"Last month, ... a British tourist was sentenced to 15 years in an Iraqi prison for taking a dozen pottery shards from an unguarded archaeology site. Now, the man's conviction has been overturned and he is set to be released from confinement." - Artnet
Following the lead of the British group Just Stop Oil, two young protesters from the organization Ultima Generazione (Final Generation) glued their hands to the glass covering protecting Botticelli's Primavera at the Uffizi in Florence as a third held a banner saying "Ultima Generazione No Gas No Carbone." - The Guardian
"Archaeologists from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem say they have made numerous discoveries, including an ornate first-century villa with its own ritual bath, after a project began to increase access for disabled people to Jerusalem’s Western Wall." - AP
The Olympics are hard on cities. But 10 years on, says Rowan Moore, London's site "has achieved at least two things usually thought difficult: the creation of a thriving new urban district, and the making of a large new park to which people actually come." - The Observer (UK)
Sure, it's popular on TikTok - but "because this is a relatively new explosion in the craft scene, we don't know the implications it might have on human health longer term or the environment longer term." Oh. - BBC
"The gallery of curiosities alone was well worth the price of admission on a Friday or Saturday night. Human fetuses in jars, a preserved severed arm, Fiji mermaids ... The main attraction of the tour was a dead clown displayed in a transparent coffin." - Los Angeles Times
Have murals finally matured in the UK? "Powerful street murals can enhance a sense of place and local identity, and reach audiences who may not frequent more formal settings. ... This kind of art also has a vulnerability not found in museums or galleries." - The Guardian (UK)
Having gotten $69 million for the digital artwork that started NFT madness (which he predicted would be a bubble), the artist formally named Mike Winkelmann has set up a workshop where he's making physical sculpture as well as stuff for screens and generally getting serious about art. - New York Magazine
The lions were removed for their spa treatment on June 14, having been outside for 128 years, Art Institute objects conservator Rachel Sabino told the Tribune at the time. It was their “first deep cleaning in decades,” Sabino said. - Chicago Tribune (MSN)
The position has been vacant since April of 2021, which Tom Loughman resigned, but the search for a new director really began in November of last year, after the Wadsworth announced a major change in its leadership structure. - Hartford Courant
"Ukraine's churches are the hardest hit of all heritage sites in the war-torn country, new data suggests. But a coalition of priests and religious leaders are working together —overcoming ideological divisions and historic allegiances — to document the damage caused to Ukraine's most precious places of worship." - The Art Newspaper
"Picasso, deeply apolitical, had shown little interest in the Spanish Civil War. ... Nor had he ever done a public mural, let alone one about a bombed city. And the work was so disdained when it was first shown that it very nearly didn't make it." - MSN (The Atlantic)
He was the first Indian artist who successfully combined Indian iconography and subjects with Western techniques and styles. His art influenced Indian literature, music, films, advertising and textiles, and even India's largest selling comic book series. - BBC
