"Dutch authorities on Wednesday arrested three suspects after the theft of a ancient golden helmet considered a cultural icon of Romania and were on display in a small museum in the Netherlands. There was no sign that the intricate helmet (or three gold wristbands) dating back 2,500 years had been recovered." - AP
"Staff at English Heritage have been shocked to discover that the cash-strapped organisation is planning up to 200 redundancies and the winter closure of various castles, abbeys and other historic sites in its care. At least 7% of the workforce could be affected, with curators being particularly targeted." - The Guardian
"After an over-five-year closure, New York’s Frick Collection will once again welcome the public to its Upper East Side Gilded Age mansion — now newly expanded and renovated by Selldorf Architects — on April 17." - Artnet
Sotheby’s auction sales were down 28 percent, to $4.6 billion, from $6.4 billion, but private sales were up 17 percent, climbing from $1.2 billion in 2023 to $1.4 billion. Christie’s, for its part, reported a 41-percent jump in private sales, to $1.5 billion—their highest level since 2020. - Artnet
The decision, dramatically announced by Emmanuel Macron, to move the Mona Lisa to a special hygienically isolated gallery where les idiots who flock to take selfies in front of it won’t bother more cultured visitors who wish to study art in a hushed atmosphere, is a misguided act of snobbery. - The Guardian
President Emmanuel Macron’s vision to immortalize himself in glass? Replace some windows in the recently reopened Notre Dame cathedral in Paris. The custodians of French architecture have responded with a resounding “non!” - The Wall Street Journal (MSN)
“People love it when things fall through the cracks, and it would be wonderful if they found a Van Gogh—but they’ve got to pin everything down and get a scholar at the Van Gogh Museum to sign off on it.” Doing so could prove to be a tall order. - The Wall Street Journal (MSN)
"The renovation project, branded 'Louvre New Renaissance,' will include a wide new entrance near the Seine River, to be opened by 2031, (President) Macron said in a speech." The project's cost is estimated to be 800 million euros. - AP
"Triton (1653) is on permanent loan to the (Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam) courtesy of a private collector. A terracotta study model, it depicts the Greek god Triton poised atop a shell. … It went long unnoticed as its surface had been slathered with a thick coat of dark paint, hiding Bernini’s ornate detailing." - Artnet
The Smithsonian, which oversees 21 museums, including ones dedicated to American art, portraiture, and African American history and culture, has a unique structure. That means the decision to adhere to Trump’s freshly penned executive order isn’t so clear. - ARTnews
There is a “proliferation of damage in museum spaces, some of which are in very poor condition,” Des Cars wrote in the memo, which was published on Thursday by Le Parisien newspaper. - ARTnews
One of the largest arts centres on the planet and the world’s most visited museum, the Louvre attracts more than 8 million people a year. When it was modernised in the 1980s, it was designed to welcome 4 million visitors a year, yet now handles more than double that number. - The Guardian
The alleged perpetrator was an IT contractor fired earlier this month. He returned on Thursday to breach and shut down the museum’s security and IT systems, the institution said, and was arrested by police that same day. - ARTnews
The National Gallery of Art (NGA) in Washington, DC, is ending its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs as a result of an executive order (EO) issued by President Donald Trump on Monday, January 20. - Hyperallergic
