“The canvas that is returning to the galleries is remarkably changed, thanks to a conservation project that has radically de-varnished its surface. The effort doesn’t just restore the work’s striking tonalities for the first time in 65 years — it returns the painting to Monet’s original vision.” - Artnet
UBS’s 2024 Global Wealth Report predicts that 500,000 millionaires will leave the country by 2028. The new tax rules, according to Henley & Partner’s Peter Ferringo, “rob the UK of billions of investment capital, especially for Americans keen to leave the US.” - ARTnews
A decade after the dress, we’ve learned a lot about how people could see a simple image so differently from one another. The dress is of particular interest to me as a researcher who studies differences in perception and cognition between individuals. - Slate (MSN)
Surveys show it’s by far the most popular color worldwide. Not only is blue beloved of artists and designers, it’s referenced in the titles of countless books, songs, poems, and essays. (No one ever writes monographs, or even songs, about orange or green.) - T — The New York Times Style Magazine
Art historian Euphrosyne Doxiadis argues that “the flowing, twisting brushstrokes that are so characteristic of Rubens are nowhere to be seen” in Samson and Delilah — and that what we see instead is “bad craftsmanship. In the 17th century, it would be considered an unacceptable fiasco.” - The Guardian
On February 10 museum leadership informed her that the Trump administration had labeled the exhibition as a “DEI program and event” and withdrawn funding for the show earmarked by the Biden administration. - Hyperallergic
Under the Law and Justice Party, officials fired many museum directors, replacing them with conservatives whose exhibitions promoted traditional social and artistic values. The current ruling coalition is working on reversing the politicization, and the director of Warsaw’s Museum of Modern Art says she’s aiming straight for the center. - The New York Times
Aaron De Groft was axed by the museum’s board after the major Basquiat show he championed was found to be full of forgeries. The museum sued De Groft for malfeasance; he countersued for wrongful dismissal and defamation. De Groft died last month, and the parties have now ended their litigation. - Orlando Sentinel
“The satirical work, titled ‘America’ ..., poked fun at excessive wealth. It weighed just over 215 pounds (98 kilograms) and was insured for £4.8 million ($6 million).” Prosecutors say that one of three defendants was involved in the actual theft and the other two helped to sell the disassembled gold. - AP
I asked Gagosian about the comments of one of his former rivals, Arne Glimcher of Pace Gallery, who said five years ago, "This market has nothing to do with art. It's all about how fast one can make money." - CBSNews
A complaint signed by thousands of people has been filed, but artist Fabián Cháirez says, “I think there are other issues we should be protesting against, such as the church’s abuse of power and sexual abuses within the church.” - Hyperallergic
The pieces were stolen from Nigeria's Kingdom of Benin by British soldiers in 1897. The British went on to sell their spoils, and the treasures made their way to the Dutch government,” which is now ready to return 119 pieces of art. - NPR
In the open letter to Creative Australia, the artists write, “To strip the chosen artistic team of this opportunity is unacceptable. Indeed it signals a fundamental disregard for the role of artists in our society – especially by the very institution meant to defend them.” - The Guardian (UK)
“R-Evolution” by sculptor Marco Cochrane had been scheduled to open the evening of Feb. 6 at a public party in the square, but the event was postponed and the installation ultimately canceled due to “unforeseen engineering complexities on site” — to wit, the statue is too damn heavy. - San Francisco Chronicle (MSN)
