Paul Taylor (1930–2018)

Paul Taylor (1930–2018) | The dancer and choreographer Paul Taylor has died at the age of 88, marking the end of an era in modern dance. Taylor was a founding member of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company in 1953 and joined Martha Graham’s company two years later. He stayed for seven years, famously playing Aegisthus to Graham’s Clytemnestra in the work of that name. During much of the same period he ran a small dance company of his own, with members including, at various points, Pina Bausch and Twyla Tharp. Robert Rauschenberg designed the sets for several of his works (and John Cage composed a couple of scores); from 1960 onwards, Taylor collaborated with Alex Katz on several projects. He retired from dancing in 1974 to concentrate on choreography and went on to create some of his best-known works, such as Esplanade (1975). Alistair Macaulay has written an obituary of Paul Taylor in the New York Times.

MacKenzie Art Gallery in Canada receives $25 million endowment | The Mackenzie Art Gallery in Regina, the capital of Canadian province Saskatchewan,  has received an endowment via the South Saskatchewan Community Foundation (SSCF) of $25 million (CAD) from an ‘anonymous donor’, making it the largest donation in the museum’s history. Shortly, after the museum received another six-figure donation from the local collector, philanthropist and long time supporter of the Mackenzie, Lyn Goldman. Executive Director and CEO, Anthony Kiendl told Art News that funding will go towards expanding the museum’s exhibitions, programs and acquisitions, especially its collection of Indigenous and Native American art, ahead of its 70th anniversary in 2023.

Non-profit art gallery evicted in Jerusalem | Barbur Gallery in Jerusalem, Israel, a municipality-owned gallery has received a court-eviction, sparking controversy that reasons for its closure were politically motivated, reports The Times of Israel. According to a statement from the gallery, the Jerusalem municipality has been trying to shut the gallery down, by ‘illegally’ delaying and preventing gallery funding, inducing a ‘budget crisis’. The judge’s approval for closure comes after the city’s previous attempts to squash a gallery event organised by the Israeli-Palestinian Bereaved Families Forum and the Combatants for Peace movement.

ICA Los Angeles announces new board members  | The Institute of Contemporary Arts, Los Angeles has announced the appointment of three new board members, including the artist Andrea Fraser and Berry Stein and the film producer Joel Lubin.  Fraser’s most recent book is a study of the political donations made by museum trustees in the US.

Recommended Reading | Ben Eastham reviews the 12th Edition of Manifesta in Art Review | For The Art Newspaper, Martin Bailey writes abotu the artwork that inspired Julian Schnabel’s new film about Van Gogh | and Alice Neel is interviewed about her ‘East Harlem Portraits’ in the Paris Review