Leo Steinberg, Anicka Yi, Simon Denny, the Photography Market, and the Week’s Top Stories

TOP STORY  HOW HAS THE PHOTOGRAPHY MARKET BEEN DOING? The annual March/April photography auctions just wrapped up in New York, ringing in a total of $17.2 million for the three big houses.  WEEK IN REVIEW  SECRET GRANDEUR: LEO STEINBERG ON AN EARLY VELÁZQUEZ MASTERPIECE, IN 1971 In honor of a major show of Diego Velázquez's work at the Grand Palais in Paris, we turn back to art historian and critic Leo Steinberg's piece about The Water Carrier of Seville (ca. 1619–20), which appeared in the Summer 1971 issue. SHRIMP, FEMALE BACTERIA, AND THE SMELL OF GAGOSIAN: ANICKA YI AT THE KITCHEN Plus, Sascha Braunig at Foxy Production, Carmen Cicero at June Kelly, and Joan Brown at George Adams. IDEAS WORTH SPREADING: SIMON DENNY COMES TO MOMA PS1 A selection from the April issue of ARTnews. HITO STEYERL WINS THE FIRST EYE PRIZE It carries a $37,100 prize. 'MALICK SIDIBÉ: STUDIO MALIK, BAMAKO, MALI' AT MALONEY FINE ART, LOS ANGELES The exhibition is on view through this Saturday, April 18, 2015. LEROY NEIMAN FOUNDATION GIVES $2.5 M. TO THE SMITHSONIAN FOR JAZZ PROGRAMMING, JAZZ CAFE The foundation was established by LeRoy Nieman, the painter of grand scenes of sports and music who died in 2012. DALLAS'S NASHER SCULPTURE CENTER CREATES $100,000 ANNUAL PRIZE The award honors a living sculptor who "has had an extraordinary impact on the understanding of the art form." MORNING LINKS: GLUTEN-FREE ART EDITION A strike at RISD, an analysis of 2014 museum visitor numbers, and more from around the art world. SOUND OF THE CITY: A DETROIT RENAISSANCE, COURTESY OF NICK CAVE The artist Nick Cave  will spearhead an expansive exhibition in Detroit beginning this summer. WHEN 'SIMPSONS' CO-CREATOR SAM SIMON PULLED OUT OF A PORTRAIT COMMISSION, SIMON DINNERSTEIN MADE A FEW CHANGES "I wouldn't say I was crestfallen but I was very disappointed," Simon Dinnerstein told ARTnews. "I couldn't figure out how to keep going on it or whether I should keep going." MICHAEL RUSH, PRIEST TURNED MUSEUM DIRECTOR, WHO LED THE ROSE DURING DEACCESSIONING FIGHT, DIES AT 65 The news was confirmed by Michigan State University's Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum, where Michael Rush had been founding director since 2010.