Cohen Sends Hirst Shark to the Met; Prince Considers Erecting a Third House

It’s not official until the NY Times lady gets that story. This means: If it’s not Friday (the day when Carol Vogel‘s “Inside Art” hits the stands), the news hasn’t really happened yet.
Vogel reports in tomorrow’s paper (online tonight) that Damien Hirst‘s shark is indeed set to menace the Met, as suggested by CultureGrrl two days ago. Apparently it’s arriving as a loan from Steve Cohen, “for two to three years,” not as an acquisition. By then, I guess they’ll know if it’s starting to decompose or if Hirst has pickled it perfectly this time. Who knows? Maybe this trial lap will give Philippe enough time to befriend the beast.
Vogel also finally puts her imprimatur on the even older Richard Prince disaster story, with the news that he’s considering replacing his lightning-struck “Second House” with a customized house created from a ready-made kit. Apparently “a lot of the art was spared” when the house burned down: “It had been removed because work was in progress to improve the building’s infrastructure and security system.”
…including, perhaps, the prudent addition of a lightning rod?