Galerie’s Weekly Art and Design Industry News Brief

Here are this week’s must-read news stories in the fields of art and design.

??? ? ??? ? ?? [??? ? (?))] + ?? [???(? − ?(?(?)))], Portrait of Edmond de Belamy, by Obvious Art. The painting shattered expectations when it sold for $432,500 at Christie’s this week. Photo: Christie's

1. The first A.I.-generated portrait ever sold at auction fetches $432,500

The first-ever work original work of art created using artificial intelligence to go to auction, Portrait of Edmond de Belamy (2018), shattered expectations at Christie’s New York this week, selling for $432,500 in spite of a pre-sale high estimate of $10,000.

2. New York City allocates $198.4 million for its largest ever cultural budget

The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs announced a record-breaking $198.4 million budget for 2019. That budget includes $43.9 million in grants to support public programming at 977 cultural organizations across all five boroughs. “Investing in culture brings tremendous benefits to our city at all levels, from a vibrant economy, to healthy neighborhoods, to transformative experiences for individuals,” said Cultural Affairs Commissioner Tom Finkelpearl in a statement.

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3. An unauthorized Banksy exhibition will be at Art Basel

“The Art of Banksy,” a massive touring exhibition of 80 works by the British street artist will stop in Miami Beach during Art Basel. The exhibition, which has already stopped in Toronto and Tel Aviv, is curated by British gallery owner Steve Lazarides, the anonymous street artist’s former agent.

4. China inaugurates the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, the world’s longest sea-crossing bridge

The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge was officially declared open by China’s leader Xi Jinping this week, billions of dollars over budget and delayed by two years. It was designed by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners and Aedas with AECOM. The 34-mile structure required over 400,000 tons of steel and features four miles stretch of undersea tunnels that link Hong Kong to the main bridge.

Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks is one of the thousands of works now available for digital viewing on the Art Institute’s website. Photo: The Art Institute of Chicago

5. The Art Institute of Chicago is now offering access to its digital archives

The Art Institute of Chicago has given website users unrestricted access to 44,313 images from its archives, with more to be added. Each of the thousands of images can now be downloaded directly from the site. The Institute will also offer enhanced image viewing capabilities via their website, allowing viewers to see the works in greater detail.

Recommended: Preview the Fabulous Treasures at TEFAF Fall New York 2018

6. Baker Furniture gets leadership shakeup

It was announced this week that Russell Towner, the president of Baker Furniture since April 2016, and Tristan Butterfield, the chief creative office would be leaving company. Mike Jolly, formerly COO, will be Baker’s new president. Before joining Baker, he held executive roles at Bernhardt and Thomasville Furniture. He now reports to Samuel Kuo, the chairman of Samson, Baker’s Hong Kong-based parent company.