Here are the Chicago-based collectors on the magazine’s 2009 list, in alphabetical order as listed on ARTnews’ website:

Neil G. Bluhm
Chicago
Real estate
Collection focuses on Contemporary art

Stefan T. Edlis and H. Gael Neeson
Chicago; Aspen, Colorado
Plastics Manufacturing (Retired)
Collection focuses on Contemporary art

Anne and Kenneth C. Griffin
Chicago
Hedge fund
Collection focuses on Impressionism; Post-Impressionism

Elizabeth and Harvey Plotnick
Chicago
Publishing and investments
Collection focuses on Old Master prints; Islamic ceramics

Penny Pritzker
Chicago
Real estate, hotels (Hyatt), and financial information
Collection focuses on Contemporary art

None made the magazine’s Top Ten list. Interestingly, Chicago has just slightly fewer collectors on the list than the 6 boasted by Los Angeles (9 if you count those who have secondary residences in Southern California) as reported by Suzanne Muchnic on the L. A. Times’ Culture Monster blog.

This is the first time in my life I have ever paid any attention to this list or its rankings–so take it for what it’s worth to you.

A week has already gone by and it’s time again for the Art News Roundup, Yeeehaw! This week many great things happened that we would have loved to cover but Duncan died on the Oregon Trail from a snakebite and Richard got dysentery. Christopher and Amanda made it only to open a saloon in a local mining town where Amanda sings twice nightly and Christopher rigs the roulette wheel to never fall red cause you always bet on black.

What can a bankrupt art investor do after he/she looses their home? Sleep in the Guggenheim!
Called “theanyspacewhatever,” the Guggenheim’s latest offering includes a hotel room, created by Carsten Holler — one of 10 artists who make up the exhibition in which artists mix visual arts with other disciplines such as literature, architecture, design and theatre.

The Swedish-based Holler asked if the museum would consider the concept of a sleepover for his Revolving Hotel Room.

“We were very interested in it, because it does in many ways encapsulate the concerns of these artists to really stretch the parameters of what a museum can be,” chief curator Nancy Spector said.

“At night our guests will be able to stay in the museum and enjoy the exhibition by themselves.”

London council votes to paint over Banksy, then installs a camera to watch the camera that didn’t catch him”
Westminster city council in London decided Friday to paint over guerilla-artist Banksy’s largest work in the city.

The council ordered the removal to send a message to graffiti artists.

Robert Davis, deputy leader of the council and chair, told BBC News, “If you condone this then you condone graffiti all over London.” To that I say your right but damn if it isn’t better then any graffiti I have seen in a long while.

Sotheby’s Lost $15 Million Paying Guarantees
Sotherby undersold artworks in auction or failed to sell whatsoever to the tune of $15 million US on guarantees of a minimum price the auction house had with sellers, Sotheby’s said in a filing late yesterday with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Good news? with the US dollar at it’s current rate it isn’t that much.

Bilbao’s Guggenheim overpays for art
Director Thomas Krens travels the world living like a playboy and overpaying (for no ulterior motive beyond he’s just a good guy I am sure) with no regard to the bottom line or profitability of the larger company? That is unheard of in the art world! I am [mock] shocked, surprised and amazed that someone can be that irresponsible?

Russians Turning To Art Market As Recession Looms
Russia decides now is the time to get into the Art Market and fair activities. It’s so crazy it brilliant! Now is the time to buy, when no one has the liquid cash. I guess sitting on the worlds diamonds makes that easier to do then most?

Christo and Jeanne-Claude fight to drape a 40 mile stretch of the Arkansas River in Colorado
[artist name] fights [city name] council to enable [cloth type] to be publicly displayed [fill with large dramatic environmental scenario] but some say it’s a stunt that has run it’s course and only props museums needs for tent pole events to get attention. Yet others say it’s an epic event that is shocking and helps elevate the cultural awareness of artistic institutions that glow in the presence of such temporary one of a kind installations over permanent collection additions.

Weekly art news roundup with all the news that we’re too busy to cover, but still talk about around the chuck wagon water cooler. Yeeehaaw lets get started:

Pulitzer widow donates art, $45M to Harvard art museum:
The Harvard Art Museum has received a gift of 31 works of art and $45 million US from Emily Rauh Pulitzer, a former assistant curator, 1963 Harvard graduate, spouse of Joseph Pulitzer Jr., and also was assistant curator of drawings at the museum from 1957 to 1964. This marks the largest gift in the history of the museum.

3 Canadian projects recognized for sustainable design:
The Swiss-based Holcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction has recognized three Canadian projects in its annual awards for the most environmentally responsible construction projects. The winners: The Living With Lakes Centre in Sudbury, Ont. – The Evergreen Brick Works project in Toronto. – The North Vancouver Outdoor School.

National Gallery exhibit designed to interact with viewers:
The National Gallery of Canada opens an exhibition Friday that’s designed to display how much impact a viewer can have on a work of art, rather than the other way around. Caught in the Act: The Viewer as Performer is made up of 17 large works, many of which interact with the viewer.

Birmingham Named Britain’s Ugliest City:
More than a third of 1,111 people surveyed thought Birmingham had the ugliest buildings in the country. Ugliest building? Birmingham’s Bullring shopping centre has “won” that prize.

Roman Sim City Brought To Life:
A team of archaeologists, scientists and software programmers has created a 3D virtual model of the city of Cologne as it was 2,000 years ago. Though not yet online, the software allows visitors to fly through the city in its Roman glory, just in time for Gladiator 2: Chariots of Fire.

Damien Hirst Tops Art Review’s Power 100:
The uber-seller is no. 1 on the British magazine’s list of the art world’s most powerful people for the second time; runners-up include dealer Larry Gagosian and MoMA’s Kathy Halbreich. With the art world conquered he next shoots for Nickelodeon’s Kids’ Choice Award.

Southern Illinois To Get Major Art Gift
New Yorkers Herbert and Dorothy Vogel… working with the National Gallery of Art in Washington and federal arts agencies, chose the University Museum at Southern Illinois University to receive 50 pieces [of the Vogel collection.] The gift is part of a plan announced in April to donate 50 works from the Vogels to one art institution in each state. Ten recipients were named then, and announcements about the remaining 40 are expected this week. Forget Harvard like it needs the money!

Lori Waxman sent me a note today saying that I had too check out this blog and post something about it.  She was right.  I love the Sellout Blog.

It is the perfect blend of useful information and random “experience of life in the arts, style life dissections.”

Other notable blogosphere art things…

Art Info Updated their site design and have been posting steadily and it is often worth checking out for Museum and blue chip level stuff.

Art Review magazine rebuilt their whole set up to be the most bizarrely exhaustive art site on the interweb.  Part Art Magazine, part Art MySpace, and part open source art blog, it proposes itself as all thing contemporary art.   It might be but it is so big it scares me and I open it an have trouble remembering what I was looking for.

I also have to mention New Art TV which is an all art, web oriented video “channel.”  Because who doesn’t want to watch Alex Katz talk about his boring paintings. (It is better then the paintings themselves)

Last week it was announced that Mark Wallinger would be the recipient of this years Turner prize. Lucky for all of Chicago as he still has a show up at Donald Young Gallery.

More on the Turner Prize 2007

More on Donald Young Gallery