IZO

Dear readers, I'm afraid this will be the last edition of IZO for the foreseeable future. I have not the time to devote to the blog since reaching an agreement with Yale University Press to write a book on the relationship between ancient relics and contemporary art. The book will require all my spare computer time. I want to thank all IZO's readers, regular and irregular, for dropping by, and especially of course the contributors, among whom the outstanding figure has been MK from DC (here and here). Thanks so much, MK. The IZO blog will remain open for the time being as a reference source. Matthew.

Ilya and Emiliya Kabakov win the Cartier Prize for their work Wind of Tolerance (Lenta.ru, in Russian).

Missed this on the Tatintsian vs Luhring Augustine case (Art Newspaper):

Roland Augustine and Lawrence Luhring said the gallery had offered the dealer four new Condo paintings, plus a fifth work which Tatintsian had already agreed to buy, valued at $1.04m in July 2009. The dealer refused this, and took the case to court in August 2009. However, Tatintsian has now accepted the works and dropped the case. 

Vadim Belyaev, co-owner of the Otkrytie financial corporation, has bought the Open Space culture portal. The purchase price from founder and previous owner Valeri Nosov was "a few million roubles". The existing editorial team will be retained (gazeta.ru).

From Evgeniy Fiks:

I'm opening a new show "Communist Conspiracy in Art Threatens American Museums," curated by Stamatina Gregory, at Temple Gallery in Philadelphia -- please see info below. The opening is Friday, September 24, 6 - 8 pm. You can take a New Century Travel bus www.2000coach.com. A round trip NY-Philadelphia is only $20 and it's super comfortable.

Upcoming (if you're lucky):

 

Not Russian but

My favourite contemporary painter: Julian Schnabel at Art Gallery of Ontario (thestar.com) (thanks, MK).

Damien Hirst and "allegations of plagiarism" (BBC).

Tsereteli "teardrop" monument to be relocated (nj.com) (thanks, MK). Tsereteli Three Musketeers unveiled in France (MIGnews, in Russian).

Leaders, tycoons etc.

Interview with PM Putin (RW) (thanks, MK). And motorcade embarrassment (Telegraph).

Andrei Melnichenko to buy "full block of Ocean Front Walk" (Huffington Post) (thanks, MK)?

Latest Voina video.

Yuri Shevchuk at U2 concert.

Alexander Mamut lets off steam; except it apparently ain't Mamut (via LJ maratguelman).

New museum opens in the base of Mukhina's Worker and Collective Farm Girl monument (gazeta.ru, in Russian).

On top Russian blogger drugoi and Russian internet freedom (Spiegel).

Interview with Harvard professor and artist Svetlana Boym, author of The Future Of Nostalgia, about Berlin's Tacheles art centre (Spiegel).

Legal and crime

Police raid New Times (gawker) (thanks, MK).

Headless body of film producer Leonid Markin, of Bandit Petersburg fame, found in Israel (Izrus, in Russian).

Punk group Barto interviewed by police because of song in defence of Khimki forest (gazeta.ru, in Russian).

Tamir Sapir claiming "deteriorating mental condition" to avoid paying out on contracts (WSJ) (thanks, MK).

Odds & sods

"Legend has it that almost a century ago a series of railway wagons stuffed with gold sank into the depths of a lake in Siberia. This week, researchers, exploring the depths by submarine, may have found the Russian royals' lost gold" (Spiegel).

Russian leaders tweet (FT).

Health Minister Kudrin urges Russians to smoke, drink more to boost economy (Huffington Post).

Prez Medvedev says Russia needs fewer people with higher education (dmitrivrubel, in Russian).

Zebra crossing promotion uses zebras (NYT).

High-society smackdown: Bozhena Rynska vs Tatyana Tolstaya (mrparker, in Russian).

Institute of Translation to be set up in Moscow (gazeta.ru, in Russian).