. The prize ceremony will take place in April 2018.

Recommended reading | On the Hyperallergic blog, critic Rennie McDougall addresses the legacy of the combative critic Robert Hughes. In the Observer, Rowan Moore argues that architectural competitions in Britain are now weighted in favour of established practices, depriving newcomers of their opportunity to break through. And in the New Yorker, Ben Taub recounts the fascinating story of how a Houston art collector saved paintings by Matisse and Degas from the floodwaters left after Hurricane Harvey – in a plastic canoe.