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Good Morning!
- Hauser & Wirth to open Sicily branch in historic Palazzo Forcella De Seta.
- Lucas Museum of Narrative Art chief curator Pilar Tompkins left the institution this week.
- Another Hermès Birkin bag once owned by Jane Birkin sold for $2.3 million at Sotheby’s during Abu Dhabi Collector’s Week.
The Headlines
LA DOLCE VITA. Hauser & Wirth is set to open its first Italian location, according to Italian daily La Repubblica. No, not in Milan. No, not in Rome. No, not in Venice. The gallery has chosen Palermo, Sicily for the outpost, after purchasing a major part of Palazzo Forcella De Seta in November. The building was put up for sale in 2020, and the gallery began investigating the site in 2023. However, the local government and Italy’s Ministry of Culturecan still exercise their right of “public pre-emption,” which allows them to purchase the building within 60 days due to the Palazzo’s historic-monument status. Assuming that right isn’t exercised, the gallery could begin work on the gallery in 2026, with plans for completion by 2030. Hauser & Wirth purchased roughly 20,000 square feet of the property, including the main floor—to be used as the exhibition space—two wings, and a building for the gallery’s offices. The neo-gothic palace has a storied history having served as a venue for Manifesta 12, which was held in Palermo in 2018. It was once home to Galleria Mediterranea, the city’s first private art gallery, from 1937 to 1940.
MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU? Less than a month after announcing its opening date, the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art said that its chief curator and deputy director of curatorial collections, Pilar Tompkins, is leaving the institution this week, the Los Angeles Times reported late Thursday. Interim Chief Executive Jim Gianopulos told staff in an email that there are “no immediate plans” to replace Pilar’s role, and that George Lucas will continue to lead curatorial content and direction. The departure comes less than a year after Sandra Jackson-Dumot left her perch as director and CEO of the museum. There were also layoffs earlier this year that cut 14 percent of full-time staff. The museum said it is still on track for its opening in September 2026. “We thank Pilar Tompkins Rivas for her hard work over the last five years, which has been instrumental in preparing the museum for its opening. We wish her well in her future endeavors,” the museum said in a statement.
The Digest
The Rijksakademie in Amsterdam has appointed Laurence Rassel as its new director. She joins the institution from Brussels’s école de recherche graphique, where she has served as director since 2016. [Artforum]
A 16th-century portrait of Thomas Howard, the 4th Duke of Norfolk, set a new record for an Elizabethan portrait when it sold for £3.2 million ($4.2 million) at Sotheby’s Old Masters sale in London on December 4. [Artnet News]
A Hermès Birkin Voyageur once owned by Jane Birkin sold for $2.3 million at Sotheby’sduring Abu Dhabi Collector’s Week on Friday—blowing past its $240,000–$440,000 estimate. [Sotheby’s]
Guadeloupean artist Kelly Sinnapah Mary has been named the newest recipient of the CPGA–Villa Albertine Étant Donnés Prize, an annual award recognizing a French artist featured at Art Basel Miami Beach. Her work The Book of Violette: Marie-Anne (2025), shown at James Cohan’s booth, has also been acquired by a US-based foundation for $80,000. [The Art Newspaper]
The Kicker
‘OCTOPUSSY’ EGG GETS STUCK. Some people like to collect Fabergé eggs, while some, it seems, like to ingest them, after police in New Zealand said a diamond-studded Fabergé locket was swallowed by a man attempting to steal the piece. The BBC reported that the 32-year-old suspect was arrested two weeks ago at Partridge Jewellers in central Auckland after allegedly ingesting the object, which is worth $19,000. According to the jeweller, the locket, called the “Octopussy egg,” contains 60 white diamonds, 15 blue sapphires, and opens to reveal an 18-carat gold miniature octopus, inspired by the 1983 James Bond film. The locket will be returned to Fabergé, the world-renowned Russian-founded jewellery house. The suspect, who faces a theft charge, is due back in court on December 8. The police said the locked was recovered without medical intervention earlier this week after the man was watched like a hawk by the authorities … it turned out the luxury item had a limited-edition exit strategy.
Have a great weekend
