“After three years of painstaking restoration work, the J. Paul Getty Museum is unveiling Hercules and Omphale, a long-lost Artemisia Gentileschi (1593–1652) painting nearly destroyed in the explosions that struck the Lebanese capital of Beirut in August 2020.” - Artnet
Roberto Beltrami had traveled to Boston University to study, and in his sophomore year a Dale Chihuly exhibition awakened his fascination with glass, and he went to Murano, the famous glassmaking island in Venice, to apprentice. Now, with his own workshop at age 34, he’s introducing new, money-saving equipment and techniques. - CNN
“’It was like they almost took an MBA during COVID and worked out different ways of operating,’ (a spokesman said), describing criminals innovating and evolving ‘at a rate that we haven’t seen before,’ possibly spurred by restrictions on real-world travel and more people living their lives online.” - The Washington Post (MSN)
“The Fengyang Drum Tower — built in 1375 and used to announce the beginning of ceremonies and the time of day — is one of the largest such towers in China … (and) a major tourist attraction in Anhui province. … Hundreds of roof tiles began slipping from the roof and crashing to the ground.” - CNN
Aix is where Cézanne (1839-1906) was born and first put brush to palette. It’s where he painted many of his masterpieces, and it’s where he died. This year, from June to October, the city is honoring that legacy with a series of events. - The New York Times
Two people familiar with museum operations described the scene as shocking and chaotic on Thursday morning, when employees were summoned into morning meetings with human resources, informed that their jobs had been terminated and given until 2 p.m. to vacate the premises. - Los Angeles Times (Yahoo)
“Philadelphia’s long-sought shrine to sculptor Alexander Calder will open its doors to the public Sept. 21, officials announced Tuesday. ... The sculpture garden (will be) the first new major attraction (on) the Benjamin Franklin Parkway since the relocation of the Barnes Foundation in 2012.” - The Philadelphia Inquirer (MSN)
After the Whitney moved downtown in 2015, the Metropolitan Museum operated the building as the Met Breuer until the 2020 pandemic. Sotheby’s acquired 945 Madison Avenue in 2023 and brought on Herzog & de Meuron to renovate it. Both the exterior and the first floor’s interior have been landmarked. - The Architect’s Newspaper
Yes, he liked to paint in open air, and yes, he stored his works outdoors or in sheds, exposed to the elements. There might even be droppings on some of his other paintings. But the white smears on the 1893 version of The Scream have been tested. They are candle wax. - Artnet
“Frederick Doe, 37, also known as Frederick Sines, was given a suspended sentence at Oxford Crown Court for his role in helping to sell the 18-carat gold fully functioning toilet which was taken in 2019 from Blenheim Palace — the country mansion where British wartime leader Winston Churchill was born.” - AP
And now they’re hotter than ever, with miniature artists-in-residence at museums, TikToks going viral, and more. Why? “In our distraction-filled world, … getting to watch someone painstakingly craft the scenes is mesmerizing." - NPR
“More than 300 exhibitors from around the world use letterpress, risograph, or Xerox machines to produce an array of printed matter running the gamut from the personal to the political, from limited edition art books to mass-produced pamphlets.” - Hyperallergic
"The evidence was on the wall: A vertigo-inducing photo from that climb hung in the gallery.” The gallery owner, other climber-photographers, and the rest of the crowd were left in shock by the arrest. - The New York Times
Aruna D’Souza, author of Whitewalling and Imperfect Solidarities, “earned a Master’s in Arts from NYU in 1993 and a PhD in Art History in 1999. Those degrees, the critic wrote, … are ‘valueless’ in the wake of university-sanctioned crackdowns on pro-Palestinian expression.” - Hyperallergic
