The new Taliban governor of Bamiyan province somehow heard a rumor that there's buried treasure under what used to be the large 6th-century statues (destroyed in 2001, the last time the Taliban were in power). He's having the site dug up and refused orders from Kabul to stop. - Artnet
“Thinking about the Getty Villa, the Getty , Dodger Stadium, the cliffs in Malibu or Laguna,” shaped the way the team thought about SoFi. - Los Angeles Times
The site — at Zhangjiakou, where most of the skiing and snowboarding events are being held — is believed to be the Taihe Palace, summer home of the late 12th-century emperor Zhangzong. Finds so far include walls, foundations, a moat, and a number of high-quality ceramics. - Artnet
Last year, to the surprise of many (including the Secretary General), the tapestry's owner, Nelson A. Rockefeller, Jr., had it taken from its place outside the Security Council. Turns out he was just having it cleaned and conserved. He has, however, announced a new ownership plan for the artwork. - Forbes
The treasury department did find evidence of money laundering in the high-value art market. A common theme is that criminals use shell companies to buy art and hide behind a corporate veil. - Toronto Star (AP)
Good question, though without the landlords' advocacy, the world might never have heard of the artist and his work. "Now distant relatives of Darger — tracked down by a collector of vintage photography — are making a legal claim to that legacy." - The New York Times
Can one plagiarize a painting of cherry blossoms? Perhaps. "English artist and writer Joe Machine ... says they look just like his own cherry blossom paintings." - The Observer (UK)
The Marcel Breuer-designed Geller House "embodied the optimistic, now-vanished values of postwar suburbia: technological progress and a lifestyle built around children’s needs." - The New York Times
It's climate change, dummy: "Activist artists are working to get humanity to change course before it’s too late. They are sculpting major artworks that highlight the serious environmental crises facing local water bodies, while at the same time providing new habitats for aquatic life." - MacLean's (Canada)
Doesn't need regulation ... for now, anyway. "It’s often the case that there are larger underlying issues at play, like the abuse of shell companies or the participation of complicit professionals, so we are tackling those first." - The New York Times
"The situation circles, perhaps conveniently. It’s not up to the government, it’s up to the trustees. And yet it’s not up to the trustees, because of the law. And it can’t lend to the Greeks, because the Greeks don’t recognise the British Museum’s ownership of the sculptures." - The Guardian (UK)
The art fair was online only in 2021, and then it was going to be in-person in the, er, winter, and now it's planned for April. The executive director: "There is nothing as good as seeing artworks in person." - The New York Times
"In those days, silkscreen was mostly used for commercial posters. Bold, flat, attention-getting signs — STOP, or SALE. Curator Danielle O'Steen says 'he felt silkscreen didn't have to be flat.' And so the experimentation began: 'He and some artists helped turn it into an art form.'" - NPR
The museum, along with the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum, was authorized by Congress in December 2020. The museums will be the first new Smithsonian venues since the National Museum of African American History and Culture opened in 2016. - Washington Post
Ben Davis: "Allow me to introduce you to the evidence in favor of the Talisman's authenticity and importance, which has impressed noted Napoleonic jewelry experts such as Pat Boone, the Eisenhower-era hit-maker and conservative Christian icon." - Artnet
