Two weeks ago, following an alleged complaint from a visitor about art with a "destructive ideology." Russia's Ministry of Culture demanded that the Moscow museum bring its exhibitions "in line with spiritual and moral values." The ousted director, Zefira Tregulova, learned about her firing from the media. - MSN (The Washington Post)
"The Smithsonian's Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden is teaming up with MTV Studios to create the six episode docuseries The Exhibit: Finding the Next Great Artist, which will follow seven American artists who will compete for a presentation at the museum and a cash prize." - ARTnews
The identity of Vermeer’s patron is of vital importance, since they purchased half of the artist’s entire oeuvre, at least 20 paintings. Equally significantly, De Knuijt began to buy his work in around 1657, the time when Vermeer was creating his intriguing scenes centred around young women in interiors. - The Art Newspaper
"I was attracted by this idea of doing something straightforward and honest and useful, like keeping people's hands off of some of the most beautiful things human hands have made. ... Say a person is a one-in-a-million personality. That means we're getting seven of those a year, at least." - The New Yorker
Antoni Gaudí's great church has been under construction for over a century. Huge progress has been made in recent decades, and it's time to start building what's called the Glory façade. Problem is, the design includes an enormous staircase and pedestrian avenue — and there are now apartment buildings in the way. - The World
A representative for SoFi Stadium told Hyperallergic via email that “over 15,000 guests have bought tickets to tour the Collection, but hundreds of thousands have viewed the collection via stadium tours, sporting events, concerts, and private events.” - Hyperallergic
The invisible solar panels ... were created by the Italian company Dyaqua. They can be designed to appear like stone, wood, concrete or brick, so can be hidden on walls and floors, as well as on roofs. (The ones installed at Pompeii match the terra cotta tiles.) - The Art Newspaper
"Without this competitiveness, the exhibition wouldn't have the same mass appeal. And that's the source of the Turner Prize's current identity crisis. On the one hand, it embraces artists who up until now have been ignored; on the other hand, it pits them against each other." - Hyperallergic
"Five years after private equity firm Epiris acquired and reinvigorated Bonhams auction house, it is now looking to cash in on its investment. The London-based firm is reportedly moving forward with a possible sale of the 230-year-old British house and seeking a valuation of roughly $1 billion." - Artnet
33 years after the law’s passage, at least half of the remains of more than 210,000 Native Americans have yet to be returned. Tribes have struggled to reclaim them in part because of a lack of federal funding for repatriation and because institutions face little to no consequences for violating the law or dragging their feet. - ProPublica
The X-ray, oriented on its side, has the original Still Life composition occupying two quadrants on the right. But the left side—the black backdrop of the final composition—reveals a face with deep set eyes and a distinct nose and mouth. - Atlas Obscura
Owning around 150 artworks, the Paris-based art collector actively shares his latest art acquisitions and stylish home interiors on his Instagram profile. Many of the artists in his art collection are some of the rising stars in the art world. - Larry's List
"Rather than forging existing paintings, Wolfgang produced hundreds of original works that skillfully imitated the styles of deceased European artists including Max Ernst, Fernand Léger, Kees van Dongen and André Derain. His wife Helene then sold them as previously undocumented works, sometimes for seven-figure sums." - CNN
"The partial destruction of a Roman-era castle in the Turkish city of Gaziantep has led to fears that two earthquakes that struck on Monday may have damaged other priceless monuments in Turkey and Syria, areas rich in cultural heritage." - The Guardian
