Art news daily: 20 December

Our daily round-up of news from the art world

Syd’s coffee stall to go on display at the Museum of London | Syd’s coffee stall, which was opened in Shoreditch by Sydney Edward Tothill in March 1919, is closing today after 100 years of business – but is set to go on display as part of the collection of the Museum of London when the institution reopens in Smithfield in 2024. The mahogany structure, which includes brass fittings and etched glass, was custom-made by a local coachbuilder. The East End landmark has been run by Syd’s granddaughter Jane Tothill for the past 30 years.

Artgenève to expand with two new Moscow fairs | The Swiss fair artgenève is planning to expand in the spring with two new biennial fairs in Russia. The inaugural artmoscow/curated will open at the Schusev State Museum of Architecture in May 2020 with the theme of ‘Flowing State’, and in 2021 the company will debut the larger, more traditionally formatted artmoscow.

Thomas Hart Benton heirs sue Kansas City bank for estate mismanagement | The heirs of the American painter and muralist Thomas Hart Benton, who died in 1975, filed a lawsuit in the Circuit Court of Jackson County, Missouri on Tuesday, accusing UMB Bank in Kansas City of mismanagement of the artist’s estate – including the loss of some 100 of his works. The suit also claims that the bank stored works in inadequate conditions, resulting in damage, and sold property for below market value. The family is now seeking UMB Bank’s removal as a trustee of the Benton estate, as well as unspecified damages and a court order voiding all sales unauthorised by the family. A statement by UMB Bank president and chief executive Jim Rine describes the allegations as ‘misguided’, adding that ‘we take our role as a trustee for art and other assets seriously’.

Art News Daily will return on 2 January 2020