Following the legacy of Josephine Baker, James Baldwin, and others, Black artists "have often had to leave the States in order to activate the power of mobility denied them at home: A U.S. passport grants Black citizens access to most other countries, whereas merely jogging and driving while Black can prove fatal in America." - The New York Times
Why would a display of just six Titian paintings at a small New England museum qualify as the art event of the year, and possibly the decade? - Washington Post
"'Uffizi Diffusi,' or 'Scattered Uffizi,' an initiative concocted by the gallery's director, Eike Schmidt, … aims to build stronger ties between the famous Florentine museum and towns scattered throughout the surrounding Tuscany region by lending them artworks usually kept in storage." - The New York Times
Six men took part in the theft of priceless historic jewelry from the city's Residenzschloss in 2019; all are now in custody. While their names have not been released, the six are believed to be members of Berlin's Remmo crime family. - ARTnews
The Optical Society of America lists 2,755 primary colours, while paint manufacturers now offer more than 40,000 dyes and pigments, so many, says Fox, that they have run out of sensible names for them. - Literary Review
Joshua Hammer (author of The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu) does a deep-dive into the royal gems stolen from the famous Green Vault, the Remmo clan accused of being the perps, and the likely (and worrisome) fate of the treasure. - GQ
It might seem confusing why local councils would choose to fund tourist projects like the Mound when they are getting rid of permanent spaces that serve local communities in the long rather than short term. - The Conversation
A timely question, because that happened last Sunday night — as it does a couple of times every year or so. The bolt damaged the obelisk's electrical system, including its elevators; repairs take a few days. (includes video) - Artnet
Wait, Scotland has a historical chronicle done in needlework like the Bayeux Tapestry? Yes, but this one wasn't completed until eight years ago, and the history it depicts runs from Robert the Bruce's victory in 1314 to Andy Roddick's in 2013. - The Guardian
Phil Kennicott: "Countries, like travelers, want to make sense of things, which is why we reach for an image — a quick metaphor, a ready-made analogy — that will seal history in amber, give it a moral, cast it as a fable." - Washington Post
The thief grabbed Monet's The Voorzaan and Westerhem Island (1871) from the Zaans Museum, just north of Amsterdam, on Sunday morning. When a passerby tried to stop the culprit and his accomplice from escaping, a shot was fired but both hero and painting were unharmed. - Artnet
These were not smash-and-grab operations. He sought out experts to advise him on which cultural treasures to ship back to Paris. Napoleon wanted to expand the art collection in the Louvre palace. - Christian Science Monitor
Inevitable in the TikTok-driven universe? "NFT markets like Atomic Hub, Nefty Blocks and OpenSea are filled with creators barely old enough to drive. They promote their work not through blue-chip galleries or auction houses but on social media." - The New York Times
