They're Ukranian Dancers, not Russian Dancers - and it's not just a stunt during the war. The director of London's Ukranian Institute said last week, "Curators have no problem presenting Jewish, Belarusian or Ukrainian art and artists as Russian." - The Guardian (UK)
"More than a dozen artifacts linked to infamous antiquities trafficker Subhash Kapoor were seized from an (unnamed) Ivy League school's art gallery on Wednesday by Homeland Security. Twelve of the 13 artifacts were allegedly looted from India, and one item originated from Burma." - ARTnews
David Best's construction, titled Sanctuary and erected in the English Midlands in late May, will be modeled on the Temples he creates at Burning Man each year: festivalgoers place in the structure notes to loved ones who have died, and the Temple is set ablaze on the final night. - Artnet
As elsewhere in the world, the US museums that struggled the most in 2021 were the big names: the world-famous museums in the big cities that have been gutted by the evaporation of international tourism. - The Art Newspaper
"Spot is agile enough to inspect narrow passages and traverse uneven surfaces, and will collect terrain data alongside a laser-scanning drone released to fly over the site and conduct autonomous 3D scans. The robot will also be used to sniff out underground tunnels made by tomb raiders." - Artnet
Before the battle over the mural became a symbol of the nation they would call New Belarus, there were just three nondescript buildings in the middle of a city of two million, a courtyard set around a children’s playground: swings, a seesaw and a roundabout, surrounded by benches. - The New York Times
The total number of followers on TikTok for all 100 museums is 1.3 million. That is compared to a total of 55.3 million followers on Instagram, 47.3 million on Twitter and 33.6 million on Facebook. Startling when you consider that the platform was the most popular website in 2021. - The Art Newspaper
Experimental archaeologists Rick and Laura Brown have reconstructed the human-powered cranes that lifted huge objects during the Middle Ages and replicated the timber-framed roof of a destroyed 14th-century synagogue. Now they're leading a team using medieval tools and techniques to help repair the fire-ravaged Paris cathedral. - Smithsonian Magazine
Topping the list as usual is the Louvre, followed by the State Russian Museum (Mikhailovsky Palace) in St. Petersburg. (Where's the National Museum of China, generally no. 2 if not no. 1? The PRC hasn't yet provided figures for 2021.) - The Art Newspaper
As Abu Dhabi continues work on its starchitect-studded Saadiyat Island cultural district, Qatar is following suit with Lusail (designed by Herzog and de Meuron), the Qatar Auto Museum (OMA), and the Art Mill (Elemental) joining the National Museum (Jean Nouvel) and the Museum of Islamic Art (I.M. Pei). - ARTnews
Bihar’s Ministry of Education has pledged to provide 20,000 rupee ($260) to every primary school in the state for museum visits, with the money going towards transport, entry tickets and lunches. While the sum might not seem great, multiplied by the state’s 67,000 eligible schools, it amounts to more than $17.4m. - The Art Newspaper
"When a wealthy donor agrees to support an institution in return for naming rights, the lawyers increasingly draw up contracts with carefully worded 'morals clauses'. Such clauses 'allow an institution to protect themselves in the event of a donor falling from grace.'" - The Art Newspaper
"Located in the Khashabiyeh Mountains …, the shrine features two large standing stones carved with anthropomorphic figures, as well as an altar and hearth. The team also found almost 150 marine fossils and a small-scale model of a 'desert kite' trap used to capture and slaughter wild gazelles." - Smithsonian Magazine
Certainly, if you consider what’s currently happening in visual arts, it appears that we are in a major Surrealist revival. The most prominent bellwether is the Venice Biennale, which opens to the public on April 23. - Toronto Star
