VISUAL

The Baltimore Museum of Art has roughly 1,200 works by the artist, and it's just opened the Ruth R. Marder Center for Matisse Studies, which will have a library, resident research fellows, and the museum's first exhibition room dedicated to Matisse's art. - Smithsonian Magazine

The Madrid regional government has given the painting of the scourged Christ official bien de interés cultural status, which legally requires the current owners to give the government the right of first refusal to purchase the work. - The Guardian

Nifty Gateway was quick to tout Pak as the most expensive living artist, surpassing Jeff Koons. Still, the Merge sale indicates that there is no shortage of demand for NFTs—and that, if anything, demand is only growing. - ARTnews

Attendance will be limited to about 10,000 people per day, half the normal number during the December holidays. - The New York Times

The Baltimore Museum of Art won't reopen until Wednesday, Dec. 29 (although its gift shop and restaurant will keep running), and the Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture is closed until Jan. 5. - The Baltimore Sun

Hamza Walker conceived a fiendish idea: Why not stage an exhibition in which, removed from their places of pride, these statues could be evaluated not only as propaganda for genocide but also as art objects? And why not invite contemporary artists to create works in response to them? - Artnet

The story of the Banksy neatly encompasses all three elements of the year: the impact of Asian buying power; the increasing influence of cryptos and those who have made fortunes in the alternative currencies; and a realignment of art scholarship. - The Art Newspaper

The Guggenheim’s 990 IRS Filings, a form the US Federal government uses to gather information about tax-exempt organisations, shows Armstrong’s total compensation increased from $1,073,991 in 2019 to $1,504,081 in 2020. - The Art Newspaper

Yes, Prime Minister Johnson argued back in 1986 that they should return to Greece, but as recently as last month, he reiterated to Greece's leader that the marbles are strictly a matter for the British Museum's trustees (who are appointed by the prime minister). - The New York Times

You must resist the siren call of logoed knickknacks. These items transmit either “I was there” (which, as the gift giver, you are already telegraphing implicitly) or “I support this place” (which, great, but you want your gifts to signal joy, not virtue). - The New Yorker

“The Elgin marbles should leave this northern whisky-drinking guilt-culture, and be displayed where they belong: in a country of bright sunshine and the landscape of Achilles, ‘the shadowy mountains and the echoing sea,’” he wrote in the article. - The Guardian

Redevelop it, of course. Not everyone's a fan: "A plan to redevelop New York’s Pennsylvania Station (or Penn Station) and its surrounding blocks is facing fierce opposition from community members and conservationists." - Hyperallergic

But it's not for winter warmth - the giant purple and green tipis are meant to draw attention to the disproportionate affects of the pandemic waves on Native peoples. - WBUR

As our holiday parties go on yet another COVID-19 hiatus, might as well look at parties painted by the greats. - The Guardian (UK)

You can thank the FBI - and also the people of Nepal, who restored the temple and convinced others that the deity had not left the broken sculpture. - Hyperallergic