Christie's is to close Haunch of Venison. Originally founded by the art dealers Harry Blain and Graham Southern in 2002, the pair sold it to Christie's in 2007, which saw the gallery effectively shut out of art fairs. The present incarnation operated through two spaces in London and one in New York and represented Nathan Coley, Jochem Hendricks, Nancy Holt, Richard Long, Simon Patterson and Joana Vasconcelos among others. The main London space will be retained by Christie's as a viewing…

Lehmann Maupin Gallery is to open an outpost in Hong Kong, it has announced. The first space for the gallery outside New York, they have secured a unit in the Pedder Building, a hub for various galleries in the region, including Gagosian. Rem Koolhaus's OMA has been commission to renovate the gallery space and offices. Courtney Plummer, who has been with the gallery for ten years and a partner since 2008, will direct the gallery's operations in Hong Kong.

The Brazilian government is to introduce a scheme in which every employer earning under five times the minimum will receive $25 a month to spend on 'cultural expenses', reports Hyperallergic. Ninety per cent of the funding will come from employers, who are then able to deduct the amount from their income tax. The additional ten per cent is received through a voluntary deduction from employee's salaries. The stipend is supplied…

The South African novelist J.M. Coetzee has been announced as the curator of the Belgian Pavilion at this year's Venice Biennale. Winner of the Nobel Prize and two Booker Prizes (which he demurred from collecting), the writer will work with the country's representative artist Berlinde De Bruyckere.

Art Basel has announced the 245 galleries taking part in Art Basel Hong Kong, 48 of which are new to the fair. This is the first edition of the art fair to be held under its new title (Art Basel became majority owner of Art HK in 2011). The galleries come from 35 countries and territories, including Argentina, Australia, Austria, Brazil, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, India,…