Good Morning!
- Vanderbilt University to keep art at the heart of the former California College of the Arts campus after a $75 million gift from Jensen and Lori Huang.
- A new study argues that art-world inequality is shaped by institutional networks, not just representation.
- Ex-Dia director Jessica Morgan is taking a $500,000 pay cut to take the reins at London’s Tate.
The Headlines
CCA HUANGING ON. Nvidia founder Jensen Huang is making waves in the art world. Just days after Sotheby’s sold his beloved leather jacket for nearly $1 million, Vanderbilt University has unveiled plans to keep art and design at the heart of the former California College of the Arts campus, following a $75 million donation from Huang and his wife, Lori. The Art Newspaper reports that the university will open the Jen-Hsun and Lori Huang College of Art, Architecture, and Design in San Francisco in 2027, while preserving CCA’s archives and continuing its programs through a new institute. The move comes after CCA announced it would close amid declining enrollment and a $20 million deficit. The takeover offers a lifeline to the Bay Area’s creative community following the struggles of the 120-year-old art school.
THE NETWORK GAP. A new study published in Nature Communications and co-authored by art-market economist Magnus Resch argues that gender inequality in the art world is shaped not only by who gets exhibited, but by the institutional networks that build careers. As The Art Journal reported, researchers analyzed the exhibition histories of more than 65,000 contemporary artists and found that the gender makeup of the museums and galleries with which an artist is connected can be a stronger predictor of auction success than the artist’s own gender. The study found that women remain underrepresented across exhibitions and the market, with the most prestigious institutions often showing the greatest imbalance. Resch argues that change requires diversifying the networks through which recognition begins.
The Digest
Three ancient Egyptian tombs with rare inscriptions have been uncovered at Saqqara, offering new clues about New Kingdom ties to the Near East. [The Art Newspaper]
Centenarian artist Ken Turner, known for flattening a Tesla with a tank, reflects on a lifetime of making art for the masses, challenging inequality, and embracing his role as a “simple rebel” rather than a revolutionary. [The Guardian]
The National Geographic Museum of Exploration has finally reopened in Washington, D.C. [FT]
ARTnews followed the heated congressional hearing over alleged ideological bias at the Smithsonian, which saw National Museum of American History director Anthea Hartig defend the institution’s work while facing accusations of political influence. [ARTnews]
The Kicker
LONDON CALLING (AT A PRICE). Jessica Morgan is returning to Tate as its new director after leaving a far more lucrative role at New York’s Dia Art Foundation. Morgan earned around $814,000 in her final year at Dia but will take a significant pay cut when she begins leading Tate, where her predecessor, Maria Balshaw, earned roughly £220,000. As The Guardian reported, the move highlights the stark financial differences between major US cultural institutions and UK museums, which continue to face funding pressures. Morgan, best known for ambitious exhibitions and fundraising success at Dia, now faces the challenge of bringing that experience to one of Britain’s most important arts institutions.
