Asset Manager Group Led by Hollywood Super Agent Ari Emanuel Nears Deal that Could Include Frieze

Ari Emanuel, Hollywood superagent and CEO of Endeavor Group Holdings, is edging closer to a major acquisition that could expand his influence from sports and entertainment into the art world.

A consortium he leads, partnered with New York private equity firms Apollo Global Management and RedBird Capital Partners, has reportedly outbid the European firm CVC Capital Partners to buy a group of assets currently owned by Endeavor, valued at more than $1 billion, Bloomberg reported last week.

The centerpiece of the deal involves the Madrid and Miami Open tennis tournaments, two of the most prestigious sports events in the world, but the portfolio up for auction may also include Frieze, the global contemporary art fair and publisher.

Via ARTnews

Top image: Frieze Sculpture Park, Regents Park, London. 17/09/2024Linda Nylind

MacArthur Foundation Pledges $1 Million To Create More Public Art At Developments Near Transit

A local advocacy group will hand out more than $1 million over the next three years to support art projects that preserve and grow the “cultural identities” of Chicago’s neighborhoods.

Elevated Chicago will grant $350,000 a year for three years to support public arts projects at developments near transit. The funding aims to “activate” neighborhood gathering spaces while bringing more artists into urban planning and development processes.

Via Block Club Chicago

Saving Art from Climate Disasters

The conservator Nicole Grabow has spent thousands of hours vacuuming fine art.

In her Minneapolis office, Grabrow demonstrated how to use a canister vacuum bought on Amazon for $100 to remove dried mold from a painting. With one hand, she steadied the hose over her shoulder and, with the other, made small strokes with a tiny paintbrush.

“We don’t want to suck up part of the artwork, right?” she said. “We want to have control of the suction so that we’re being really gentle, especially if we’re working with delicate, fragile, friable surfaces.”

Grabow does this work as the director of the preventative conservation department at the Midwest Art Conservation Center. The department provides resources and guidance on disaster preparedness to art and cultural heritage stewards, such as state agencies, institutions, museums, galleries and private individuals.

Via NYT

As one of the few trained conservators in the field of art and cultural heritage emergency response, Grabow teaches people around the world how to remove mold from artwork, along with other salvaging techniques.

She said the demand for these skills had grown as climate change increased the frequency of intense weather events such as wildfires and flooding that put collections in danger.