Gurr Johns, an art advisory and appraisal firm with offices in London, New York, Los Angeles, and Paris, has appointed Maarten ten Holder to the newly-created role of Chief Executive Officer of its North American division as it places a bigger focus on clients in the US.

Based in New York, ten Holder will oversee the company’s US advisory services, reporting to Gurr Johns’s co-founder and executive chairman, Harry Smith, who is based in London. He joins a full-time staff of around 25 people, excluding outside consultants.

In a recent interview with ARTnews, Smith said that the US holds the most financial opportunity compared to other parts of the world. “We never want to underestimate the wealth of America. It is so much bigger than everywhere else, where they’re barely on the same planet, and they’re solid.”

Gurr Johns values around $12 billion worth of art and collectibles each year, according to Smith.

Ten Holder’s appointment comes as the advisory group has been expanding its reach towards finance. The company oversees nine subsidiary companies, including an art financing branch it launched in 2022 and the recently acquired UK auction houses Dreweatts and Forum. In April 2024, the art lending arm, Gurr Johns Capital, reported raising $9.5 million in capital for art financing, according to publicly available financial documents.

For the last two mornings, I’ve woken up from broken sleep in my house on Los Angeles’ east side in a blind panic, the smell of smoke permeating the air. The light slanting in is a horrible, eerie orange, illuminating the white kitchen cabinets like a nightmare projection screen. When I climb onto the roof, the air in every direction is full of dark, low, menacing clouds fed by smoke, blocking out the mountains and trees even just a few miles away.

Every wildfire is accused of not being a wildfire, but a planned attack to further sinister ends.

Our car is packed. Our important documents are in a tote bag by the back door. Every ping from the Watch Duty app, which sends out real-time fire alerts, sends me scrambling for my phone. I’m anxiously scrutinizing the perimeter of the Eaton fire, which has destroyed the homes of friends and community landmarks I love, willing it not to jump the 134 highway, praying today will be the day that helitankers will be able to slow the spread. I watch helplessly as the other fires across town engulf homes, businesses, send pets and livestock fleeing alone, reduce lives and memories to ash. I pray the death toll doesn’t mount higher. I watch friends and acquaintances on Instagram reporting from where they’ve evacuated, haggard and blank-faced with shock in hotel rooms and packed cars. I don’t know what kind of city we’ll have waiting for us on the other side of this. 

Naturally, then, as a journalist who’s covered conspiracy theories and disinformation for many years, it’s been reassuring to learn that the disaster threatening my safety can be blamed on false flag attacks, Democrat plotting, the evils of diversity, and—say it with me—the Jews. A disaster is a ripe moment for conspiracy peddlers to ply their wares, and a historic series of fires threatening a major city—especially one filled with Democrats, non-white people and wealthy celebrities—has sent the machine into overdrive. The theories being spread about the Los Angeles fires, as Nitish Pahwa wrote yesterday, are a mix of climate change denialism and attempts to pin the disasters on their usual and preferred villains. Perhaps most disturbing of all, they also contain an ugly dose of celebration and schadenfreude. “The Hollywood Hills are on fire,” are burning, tweeted an account associated with the network of Stew Peters, a far-right and deeply antisemitic podcaster. “It’s almost poetic.”  

The Dallas Invitational Art Fair is set to return for its third edition, running from April 10–12 and marking a new chapter with a venue change to the historic Mansion on Turtle Creek. Previously, the fair was held almost directly across from the Dallas Art Fair, at the Fairmont Hotel.

“As the Dallas Invitational enters its third year and continues to grow, a change of venue to the iconic Mansion Hotel seemed like a natural progression,” said the fair’s founder, James Cope, who runs an eponymous Dallas gallery. “The new venue will help with audience engagement having the capability to host events such as panel discussions and evening events.”

The fair remains an invite-only event and has assembled a roster of participating galleries from major art hubs, including Los Angeles, New York, London, Amsterdam, Hong Kong, and Dallas itself. Notable exhibitors include Bel Ami, François Ghebaly, Hannah Hoffman, and Night Gallery. 

The fair has also established a five-member advisory council comprising of art dealers James Cope and Hannah Hoffman; Melissa M. Ireland, former director of the Rachofskies’ TWO x TWO auction; art adviser Adam Green; and philanthropist Jessica Nowitzki. Green told ARTnews the council aims to shape the fair’s strategic direction and contribute to its growing reputation.

Additionally, this year the fair has partnered with the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth to create the Dallas Invitational Acquisition Fund for the Modern. The fund will allow the museum to acquire select artworks exhibited at the fair for its permanent collection.

Displaying artworks can help create a fresh living space for the new year

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Arsenal missed an opportunity to close the gap on Liverpool at the top of the Premier League table after being held to a 1-1 draw by Brighton this evening. The Gunners entered the match knowing they could pile pressure on Liverpool, who face Manchester United tomorrow, but their failure to secure all three points leaves them trailing in the title race.

Brighton, known for their resilience, presented a tricky challenge. However, Arsenal had every reason to approach the game with confidence after their recent victory over Brentford. The Gunners began the match strongly, taking an early lead and dominating the first half with composed play and control in possession. Despite their promising start, the second half told a different story.

