Art news daily: 24 August | Apollo Magazine

Our daily round-up of news from the art world

Spain passes decree to remove Franco’s remains from Valley of the Fallen | The Spanish government has passed a decree to exhume the remains of Francisco Franco from the Valley of the Fallen mausoleum near Madrid, the Guardian reports. The monumental mausoleum was conceived by the former dictator to honour and bury the dead of the Spanish civil war. His own remains have been buried there since his death in 1975, and critics argue that the mausoleum, distinguished by a 152-metre high cross, is a monument to the fascist leader and an insult to those who suffered at the hands of his regime.

Krishna Reddy (1925–2018) | The Indian printmaker, sculptor and art educator Krishna Reddy has died at the age of 93. A key figure in the network of post-war Indian modernists, Reddy – who studied at the Slade in the 1940s before moving to Paris and later New York – is known for his experimental techniques that introduced sculptural elements into printmaking. For an appraisal of Reddy’s life and work, read Dhamini Ratnam’s obituary in the Hindustan Times.

Recommending reading | In the Paris Review, Claire Vaye Watkins argues for the continuing relevance of land art; her words are accompanied by a photo essay by Charlotte Strick. Meanwhile, Trevor Paglen has been criticised by astronomers for the ‘space art’ sculpture, entitled Orbital Reflector, that the artist intends to send into orbit for a period of three months. For Gizmodo, George Dvorsky cites scientists including astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell, who described the work as ‘the space equivalent of someone putting a neon advertising billboard right outside your bedroom window’. Responding via email to Artnet, Paglen asks: ‘Why is Orbital Reflector specifically more problematic than the hundreds of other satellites and rocket bodies launched each year?’

Art News Daily will return on 28 August, owing to the UK bank holiday on Monday.