Finally, a long stretch of nothing happening, of innumerable plans, tradeoffs, controversies, objections, and delays — that whole impasto of New York–style dithering — has been overwhelmed by the vivid, sensual presence of one of the city’s great public spaces. - New York Magazine (MSN)
The previous record holder was a lifesize picture of a wild pig believed to be created at least 45,500 years ago in a cave at Leang Tedongnge. - The Guardian
The Venetian master's Rest On The Flight Into Egypt (1510) was looted by Napoleon's soldiers in 1809 and returned at bayonet-point after Waterloo; it was stolen again in England in 1995 and found in a plastic carrier in London in 2002. At Christie's it sold for £17.6 million, a record for Titian. - CNN
The mayor of Jersey City and a major supporter of the museum, blamed the cuts instead on his deteriorating relationship with the state’s governor, Phil Murphy, who had supported the Centre Pompidou x Jersey City initiative when it was announced in 2021 as a way to attract tourists and New Yorkers. - The New York Times
"The Catholic diocese of Linz (in Austria) said in a statement that the Virgin Mary’s head was sawed off early Monday morning in an act of vandalism. The work, titled Crowning, by Austrian artist Esther Strauss is no longer on view (at Linz Cathedral)." - The Washington Post (MSN)
Mark Jones, who stepped in as interim director last summer amid the stolen-items crisis, says that admission should remain free for under-25s and UK residents but, citing the Louvre's €22 fee, suggests a £20 ($25) price for others. Jones also says the Parthenon (Elgin) Marbles should return to Greece. - The Standard (London)
If a statue cast in Rome 2,000 years ago is discovered in Greece, Cyprus or Turkey, would it belong to one of those states, or would Italians have a claim over Roman antiquities on the ground that they share a culture — whatever that may mean — with ancient Romans? - The New York Times
The painting surpassed its $400,000–$600,000 pre-auction estimate, and has now increased in value by more than 1,650 percent since it was first auctioned in 2001. - ARTnews
"Someone with a very powerful estate ... has settled a tax debt worth millions of euros, … partly by donating more than 200 engravings by Francisco de Goya as well as 87 other works of art — among them, Aurelio Arteta’s outstanding anti-war manifesto Triptych of War." - El País in English
The state had allocated almost $58 million in funding toward Centre Pompidou x Jersey City, which was originally expected to open late this year or in 2025. Officials changed their minds after projections indicated that the museum would have an annual operating deficit of $19 million. - Artnet
Regularly reinventing architecture is exciting, but it faces a number of challenges. Architecture is an art, hence creativity is important, but it is an applied art, which makes it fundamentally empirical—that is, ruled not by theory but by experience. - American Scholar
The author of Erasure (on which the movie American Fiction was based) and James is also an artist. When he’s creating art, he says, it’s harder to explain his work. "I’m working off an idea or feeling that is not based in words. There is a physicality to it." - LitHub
That’s what’s happening in Indiana, where "Valparaiso University has shuttered the Brauer Museum of Art and dismissed its director, Jonathan Canning, amid ongoing controversy over the university’s plan to sell three artworks to fund renovations of its freshman dormitories.” - Artnet
“As the raft bobbed its way across the many thousands at the Other stage, the band played the song 'Danny Nedelko,' which features lyrics that strongly condemn right-wing immigration policies and call for togetherness and compassion.” - BBC
The founding member of queer art collective fierce pussy, which had a show in Paris last year, says, “I don’t want a seat at the table, I want to change the shape of the table — or do away with the table altogether.” - Hyperallergic
