The Asia Society blamed a contractor for the blurring of two images in its show about the underworld. "We take responsibility for this error, but this was not an active choice to censor and is being corrected." - The New York Times
Is that desk an antique, or is it a much more recent piece that's been, er, "restored"? One expert says, "Quite frankly, if you want something bright and shiny, buy something new." - The Observer (UK)
Of course, stories abound about the ways artisans skilled in medieval construction have helped recreate the beloved cathedral. "But the builders, architects, and engineers do have the advantage of some 21st century technologies." - Fast Company
The extension, designed by Kaan Architecten and finished with decorative walnut and Blanco Macael white stone, echoes the symmetry and style of the Dutch palace – itself built as a riposte to Versailles, built for William III’s French rival Louis XIV. - The Guardian
"Spanish police are investigating four people for fraud after they allegedly tried to sell forged paintings for more than €76 million. … The four forged works, attributed to Francisco de Goya, and a fifth allegedly by Diego Velázquez were accompanied by abundant documentation, which was also fake." - CNN
"Michael Maurello ... falsified payments to employees and funneled museum payroll into his personal bank accounts from 2007 to 2020, the written plea agreement states. To hide the scheme, Maurello kept spreadsheets and notes to track the embezzled funds so later he could make reversals in the payroll system." - MSN (Chicago Tribune)
"The Uffizi Galleries (in Florence) have hiked their ticket prices because of pressures from rising energy prices, … sparking a debate about how much people should be asked to pay for culture." - The Art Newspaper
The app features 4,522 stolen objects which are searchable by subject matter, medium, or artist. Many of the works are not photographed, and a simple search returns multiple reproductions of a stock photo of an empty silver frame. - Hyperallergic
Although the elements vary, the genre is characterized by a reliance on text and discourse to support an abundance of materials, distributed spatially. - ArtForum
"The Afghan heritage site Mes Aynak is currently at risk of being destroyed due to a delayed mining project. The site, just 25 miles southeast of Kabul, is believed to contain the second largest untapped copper mine in the world. The deposits are estimated to be worth $100 billion." - ARTnews
The unnamed motorist, who claims not to remember the incident, drove into the Palm Beach backyard of billionaire art collectors Steven and Lisa Tananbaum, knocked the sculpture — Hirst's 2017 work Sphinx — off its pedestal, and plunged over the property's five-foot seawall. "Rich-on-rich crime, or revolutionary act of climate awareness activism?" - Hyperallergic
"A former Los Angeles auctioneer," Michael Barzan, "has agreed to plead guilty in a scheme where he created fake artwork and falsely attributed the paintings to artist Jean-Michel Basquiat. … The paintings ultimately wound up at the Orlando Museum of Art before they were seized by federal agents last year." - AP
"The (16th-century) textile was found in the 1980s in Glen Affric, a region in the Scottish Highlands about 19 miles west of Loch Ness. Measuring about 21 by 17 inches, the wool fabric is woven with multiple horizontal and vertical bands of variating colors." - Artnet
A 26-year-old man (acting against his girlfriend's advice) climbed on top of a public artwork called Talus Dome and made of stacks of stainless steel globes. Then he saw an opening and slid himself inside. Police charged him with a count of criminal mischief after they rescued him. - CBC
Land artist "Dario Gambarin said he was inspired by Picasso’s 1907 self-portrait to create what he says is the largest portrait of the Spanish artist in the world." - The Guardian (UK)
