Art news daily: 12 December

Our daily round-up of news from the art world

Kaywin Feldman named first female director of National Gallery of Art in Washington | Kaywin Feldman has been named the fifth director of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., and the first woman to be chosen since its foundation 77 years ago. Feldman, who will replace the current director Earl A. Powell III when he retires early next year, has been director and president of the Minneapolis Institute of Art since 2008. Feldman has written for Apollo about the role of museums and museum leadership in upholding liberal values during difficult times. She is well placed to meet the challenges that await at the National Gallery of Art, among them sexual harassment claims, outdated digital strategy, and stagnating attendance figures.

Julie Finch to direct Compton Verney Art Gallery | Compton Verney has appointed Julie Finch as its new director, the gallery announced today. Finch, who has served as CEO of the Cheltenham Trust since 2014, will replace Steven Parissien, who stepped down last month. Previously she was project director at Perth’s Western Australia Museum and director of Bristol Museums, Galleries and Archives Services. She joins Compton Verney in April 2019.

Leonor Antunes wins Zurich Art Prize 2019 | The Portuguese artist Leonor Antunes has won the Zurich Art Prize 2019, it was announced yesterday in a press release. Antunes won for her large-scale installations and will receive an award of CHF 100,000 from the Zurich Insurance Group. An exhibition of Antunes’ work will take place at the Museum Haus Konstruktiv in October 2019.

Anonymous Was a Woman 2018 grants awarded to 10 female artists | Anonymous Was a Woman has named the 10 recipients of its 2018 grants for women artists over the age of 40. The donor behind the grants, each $25,000, had remained anonymous since 1996, but this year revealed herself as Susan Unterberg in The New York Times. A full list of the 2018 winners can be found on ARTnews.