RIBA Gold Medallist Zaha Hadid Storms Out of ‘Car Crash’ Interview

Our daily round-up of news from the art world

Zaha Hadid Follows Award Win with ‘Car Crash’ Interview | Zaha Hadid was yesterday awarded RIBA’s prestigious gold medal for architecture, the first woman ever to be accorded the prize. It did not, however, take long for the architect to sour her victory. Speaking on the BBC’s Today programme this morning, Hadid walked out of the interview when asked allegedly under-researched questions about projects in Japan and Qatar, reports the Spectator. Say what you like about her work, but Hadid knows how to stir up Twitter…

Strike Suspended at the Musée d’Orsay | Employees at Paris’s Musée d’Orsay this morning voted to go back to work after a two-day strike that caused an embarrassing delay to the opening of the museum’s new exhibition. The CGT-Culture union has wrung compromises from the authorities, including the delay of an imposition of seven-day openings. There’s just one question remaining: how long before the next strike?

Guggenheim Case Thrown out of Court | A court in France has thrown out a case brought by two of Peggy Guggenheim’s grandsons. Ms Guggenheim’s relatives had complained that the foundation that bears the name of her uncle had acted at cross-purposes to her wishes, splitting up her collection of contemporary masters. According to the plaintiffs, Ms Guggenheim had wanted it to stay intact.

Tutankhamun to be Taken Off Display for Cleaning | After 3,000 years, it’s probably about time for a wash. The sarcophagus of the Pharoah Tutankhamun, the star exhibit at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, is to be taken off display from October for cleaning, reports The Art Newspaper. The Pharoah’s tomb in Luxor will also be closed from the beginning of next month, but a replica remains open.

Frieze London Unveils Commissions for 2015 | Frieze London, the UK’s biggest art fair, has revealed the new commissions for its 13th edition. Lutz Bacher has redesigned the entrance to the fair, while amongst other projects, Brazilian artist Tunga has revived his 1984 work Siamese Hair Twins. Love it or hate it, Frieze week is almost upon us…

Candida Höfer Wins Cologne Fine Art Prize | Photographer Candida Höfer has been awarded the 2015 Cologne Fine Art Prize. It seems she is in good company: the €10,000 accolade, which specifically recognises reproducible work, has previously been awarded to artists including Thomas Schütte, Sigmar Polke and Dieter Roth.

Iconic JFK Terminal to Become Hotel | Finnish-American architect Eero Saarinen’s terminal at New York’s JFK airport is to be converted into a hotel by the JetBlue Airways Corporation and MCR Development, reports Crain’s New York. Opened in 1962, Saarinen’s design mimicked the shape of a bird in flight – an evocative visual metaphor for an age where flight was regarded as glamorous. Form, it seems, has outlived function.