Following a string of controversial thefts, the British Museum has announced ambitious plans to digitize its collection. “Following the discovery that objects have been stolen from the collection, we have taken steps to improve security and are now confident that a theft of this kind can never happen again,” says interim director Mark Jones. “It is my belief that the single most important response to the thefts is to increase access, because the better a collection is known – and the more it is used – the sooner any absences are noticed.” (more…)

Ann Philbin, director of UCLA’s Hammer Museum, has announced plans to retire. She will step down from the post in fall of 2024. (more…)

Art sleuth Arthur Brand has recovered a bundle of six paintings, stolen from the Dutch town of Medemblik this month. The works were delivered to Brand’s home after a statement that the thieves would have a hard time selling the pieces. “I’m very thankful that they decided to do the right thing. Stealing is wrong, but if you return it, at least you do something right,” he said.  (more…)

Alicja Kwade has joined Pace, Art News reports. “Alicja is an artist who reveals the unknowable,” says CEO Marc Glimcher. “In her practice, Alicja transforms our sense of perception and draws attention to nature’s relationship to human existence. There is deep affinity with our program in the philosophical and spiritual nature of Kwade’s work, and I’m honored to welcome her to our program.” (more…)

Qatar Museums have postpooned the opening for an exhibition of work by Dan Flavin and Donald Judd this month, shortly after the beginning of Israel’s bombing of Gaza. “This turbulent and painful time is not a moment to celebrate,” a spokesperson for the Qatar Museums said in a statement. (more…)

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…)

Gagosian has hired Jiyoung Lee to run operations in South Korea, as the gallery looks to expand its foothold there.  (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…)

Channel 4 in the UK is facing criticism after emails pointed to warnings that a work attributed to Banksy and sold for £250,000 was being billed as not genuine by another company. (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…)