The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that Moscow must pay more than $100,000 in damages to the collective Pussy Riot over a violent attack during the 2014 Olympics. “The attack has been established ‘beyond reasonable doubt,’ and that the situation in which the applicants found themselves during the attack was not compatible with respect for their human dignity,” the court ruled. (more…)
Hundreds of works from the collection of the Ace Gallery are to be auctioned off, Art News reports, and used to pay debts run up by its founder since closing. (more…)
A NYT article looks at the rise in popularity of Hilma af Klint and some surrounding controversies, including an IP battle and questions over the artist’s sole authorship of some works. “I have to shift my mind-set on how these are collaborative works and not Hilma works,” says Guggenheim curator Tracey Bashkoff. (more…)
A Chinese Media Outlet has demanded the British Museum return all artifacts held in its collection. “The huge loopholes in the management and security of cultural objects in the British Museum exposed by [a recent] scandal have led to the collapse of a long-standing and widely circulated claim that ‘foreign cultural objects are better protected in the British Museum’,” the piece reads. (more…)
UK Police are on the verge of a major breakthrough in the theft of Maurizio Cattelan’s Gold toilet from Blenheim Palace. (more…)
Three men have been convicted in London after the recovery of a £2m vase stolen from a Geneva museum. “The organized crime group involved in this offending believed they could commit significant offenses internationally and that there would be no comeback,” says Detective Chief Inspector Matt Webb. “They were mistaken – highlighting the strength of our relations with international law enforcement partners and our ability to work across international boundaries. (more…)
A data breach at Christie’s exposed the location data of thousands of artworks uploaded to the site, a cybersecurity firm has found. Thousands of clients uploading images of their works for sale had their data exposed through a vulnerability in the company software. (more…)
A work stolen from the British Museum and valued at $63,800 was placed on eBay for £49, the Telegraph reports. (more…)
A federal judge has ruled that AI-generated art is not copyrightable. “In the absence of any human involvement in the creation of the work, the clear and straightforward answer is the one given by the Register: No,” says U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell. (more…)
The last portrait by Gustav Klimt goes to auction next month, anticipated to fetch upwards of £65 million. “Many of those works, certainly the portraits for which he is best known, were commissions,” says Helena Newman, Sotheby’s worldwide head of impressionist and modern art.”This, though, is something completely different – a technical tour de force, full of boundary-pushing experimentation, as well as a heartfelt ode to absolute beauty.” (more…)
Brett Littman is leaving his post as head of the Noguchi Museum, Artforum reports. “On behalf of the board of Trustees, we would like to extend our gratitude to Brett for his contributions to the museum,” said board cochairs Spencer Bailey and Susan Kessler. “Brett leaves the Museum in a strong position. We wish him great success in his future endeavors.” (more…)
Maurizio Cattelan won his copyright infringement lawsuit this week after accusations by another artist claiming Cattelan plagiarized his work involving a taped-up banana. “To find otherwise would further limit the already finite number of ways in which a banana may be legally taped to a wall without infringing on Morford’s work,” said U.S. District Judge Robert Scola. (more…)
The U.S. will rejoin UNESCO and pay back dues, the Associated Press reports. “It’s a historic moment for UNESCO,” says UNESCO director general, Audrey Azoulay. “It’s also an important day for multilateralism.″ (more…)
The Albright-Knox Gallery has reopened in Buffalo after a long renovation and rehang of its collection. The opening show featured its permanent collection prominently to showcase the new space designed by OMA. (more…)
A Dutch Supreme Court has ordered museum artifacts borrowed from Crimea returned to Ukraine, maintaining the works are part of the nation’s cultural heritage. (more…)
Hannah Gadsby’s Picasso show at the Brooklyn Museum has already seen impressive attendance, up 51 percent over the weekend before, the New York Times reports. (more…)
The NEA announced its latest string of grant recipients this week, with $35.6 million earmarked for a range of projects that “demonstrate the vitality of the humanities across our nation” according to Shelly C. Lowe, the endowment’s chairwoman, and “support humanities programs and opportunities for underserved students and communities.” (more…)
The Guardian has a piece this week on the royal collection, and the range of works often received as gifts now worth millions. (more…)
Bernice Rose, an art historian and MoMA curator who was a vocal champion of drawing, and helped its establish its current role in arts study, has died at the age of 87. “She recognized early that for a generation of artists who emerged in the 1960s, the art of drawing knew no boundaries,” says Christophe Cherix, the museum’s chief curator of drawings and prints. (more…)
Renzo Martens and Cercle d’Art des Travailleurs de Plantation Congolaise (CATPC) will represent the Netherlands at the Venice Biennale 2024. (more…)
The Institute of Contemporary Art at the University of Pennsylvania (ICA) has appointed Denise Ryner as its Andie B. Laporte Curator. “With her experience working at the intersections of art and academia, Denise brings an exciting perspective and expertise that will enhance the reach, relevance, and impact of ICA’s exhibitions,” says Zoë Ryan, the ICA’s Daniel W. Dietrich, II Director, and Hallie Ringle, ICA’s Brett Sundheim Chief Curator. “On behalf of the ICA Board and staff, I am thrilled to be welcoming her to join our team as we advance our mission as an experimental hub for contemporary art from around the world.”
Students and faculty joined a walkout in support of striking RISD workers this week in Providence, Art News reports. The workers’ union is currently in the midst of contract renegotiations. (more…)
