Our daily round-up of news from the art world
Sixteenth-century watercolour of Nonsuch Palace saved for the nation | The V&A has announced that a rare watercolour of Henry VIII’s Nonsuch Palace has been saved for the nation following the imposition of a temporary export bar earlier this year. The watercolour, painted by the Flemish artist Joris Hoefnagel in 1568, is thought to be the oldest and most detailed surviving depiction of the palace. Only six contemporary depictions of Nonsuch, which was dismantled by the end of the 17th century, are believed to exist. The work will be on display in the V&A’s British Galleries from tomorrow (10 December).
Oakland mayor announces grant to create affordable spaces for artists | Libby Schaaf, the mayor of Oakland, California, has announced a $1.7 million philanthropic grant to fund the creation of affordable spaces for local arts organisations. Schaaf’s announcement comes after a fire in a warehouse that was in use as a studio complex killed 36 people. ‘The arts are at the centre of vibrant and diverse communities […] yet artists and cultural organisations are increasingly vulnerable to instability and displacement,’ she said in a statement released earlier this week, in which she vowed to end ‘displacement’ for arts organisations.
Kader Attia accuses Universal Music of plagiarism | French-Algerian artist Kader Attia says he is filing a lawsuit against Universal Music France for failing to ask permission to reproduce one of his installations in a music video by rappers signed to the record label. According to The Art Newspaper, Attia believes his 2007 installation Ghost was appropriated by French rappers Dosseh and Nekfeu in the video for their song Putain d’époque. The video has since been removed from YouTube, but Attia’s complaints have met with criticism: in an open letter, South African-born artist Kendell Geers accused him of stifling freedom of expression.
New York’s ISE Cultural Foundation to close | New York’s ISE Cultural Foundation nonprofit is to close its doors ‘indefinitely’ on 31 December, reports Artforum. The body was established in 1984 to promote under-represented artists and curators, and has been staging exhibitions at its SoHo gallery ever since. In an open letter, director Tomi Ise expressed regret at the decision to close, which he said was unexpectedly taken by the foundation’s headquarters in Tokyo.
Recommended reading | ‘Like a courtesan who has lost the freshness which once commanded attention, the Turner prize has been turning the same old trick for more than 30 years’, thunders Michael Gove in today’s Times (£). Following his Twitter explosion when Helen Marten was announced as the award’s winner, it seems the former front bench politician is restyling himself as something of an art critic. Meanwhile in the Daily Telegraph, Alastair Sooke meets artist Roger Hiorns and concludes that he is ‘the Bluebeard of contemporary art’. And if ever you’ve felt museum audio accompaniments were a bit too reverential, look to the New Yorker’s ‘Honest museum guide’ for a gallery experience with a difference.