The game shifted when Arsenal conceded a penalty, allowing Brighton to equalise and wrestle momentum from the visitors. From that point, the Seagulls grew in confidence and posed a significant threat, with Arsenal struggling to retain possession or regain control. Brighton came close to snatching victory, exploiting Arsenal’s lack of composure in key moments.

The result was a bitter disappointment for fans, as well as club legend Ian Wright, who spoke candidly about the match. Reflecting on Arsenal’s performance on Premier League Productions, Wright said: “Very disappointed with the way it panned out. You take the draw and you move on, there’s not a lot you can do about it. I think in the end, the second half, you look at the bench and there’s not too much apart from Odegaard and Martinelli. You just need a little bit more firepower than that.”

Wright’s comments highlight a recurring issue for Arsenal—depth and firepower off the bench. While the team has shown moments of brilliance this season, such matches underline the importance of strengthening their squad to maintain momentum in critical games.

Mikel Arteta has admitted that his Arsenal team were simply not good enough after they dropped points in a 1-1 draw at Brighton this evening. The Gunners went into the match knowing they had an opportunity to close the gap to the top of the Premier League table to just three points, with Liverpool not scheduled to play until tomorrow. However, they failed to capitalise on the chance, leaving their title hopes dented.

Arsenal started the game brightly and took the lead following an impressive opening spell. However, the match turned when they conceded a penalty, which allowed Brighton to equalise and shifted the momentum of the contest. The Seagulls took the initiative, and Arsenal seemed visibly shaken by the loss of their lead. This lack of composure was reflected in their continued loss of possession and inability to regain control of the match.

Set pieces, a strength for Arsenal this season, were poorly executed on the night, which further compounded their struggles. As a result, the Gunners failed to find the decisive edge and had to settle for just a point in a match they were widely expected to win. This result marks the second time Arsenal have failed to beat Brighton this season, raising questions about their consistency against mid-table opposition.

Reflecting on the game, Arteta expressed his disappointment with the performance and acknowledged his team’s shortcomings. Speaking to Premier League Productions, he said: “Disappointed because we want to win the game, and we started with some good actions and a really good goal. We knew it was going to be competitive and challenging. We did compete, but it wasn’t our best day.”

This draw serves as a reminder that Arsenal must show greater determination and focus if they are serious about winning the league. Failing to beat Brighton over the course of two fixtures does not reflect the mentality required of title challengers. Arteta’s side will need to learn from this setback and find ways to raise their performance levels in matches where points cannot afford to be dropped. With the title race still alive, every result matters, and performances like this will need to be left behind if Arsenal hope to end their season on top.

Arsenal dropped two points on their trip to Brighton this evening, a result that could have far-reaching consequences for the title race. Here are our player ratings:

Player Ratings

David Raya – 6.5
There was little he could do about the penalty, and Brighton’s wastefulness meant he wasn’t tested much throughout the game.

Thomas Partey – 6.0
Solid in the first half but faded as Brighton gained control. Could have done better in key moments when Arsenal needed more composure.

William Saliba – 6.5
Conceded an unfortunate penalty but was otherwise composed and dealt well with Brighton’s dangerous forwards.

Gabriel – 7.0
A strong performance, ensuring Brighton didn’t create clear-cut chances. His physical presence was key to Arsenal’s defensive efforts.

Arsenal played out a 1-1 draw on their trip to the Amex Stadium against Brighton this evening, delivering a significant blow to their title ambitions.

Title-chasing Arsenal started the match in fine form, causing Brighton all sorts of problems early on, with Gabriel Jesus’ tame shot being comfortably saved.

However, Ethan Nwaneri opened the scoring shortly afterwards, following a superb pass from Mikel Merino.

The teenager once again demonstrated why he is more than just hype. But Arsenal knew how dangerous Brighton could be, and the Seagulls began probing for an equaliser.

Simon Adingra came very close to scoring for Brighton, but he lost his balance at the crucial moment, allowing Arsenal to escape unscathed.

Arsenal travel to the American Express Stadium this evening to face Brighton & Hove Albion, and this is the team Mikel Arteta has gone with.

Right now, Arsenal is in exceptional form, riding high on a nine-match unbeaten streak in the Premier League, while Brighton has struggled to find their rhythm, winless in their last seven league matches.

Under Arteta, the Gunners have been impressive, most recently securing a 3-1 victory over Brentford. This win has solidified their position in second place with 39 points, just six behind league leaders Liverpool.

Brighton, managed by Fabian Hürzeler, sits in 10th place with 27 points. Despite their recent struggles, the Seagulls have shown resilience, drawing five of their last seven games. Their most recent match ended in a 2-2 draw against Aston Villa, proving they can compete with top teams, even during a winless stretch.

The last meeting between these two sides ended in a 1-1 draw at the Emirates Stadium, with Kai Havertz and João Pedro both finding the back of the net. Arsenal has the upper hand in recent encounters, remaining unbeaten in their last three Premier League meetings with Brighton.