– Koons's Big Basel Show: Before his 100-piece retrospective marks the Whitney Museum's departure from Madison Avenue, Jeff Koons is enjoying a comparably large 30-year retrospective at Basel's Fondation Beyeler, with famous sculptures like his golden Michael Jackson, balloon dog, and groping Pink Panther organized into three major periods. "The objects upstairs, my work, are empty," a cryptic Koons said of the exhibition, which opened yesterday and continues through September 2. "There's no art in them, they're transponders. The art is in the viewer." [Reuters]

– Touchy TIME Cover's Timeless Art Historical Sources: Photographer Martin Schoeller's controversial TIME magazine cover image of a 26-year-old mother breastfeeding her three-year-old son may be a blatant attempt to court scandal, but it has a rich history. Schoeller himself says he was inspired by classical images of the Madonna and Child, but the Washington Post speculates that it has an even closer precedent: The "Roman Charity" image, interpreted by Reubens, Caravaggio, and many others, in which the young woman Pero saves her imprisoned father Cimon from dying of hunger by clandestinely breastfeeding him. [Washington Post]

– Sotheby's Opens Gallery in Hong Kong: The auction house is staking its claim in the former British colony by opening up a 15,000-square-foot space on Pacific Place on May 19. The gallery will launch with a selling show by Yayoi Kusama, as well as an exhibition titled "Modern Masters: Corot to Monet." The space will also allow clients to display their own collections, though not necessarily for sale, for those who might not quite be able to afford their own museum. [FT]

– Mike Kelley's "Mobile Homestead" Rolls On: Immediately after the artist's death, the fate of his final project — a replica of his childhood home — was unclear. Now, the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit has announced that it will move forward with plans to construct "Mobile Homestead" with the help of London-based art philanthropy Artangel and the Luma Foundation. The home, slated to be built on a vacant lot behind the museum, will open in early 2013. [NYT]

–Maybe It Was Just a Little Too Gruesome: A collaborative painting by Pete Doherty and the late singer Amy Winehouse, "Ladylike," which they made using their own blood, was sold at auction for £35,000 ($56,000), significantly less than its £50,000-80,000 ($80,000-128,000) estimate. Part of the money from the sale of the work will be donated to the Amy Winehouse Foundation. [Guardian]

– Tel Aviv Art Scene Ascendant: With the fifth annual Fresh Paint art fair opening this week and the Tel Aviv Museum of Art's recently-opened $50 million wing, the Israeli city's contemporary art community is experiencing a major boom. Like the new museum wing, the fair seeks to showcase local talent rather than bring in big international names. [WSJ]

– Egypt Crippled by Antiquities Looting: Illegal digs near ancient temples and in isolated desert sites have swelled a staggering 100-fold in Egypt over the past 16 months. Without proper security to guard protected areas, "criminals became so bold they are digging in landmark areas," according to the chief of the antiquities police department, including near the Great Pyramids in Giza. [AP]

– Meet the World's Most Expensive Camera: A vintage prototype 35mm Leica camera sold for €2.16 million (approximately $2.78 million) in Vienna, becoming the most expensive camera ever sold. The Leica Null Serie, which was estimated to sell for between  €600,000 and €800,000, was one of only 25 produced in 1923 for testing. [The Verge]

– Havana Biennial Kicks Off: One hundred and eighty artists from 43 countries have set up shop in Havana's La Cabana fortress for the latest edition of the city's biennial,  opening Friday. One of the few opportunities for international curators and collectors to get a peek at local talent, whose art is subject to a U.S. embargo, this year's biennial also features select works from Miami-based collector Ella Fontanals-Cisneros's contemporary art collection. [Fox, NPR]

– Curator of Georgia O'Keeffe Museum Resigns: Barbara Buhler Lynes, who became curator of the museum when it opened in 1999, abruptly resigned from her post last week, effective immediately. Neither the museum nor Lynes, who is widely considered the world's premier authority on O'Keeffe, would comment on the reason for her decision. [Adobe Airstream]

VIDEO OF THE DAY

Press conference for the Jeff Koons retrospective at the Fondation Beyeler in Basel, Switzerland:

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