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Tourists Sit On, And Break, Crystal-Coated “Van Gogh Chair” In Museum

A couple visiting the Palazzo Maffei museum in the Italian city of Verona was caught on closed-circuit TV sitting on artist Nicola Bolla’s Swarovski-encrusted “van Gogh” chair. The piece folded under the man’s weight, and the pair promptly ran from the room - ARTnews

The Cultural Implications Of The UK National Gallery Rehang

A rehang tends to elicit strong reactions from anyone with a stake in the collection – and in the case of a public gallery, “anyone” means “everyone”. Unsurprisingly then, it has only been done twice at the National Gallery since the second world war. - The Conversation

Egypt’s Grand Egyptian Museum Opening Is Delayed Due To “Regional Developments”

“In light of the current regional developments, it has been decided to postpone the official opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum,” the GEM explained in a statement on social media. - ARTnews

Louvre Abruptly Shut Down By Workers Protesting Overcrowding And Understaffing

“The Louvre’s spontaneous strike erupted during a routine internal meeting, as gallery attendants, ticket agents and security personnel refused to take up their posts in protest over unmanageable crowds, chronic understaffing and what one union called ‘untenable’ working conditions.” - AP

New Immersive Museum To Open In NYC

“It’s not just a genre,” he told me over email. “It’s a form expression for a younger generation of artists, which is both natural for them, profoundly inventive, and engaging for their viewers.” - Artnet

Space Artists At The Museum Of Natural History Discovered A Spiral At The Edge Of Our Solar System

As the artists worked on a video, “We’re flying away from the Oort cloud and out pops this spiral, a spiral shape to the outside of our solar system. … A huge structure, millions and millions of particles.” - Fast Company (Internet Archive)

Pussy Riot Founder’s Performance Art ‘Police State’ In LA Got Shut Down By The Police State

"Tolokonnikova, 35, whose political art has left her as a wanted criminal in Russia, chose to continue her performance inside the empty museum.” Normal country. Nothing to see here. - The Guardian (UK)

Golden Toilet Thieves Sentenced To Prison

“'This was an extraordinary case in many respects,’ Shan Saunders, a solicitor for the Crown Prosecution Service, said in a statement. ‘It is not every day that we prosecute high-value burglaries of stately homes, let alone the audacious theft of an 18-carat gold toilet.’” - The New York Times

In April, Two Visitors Sat On, And Broke, A Priceless Chair In A Venice Museum

Now, the Palazzo Maffei is asking people to “respect art.” Somehow, the couple - caught on camera - have not yet been identified. - BBC

Where The Last Decade Of Andy Goldsworthy’s Life Has Gone

He’s been doing physically demanding, “totally grim work” on nine farmhouses, restored and turned into art, across six miles in a valley in Yorkshire. And the artist says he’ll never do anything like it again. - The New York Times

Nan Goldin Is Selling Prints To Support Trans People In A Very Scary America

Why just take on the Sacklers when you can take on the entire trans panic apparatus? "Hundreds of anti-trans bills are threatening trans people’s safety, stability, and health. … Transphobia has long plagued legislation and culture,” Goldin said. - Hyperallergic

National Portrait Museum Director That Trump Fired Decides To Leave Anyway

“This was not an easy decision, but I believe it is the right one. From the very beginning, my guiding principle has been to put the museum first. Today, I believe that stepping aside is the best way to serve the institution I hold so deeply in my heart.” - The New York Times

The Gentileschi That Survived The Beirut Explosion

Having passed only between three private collections over four centuries, the “Artemisia’s Strong Women: Rescuing a Masterpiece” exhibition marks the first time the painting has ever been on public display. - CNN

Peru Reverses Decision To Shrink Protected Area Around Nazca Lines

“Peru’s culture ministry (is) reinstating with immediate effect the protected area covering 5,600 sq km (2,200 sq miles), that in late May had been cut back to 3,200 sq km. … (The move follows) criticism (that) the change made (the ancient images) vulnerable to the impact of informal mining operations.” - The Guardian

The Rise Of Anonymous Visual Art Critics

Several platforms are proliferating across cyberspace, seemingly in response to a culture in mainstream art criticism that the authors perceive as risk averse. ‘No one was writing truthfully about art – it was just the same four or five legacy art magazines covering the same circuit of shows. - Frieze

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