The discovery and development of synthetic aniline dyes in the 1850s and the widespread adoption of color printing in the following decade made the brightly colored paper greetings, once hand-crafted and very expensive, available to regular people. - The Guardian
America's flagship television newsmagazine reports on the now-notorious trafficking operation by the late dealer Douglas Latchford that saw sacred statues, goldwork and other items stolen from historic Cambodian temples sold to collectors and museums in the U.S. and elsewhere. - CBS News
"The long-delayed reappearance of Luna Luna — with its Basquiat Ferris wheel, Keith Haring merry-go-round and installations by David Hockney and Roy Lichtenstein — is drawing visitors from as far as Singapore, Seattle and New York, (and) plenty of Angelenos to the Boyle Heights neighborhood where it was recreated." - The New York Times
Each year, countless new artworks are made and historical ones come into sharper focus as events in the art world and beyond give them new valance. - ARTnews
The German-born Schmidt, widely admired for his stewardship of the Uffizi in Florence, acquired Italian citizenship last month; he'll be replacing French national Sylvain Bellenger at the Capodimonte in Naples. The other nine new directors are Italian-born museum professionals. - Artnet
Van Gogh wasn't cooking with onions, the British Museum wasn't keeping good track of its items, and then, you know, Michelangelo's David wasn't actually pornographic. (And so, so much more.) - Hyperallergic
Remy Golan, an art history professor whose review for Brooklyn Rail was tanked by Koons, says, "I thought it was pathetic. ... Supposedly these journals are about opinion, about free speech, so where’s the free speech?" - The New York Times
"At the barbecue restaurant, like someone biting an old nickel, Mr. Donahue checked the banking app on his phone to make sure the money had been deposited." - The New York Times
A company near Carrara called Litix has developed software to make carefully crafted mechanical arms carve the legendary stone into statues (occasioning many a "could robots replace Michelangelo?" article). Photographer Caleb Stein traveled to Italy to document, from start to finish, a Litix robot carving a single artwork. - Smithsonian Magazine
Housed at the Musée du Louvre in Paris, the display of the 1603 canvas Diana and Actaeon reportedly “disturbed” some students, according to the French newspaper Le Monde. - ARTnews
"Whether lost at the bottom of the ocean, tucked away in a library’s archives or hidden behind a kitchen wall, this year’s arts, archaeology and literary discoveries spanned an astonishing range. Some had only been mysteries for a few decades, … while others dated back a bit longer — say, 6,000 years?" - CNN
The installation, “AI & Me,” was first shown this summer at the Metropolink #09 Festival in Heidelberg, Germany, as an experiment into how far humans are willing to let themselves be judged by A.I. - Artnet
"The luxurious residence, dating back to the latter half of the 2nd century BC to the conclusion of the 1st century BC, has been described by (the) Culture Minister as an 'authentic treasure.' … The mosaic features an array of shells, Egyptian blue tesserae, precious glass, and fragments of white marble." - Euronews
"About 1,500 items (have been) classified as missing or stolen. Around 350 items in the museum’s collection have gold mounts or gems missing and 140 have been damaged by tools" — and that gold has probably been melted down by now. "Just 351 of the stolen items have been recovered." - Artnet
Ultimately, when you see a book cover in a store or online, you’re really just seeing the tip of the iceberg. Because at most of the really big imprints, that cover probably went through the ringer. - Fast Company
