Former US commerce secretary gives $5m to Getty conservation fund

Our daily round-up of news from the art world

Former US commerce secretary gives $5m to Getty conservation fund | Former US secretary of commerce John E. Bryson and his wife Louise Henry Bryson, have donated $5m to the J. Paul Getty Trust to establish a new fund supporting the work of the LA-based organisation’s conservation institute, it was announced yesterday. The couple are long-time supporters of the Getty; Louise Bryson became chair emerita of the trust in 2010 and currently serves as chair of the Getty Conservation Institute council. The conservation centre, which was founded in 1985 and operates worldwide, will rename the title position of director in recognition of the gift – the first named directorship at the Getty.

Studio Museum announces 2018 artists-in-residence | The Studio Museum in Harlem has named the three artists selected for its acclaimed 2018 residency programme: Allison Janae Hamilton, Tschabalala Self, and Sable Elyse Smith. Over the past 49 years, the New York museum’s artist-in-residence programme has supported over a hundred visual artists of African and Latino descent, with former residents including leading figures such as David Hammons, Kerry James Marshall, and Njideka Akunyili Crosby.

HTC launches virtual-reality arts initiative | Electronics company HTC this week announced the launch of Vive Arts, a multimillion-dollar programme aiming to support the use of virtual reality (VR) in the arts. Since its Vive VR handset was launched in 2016, HTC has partnered with museums including the Royal Academy of Arts in London, Taipei’s National Palace Museum, and the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg. The organisation’s next project project is Tate Modern’s Modigliani exhibition, which opens later this month.

Court orders release of all Mugrabi collection artworks from storage | Over the past weeks the New York civil courts have heard a case between between the Mugrabi family and art storage facility Mana Fine Arts, over the latter’s refusal to return over $100m of the Mugrabis’ art collection owing to disputed unpaid invoices. In October the family reclaimed five pieces from its 1,400-work collection, in exchange for $1m. The Art Newspaper now reports that on Wednesday, Judge Edgardo Ramos ordered Mana Fine Arts to release all works in the collection still held in its facilities, by no later than 13 November. The civil case has not, however, been completely resolved, as it is yet to be decided which party will pay for the transfer.