So much not fans that they've sued the artist making the images. Hergé's heirs specifically said of Xavier Marabout's images that "it was not funny to take advantage of Tintin by putting him in an erotic universe, especially as Hergé had chosen not to caricature women." - The Guardian (UK)
When museum staff are preparing for a show, they need maquettes, like an actor's stand-in, to represent the works themselves. But they can't be replicas. They're "'really just trying to evoke the salient features, the sculptural qualities' of the original pieces. Their utility stems from their simplicity." - The New York Times
It is an investment in the future. We have been stepping up our education programs for kids and youth quite a lot. We continued doing that throughout the lockdown and I think that this differentiates us from many other museums that cut down on those departments, and especially on educational freelancers who were supposed to be giving seminars and...
Why would anyone buy a piece of art just to burn it? Understanding the answer requires us to delve into the tricky world of blockchain or “NFT” art. It blends the niche subculture of cryptocurrencies with long running philosophical questions about the nature of art. No wonder people have difficulty explaining it all. - The Conversation
At first glance, the notion that controversial statues should be explained and contextualised seems like a step in the right direction. However, for many activists and museum workers, this new law might feel like a step backwards. The emphasis of this law is clearly on the museum’s “duty to the nation to conserve and preserve our heritage,” but with...
The inscription has always been visible to the naked eye, but the infrared images helped to more clearly distinguish the writing from its background. Comparing it with the artist’s handwriting then clearly proved Munch’s authorship. - Scientific American
"Officials unveiled the mosaic at the Museum of Roman Ships, which was built in the 1930s specifically to house the treasures of two huge ceremonial ships Caligula commissioned in around AD 40. … Details emerged about the lucky break in the investigation that got it there." - AP
"The Detroit Institute of Arts is taking steps to improve its workplace culture following a critical review by outside investigators who said they had fielded employee complaints of retaliation by the director whose autocratic leadership style, they said, had fostered an environment that led a disproportionate number of women on staff to leave. … The museum said Monday that...
The price was a new high for an artwork that exists only digitally, beating auction records for physical paintings by museum-valorized greats like J.M.W. Turner, Georges Seurat and Francisco Goya. Bidding at the two-week Beeple sale, consisting of just one lot, began at $100. - The New York Times
" On 29 January, the government of prime minister Mark Rutte became the first in Europe to approve a central mechanism for repatriating colonial loot. … Now, a research consortium of nine museums and Amsterdam's Vrije Universiteit is preparing to launch a €4.5m project in June that will develop practical guidance for museums on colonial collections." - The Art...
Listed as a National Historic Landmark District, the Air Force Academy campus is still one of the most advanced fusions of technology, education, art, and architecture that the country has ever seen. At its heart, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill’s Walter Netsch Jr. designed an aluminum skinned chapel pointing straight up to the sky and the heavens beyond it. -...
"The Paris Biennale, founded in 1962 and once the world's most prestigious art fair, is no more. After years of confusion, scandal and strife, the French union of antique dealers that ran the fair has announced its decision to 'turn the page of the Biennale, in order to set up a new event' in the city, scheduled for the...
The AI family history app MyHeritage allows users to animate photographs from the past. Run a document through the app and it will seemingly bring it to life, making the subject’s eyes blink and look around. - The Conversation
"Critics of the new guidelines, including Hollein’s predecessor, Thomas P. Campbell, believe in the sanctity of public collections and want to maintain strict controls to protect them. They view the shift as the first step in a fundamental change in museum operations." - Washington Post
