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Alessandro Michele Joins Valentino
The suspicions were correct—Valentino confirmed that Alessandro Michele has joined the Rome-based couture house as its new creative director. He succeeds Pierpaolo Piccioli, who exited the brand last week after a head-spinning 25 years in the role. Michele officially starts his role on Tuesday; his first collection is slated for spring 2025. Michele comes from Gucci, where he originally joined the design studio in 2002 after a stint as senior accessories designer at Fendi. He slowly climbed up the ranks, being appointed an “associate” to then-creative director Frida Giannini in 2011, and took over creative direction of Gucci’s newly acquired porcelain brand Richard Ginori three years later. He was officially appointed to Gucci’s highest creative role in 2015 before stepping down in late 2022.
In other people news, the Cape Town–based gallery Southern Guild announced Alejandro Bataille and Andréa Delph have joined as directors of its newly opened location in Los Angeles. The Trust for Governors Island appointed Lauren Haynes as the new head curator and vice president of arts and culture; she most recently served as the Queens Museum’s director of curatorial affairs and programs. Nicola Vassell announced representation of Adebunmi Gbadebo, the multidisciplinary artist who explores her family’s Nigerian ancestry and enslavement in America through experimental paper, ceramic, sound, and film works. —Ryan Waddoups
West Conservatory at Longwood gardens. Image courtesy of Weiss/Manfredi with Reed Hilderbrand …
Weiss/Manfredi’s redesign of Pennsylvania’s Longwood Gardens wraps up in November.
Pennsylvania’s Longwood Gardens is undergoing a significant transformation with an update by Weiss/Manfredi, slated to debut in November. Longwood Reimagined: A New Garden Experience, developed in collaboration with Reed Hilderbrand, aims to revitalize 17 acres, featuring a dynamic 32,000-square-foot conservatory and additional spaces like The Grove for education and The Potting Shed for the bonsai collection.
Disgraced art dealer Inigo Philbrick, convicted of orchestrating an $86 million fraud, has been released from prison after serving a period just shy of four years of his original seven-year sentence. His attorney confirmed his release, which comes after a highly publicized legal battle that captured the attention of the art world. Philbrick opened his gallery in 2013 after serving as head of secondary market sales at White Cube.
The Moroccan national pavilion at the Venice Biennale, initially announced with excitement, has been canceled entirely after controversy erupted over the abrupt replacement of artists Majida Khattari, Safaa Erruas, and Fatiha Zemmouri and curator Mahi Binebine, as well as new curator Mouna Mekouar. Despite promises of reimbursement and a future exhibition, details are murky as neither the appointed curator nor the ministry have provided clarification on the cancellation.
Saks Fifth Avenue’s owners are seeking financing to enhance their bid for Neiman Marcus, bringing the merger of two top-tier department stores closer to fruition. The appraisal of Saks’ flagship store at 611 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan at $3.62 billion, up from $1.6 billion in 2019, signals renewed interest in luxury real estate amid a broader trend of industry consolidation.
Paris is hosting a rare retrospective of Constantin Brâncuși, whose wood and marble sculptures challenged traditional forms and helped usher in abstraction. The exhibition at the Pompidou Centre showcases more than 120 sculptures alongside sketches and documents, offering insight into his unorthodox approach and his influence on 20th-century art.
“Expulsion of the Moriscos” (2024) by Fernando Sánchez Castillo. Image courtesy of the artist …
