The lawsuit comes two months after a New York judge issued a search warrant citing “reasonable cause” to believe the statue, which was legally acquired by the museum almost four decades ago, was stolen property. - CNN
So began an antiques whodunit—whose cast of characters includes an Oxford-based priest-cum-archaeologist, a handful of rare-gem dealers and some of the British Museum’s most august researchers—that has shaken the premise behind the museum’s most important reason for existing. - The Wall Street Journal
"Police said the 11 ancient gold pieces were smuggled out of Ukraine in 2016 to be resold in Spain. The bracelets, necklaces and earrings, from the 8th to 4th Centuries BC, had forged documents saying they belonged to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church." - BBC
The problem with monuments and statues goes far beyond the issue of the legacies of slavery, important as that issue is. We need to learn to question all monuments rather than read them as factual documents of the past. - The Conversation
In recent years Mexico has mounted an ambitious series of investigations and restitution efforts to reclaim the nation’s stolen cultural heritage, joining with other countries to correct decades of theft and colonial plundering. - The New York Times
At Bobby Baker's restaging of her 1976 An Edible Family in a Mobile Home, visitors "five lifesize family members made of biscuits, meringue and cake (including, in an updating of the original, a vegan option)." - The Guardian (UK)
One gallerist says, "The quality of the work is better, things are presented more thoughtfully. And collectors like spending more time here" (despite a resurgence of Parisian bedbugs). - The New York Times
But now it's back. A German curator: "Retrieving a long-lost painting 'is actually a very rare moment for us. ... It’s exciting.'" - Seattle Times (AP)
On Friday, October 20, "across New York City, Amsterdam, Santiago, Berlin, London, and beyond, dozens of art galleries, museums, and individuals their spaces and studios to demand an immediate ceasefire in Gaza." - Hyperallergic
"There’s less philanthropic money around and need to work a lot harder to engage new donors and this will require a more balanced approach to ethics. There is no such thing as “pure” private funding. If you dig deep enough, anyone who’s made a lot of money is likely to have some skeletons." - Apollo
Yes, our encyclopedic museums need to do a better job of painting the full picture of art history, women and artists of color included. But there is something special about a space fully dedicated to women. - Artnet
"By the end of this, more than a quarter of our galleries will have changed,” said CEO Max Hollein. “It’s open-heart surgery and the patient is awake." Here's a look at what's planned — and whom the Met has hired to oversee it all. - The New York Times
"The museum has filed suit against Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg over the August seizure of “Draped Male Figure,” which has been part of the museum’s collection since 1986 and is valued at more than $20 million. The ancient bronze remains in Cleveland, seized in place and off-view." - Ideastream Public Media (Cleveland)
