Turns out that, as long suspected, Girl with a Flute is not by Vermeer. "Thanks to new combinations of scientific analysis, art historical insight and informed looking, a vexing, long-standing problem has been resolved." - Washington Post
"Collaborating over Facebook groups, (these) heritage enthusiasts spend their spare time scouring virtual museum catalogs and auction listings to identify stolen items, as well as urging authorities to hold the art world accountable." - The Christian Science Monitor
"The news site Bloomberg reported last month that this summer's drought ... has created a fungus that is eating away at the Amsterdam museum's wooden foundations. A spokesperson said the museum 'has not sunk a millimetre'." - The Art Newspaper
Even in the typically molasses-slow process of building a new art museum, 35 years is a rather protracted wait. (The long-ago aim was to open the new place in an earlier century — 1992.) In the interim, the planned location changed, the architect changed and the staff changed. - Los Angeles Times
On Tuesday, the Judd Foundation filed suit in Manhattan Supreme Court against New York-based Tina Kim Gallery and the Seoul-based Kukje Gallery, alleging breach of contract related to a valuable work by Donald Judd the foundation says has been marred by fingerprints. - The Daily Beast
"The man ... was stopped by the Vatican police in the Chiaramonti Museum ... shortly after he threw the busts to the ground. ... The visitor — who has previously been reprimanded in the US for gross indecency — told officials that he wanted to see the Pope." - The Art Newspaper
Thousands of artefacts and heritage pieces that are collectively owned by the Ukrainian government and its subsidiaries will be lost to the occupying nation. - The Art Newspaper
To many in the French media, Silvie Patry’s move to Kamel Mennour’s 23-year-old gallery—with four spaces in Paris—is yet another blow to public cultural institutions, already struggling to compete with an encroaching private sector. - Artnet
"The caves date back to the 2nd to 5th century BCE, but researchers also found more recent relics, including 26 temples, 46 sculptures, two votive stupas, 24 Brahmin inscriptions, 19 water structures, scattered stone board games, and ancient coins." - Artnet
With little authority policing them, you’re basically on your own when determining if a work of art is fake or not. This is a problem across platforms like eBay, Etsy, and Amazon — all of which mostly rely on complaints to identify problem sellers. - Hyperallergic
How did a simple offer, over a single painting, lead to such a spectacular destruction of someone’s life and career? The answer involves the shifting sands of American corporate life, as newly activist staff demand that institutions take political positions. But there is also a much older ritual at work. - The Atlantic
As more and more celebrities are getting interested in collecting, LA galleries, like Various Small Fires, Sprüth Magers and M+B can barely meet the demand: “Some of the young, hot galleries right now in LA, they’re selling out shows two weeks before they open." - The Daily Beast
The city council has approved a plan to sell the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, as well as other historic buildings, to a city-owned property developer. Why? To get cash to pay the settlement in an equal-pay lawsuit. - BBC
Buildings fall for a host of reasons, and their variety is on display here. Fire is a common leveller, as is urban renewal. Why certain structures are deemed worthy of salvation is less concrete. - The Walrus
