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The 16 Defining Art Events of 2021

In-person gatherings return, NFTs (or the people involved) go nuts, $20 billion-with-a-b worth of art donated in South Korea, major new museums in Paris and Hong Kong, a big departure in L.A. and a big mistake in Indianapolis, and, occasionally, justice is starting to be served. - ARTnews

Robert Indiana’s Foundation Sues Publisher For Forgery

The Morgan Art Foundation's filing in US federal court accuses publisher Michael McKenzie of "allegedly forging Indiana's artwork, defaming the foundation, and intentionally interfering with its exclusive contractual rights to reproduce the artist's 'Love' works." - Artnet

Cleaning Staff At Guggenheim Bilbao Stage Performance Art To Protest Appalling Wages

The artist Lorenzo Bussi (alias "Art Builders Group") and the workers devised the action, titled "Is Everyone's Work Equally Important?", at the top of the stairs leading to the Frank Gehry building's entrance. The pay rate they're protesting? €5 ($5.65) an hour. - Hyperallergic

AI-Powered Robot Could Help Rebuild Pompeii’s Ancient Frescos

"The project … melds robotics, AI and archaeology in an attempt to reconstruct architectural features of Pompeii that would otherwise remain incomplete, because they're either too complex or would require impossible amounts of human labor and time." - Scientific American

Piet Mondrian’s Heirs Sue Philadelphia Museum Of Art Over Painting They Say Was Looted By Nazis

The suit by the descendants of Harry Holtzman, the artist's heir and executor, argues that Composition With Blue (1926), having been seized from a German museum as "degenerate art" in 1937, should be returned to them. (No mention of returning it to the museum in Germany.) - Artnet

Louvre Agrees To Undo Renovation Of Room With Cy Twombly Ceiling Mural

When the museum changed the color of the walls and floor of its Salle des Bronzes, the Cy Twombly Foundation sued, arguing that the remodeling altered the character of the mural (designed specifically to be seen against the original colors). The Louvre caved. - ARTnews

Why Would Vladimir Putin Be A Sponsor Of An Art Show About European Unity?

The message is clear: We are all made up of the same fundamental parts. Biologically, that might be true. Yet, Russia has never quite fit into Europe’s politics and culture. - The New York Times

Banksy Is Selling T-Shirts To Help Four Protesters Accused Of Harming A Statue

The statue, in Bristol, was of a man who made the area rich through the triangle trade - "which kidnapped Africans and transported them to the Americas as slaves, then shipped the cotton and sugar they produced there to Britain to fuel the industrial revolution.' - The Guardian (UK)

Pour One Out For The Smallest Target In The World

It was performance art, a performance piece that stood for years, crumbling in the Texas desert and sun. - Glasstire

Two Seattle Artists Have Been Charged With Faking Native American Ancestry And Art

"By flooding the market with counterfeit Native American art and craftwork, these crimes cheat the consumer, undermine the economic livelihood of Native American artists, and impair Indian culture," said a law enforcement official. - NPR (AP)

France Okays Modernization Of The Interior Of Notre Dame

The plan is "to bring a more modern look to Notre-Dame before its planned reopening in 2024, including the installation of contemporary artworks and new lighting effects. Opponents say the changes will debase the 850-year-old cathedral and disturb the harmony of its Gothic design." - The New York Times

At Last: Met Museum Removes Sackler Name From Its Building

The decision, which came after more than a yearlong review by the museum, was reportedly mutual and made “in order to allow the Met to further its core mission,” according to a joint statement issued by the Sackler family and the institution. - Artnet

National Museum Of Afghanistan Is Open Again — With Taliban Guards

Twenty years after a previous generation of Taliban took over the country and looted and smashed its way through the collection, the new government, which took power in August, has reopened the museum, providing security officers and even encouraging visits. - AP

Dutch Government Set To Spend €150 Million To Buy A Rembrandt From The Rothschilds

The Standard-Bearer, once owned by George IV of Great Britain, is one of the very few Rembrandts still in private hands. The Rothschilds are prepared to sell it to the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam for €175 million, of which €150 million will come from the central government. - Artnet

Now *This* Is How To Design Attractive Affordable Housing

Critic Oliver Wainwright says that the architects of this east London project, called A House for Artists, have found a way to follow local regulations and codes and keeps building costs low while still creating living spaces that are flexible and filled with light. - The Guardian

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