Maurizio Cattelan’s satirical piece America, a fully functioning 18-karat gold toilet, was ripped from the plumbing and stolen from an exhibition in England in 2019. With security video and interviews with staffers at the venue, Blenheim Palace, the BBC has a report on how the theft happened. - BBC
AI’s objective analysis has thrown a wrench into this traditional hierarchy. If an algorithm can determine the authorship of an artwork with statistical probability, where does that leave the old-guard art historians whose reputations have been built on their subjective expertise? - Wired
In the fires’ aftermath, an unexpected but fittingly inconceivable thought came to mind. I found myself wondering: Should the Getty move? Should the Villa, and the Getty Center in the fire-prone Brentwood hills nearby, both evacuate — for good? - Los Angeles Times
“Retired agent Geoffrey Kelly, who led the investigation into the (1990) thefts for more than two decades, recently (said) he suspects the initial plan ... was to make quick money stealing the Rembrandts. ‘Then they wake up on March 19 to realize that they’ve committed the heist of the century.’” Here’s who he thinks “they” are. - Boston.com
The satirical artist’s piece, titled America, was stolen in September of 2019 while on display at an exhibition at Blenheim Palace in England. Michael Jones was convicted of planning the heist, while Frederick Doe was convicted of helping to sell the gold in the object. James Sheen had already pled guilty to burglary. - BBC
“As the Met’s head of provenance research, a new position created last May, … (Lucian) Simmons (has) a job to correct earlier errors, to prevent new questionable acquisitions and to ensure that the museum’s reputation for integrity and scholarship is not further damaged.” - The New York Times
“Tate is cutting 7% of its workforce as the British arts institution seeks to address a funding deficit left over from the pandemic. … Tate, which has four galleries across London, Liverpool and Cornwall, said it had been working with staff for a number of months to achieve the reduction.” - The Guardian
The magazine parted ways with Arn, who replaced the late Peter Schjeldahl in 2023, after receiving complaints about his inappropriate behavior at the publication’s 100th birthday last month. - The New York Times
Looking again at how the myth of the Mona Lisa emerged, I believe that her fame is due not just to the painting’s display of artistic ingenuity – but to the troubling vampirism and gender ambiguity that 19th-century critics saw in Leonardo’s work. - The Conversation
Red-chip art comes in many guises, but certain visual patterns predominate: super-flat cartoons, a street art/graffiti aesthetic, and multi-colored chrome. A crypto component is always welcome. - Artnet
"'Creating is my way of life; perhaps it’s a form of self-defense. Sculpting is healing, a form of struggle, and therapy all at once,’ Meliksetyan explained. So long as he draws breath, Meliksetyan has never considered abandoning his art.” - Hyperallergic
According to the NYT, all is well: “The expansion is about as sensitive and deft as one could hope for. At moments, as in a voluptuous new marble staircase and airy auditorium, it approximates poetry.” - The New York Times
“The cost of fighting lawsuits and responding to an influx of inquiries during the coronavirus pandemic — when hundreds of people believed they had found an original van Gogh ... — has made the museum increasingly resistant to authentication requests.” - The New York Times
