New HQ For Bonhams
Bonhams’ New York headquarters will move away from 580 Madison Avenue, setting up shop two blocks away at the Steinway Tower on West 57th Street. Last year, Sotheby’s made news when they bought the Breuer Building from the Whitney Museum, … More…
Artemisia Acquisition Spurs Debate In Texas
The Kimbell Museum in Fort Worth, Texas, has just acquired a painting by the seventeenth-century Italian artist Artemisia Gentileschi. But the museum may make some waves with a bold claim. Even though the Kimball Museum’s collection is relatively small compared … More…
Chinese Artist Gao Zhen Arrested For ‘Defaming Heroes’
One of China’s most prominent artists, Gao Zhen, has been arrested for criticizing the country’s respected historical figures. Gao is well-known in China for his work with his brother, Gao Qiang. The Gao Brothers have been active as artists since … More…
Making A Collage From Canaletto
A British manor house will soon host a program allowing visitors to disassemble and rearrange cityscapes by one of Venice’s most renowned painters: Canaletto. Tatton Park is an estate in Cheshire overseen by the National Trust. It includes a manor … More…
Vasari Ceiling Reassembled in Venice
After decades of work, the painted ceiling of a Venetian palace created by painter and biographer Giorgio Vasari has been completely reconstructed and restored. The Palazzo Corner Spinelli is a palace on the Grand Canal in Venice. It is incredibly … More…
Demotion In Dresden: Friedrich Landscape Loses Attribution
Caspar David Friedrich, a celebrated figure of Romantic painting in Germany, is currently under the spotlight. A painting featured in an exhibition dedicated to his work has unexpectedly lost its attribution to the artist. Like his British contemporary J.M.W. Turner, … More…
Smelly: Upcoming Exhibition Highlights Scent In Art
In my deep dive into the connections between counterculture and Pre-Raphaelite painting, I partially focused on the use of natural motifs in both movements, namely flowers. With such an emphasis on floral elements, one British museum is staging an exhibition … More…
Lisbon’s “Revolutionary” Graffiti Project
The city of Lisbon is commissioning graffiti artists to create new work around the city to commemorate the anniversary of Portugal’s transition to democracy. Lisbon’s municipal council is seeking to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of Portugal’s Carnation Revolution, which initiated … More…
Reunited Rembrandt Portraits
The Nivaagaard Collection, a short drive north of Copenhagen, has previously reunited paintings that were formerly displayed together. And they are doing it again, this time with a pair of Rembrandt portraits. In March 2023, I wrote about the Nivaagaard … More…
Star Wars Starfighter Flys Past Estimate
The Y-wing Starfighter model from Star Wars: Episode IV—A New Hope (1977) stole the spotlight at a recent auction. This 1:24-scale miniature, a significant piece of film history, attracted considerable attention from collectors and fans. The model’s creation began with … More…
Shady Shakeup From Slovak Culture Minister
Over the past month, the Slovak art world has been rocked by disputes between its cultural sector and political leadership. On August 7th, the cultural minister Martina Šimkovičová dismissed the director of the Slovak National Gallery, Alexandra Kusá. Many see … More…
Monterey Car Week 2024
The Monterey Car Week 2024 brought together car collectors and enthusiasts to celebrate the art of the automobile. Renowned auction houses such as RM Sotheby’s, Gooding & Company, Broad Arrow Auctions, Mecum Auctions, and Bonhams promised a week filled with … More…
Orientalism: Harmless or Problematic?
In 2020, the British Museum hosted an exhibition called Inspired by the East, delving into how the Islamic world made its way into Western art. Writing for Hyperallergic, Aditya Iyer described the exhibition as a “worthwhile but flawed” attempt to … More…
Lawsuit Against AI Companies Continues
In a victory for artists against tech companies, a federal court has allowed a lawsuit against a group of companies to continue, ruling that their art-generating artificial intelligence programs may violate artists’ rights. The last I wrote about this particular … More…
Banksy’s London Zoo Completed
Last week, London became populated with stenciled animal silhouettes credited to the anonymous street artist Banksy. I initially thought he would stop on Friday with his duo of pelicans on the sign of a fish-and-chip takeaway. However, he continued over … More…
The British Museum’s Latest Troubles
Last time we checked on the British Museum, they were on their way to recovering nearly half of the Higgs theft. Almost seven hundred items have been identified, located, and returned nearly a year after the theft’s initial discovery. However, … More…