"Until the end of 2017, Guantanamo detainees were allowed to take their art with them when they were released, or give it to their lawyers to take out." Then, that - randomly, it seems - ended. Why hasn't the Biden administration fixed this yet? - BBC
Sure, there's the surface - and then there's the subject. "Today, we recoil at the thought of a 41-year-old dad sketching his naked teenager just so a Russian tycoon can then ogle her body, almost like a thank-you gift from artist to patron." - The New York Times
"Following a years-long debate over how ideological the definition should be, the final text includes new language about museums being ethical, diverse, accessible, inclusive and sustainable" - and open to the public. - Washington Post
Central Station is a "blight" that "sliced central Sydney in two" when the tracks were built in 1871. The infrastructure minister "said he hoped the development would heal the 'scar' through the city, improve connectivity and provide 850 much-needed residences." - The Guardian (UK)
There's a lot - a wild amount, and it's possibly underreported - of art theft via forgery or replacement paintings, and now photos as well. - Toronto Star
The trove of blue-chip works spanning 500 years collected by Paul Allen by artists such as Jasper Johns and Paul Cézanne, will go under the hammer in New York later this year; all of the sale proceeds will go towards philanthropic causes in line with Allen’s wishes who died in 2018. - The Art Newspaper
Originally constructed as a church, the Turkish government converted the structure to a mosque in 2020 in a highly controversial decision. In the years since, the Byzantine-era cathedral has seen increased damage and vandalism. - ARTnews
"(At) the Web3 start-up Arkive, ... members don't put down any funds to participate (at least for now); the works it collects are meant to be loaned out to cultural institutions, and the objects that Arkive acquires are not only digital ones." - ARTnews
Says the excavation's lead archaeologist, "It's the first time that the ruins of a shrine painted with such a wide palette of colors in an incredibly well-preserved state — and with such rich, elaborate decorations — has been unearthed." - CNN
Luder Whitlock took the temporary post on July 5, following the firing of director Aaron De Groft after the FBI confiscated as forgeries the works in the museum's big Basquiat exhibition. Whitlock had already served as the museum's interim director once before, for nine months in 2020. - ARTnews
Shortly after federal agents descended upon the institution in June following questions about the authenticity of works in a Basquiat show, the Orlando Museum of Art canned its director Alan De Groft. Mounting evidence alludes to his involvement in a greater scam. - Artnet
One wouldn't expect to consider a designer of advertising posters to be historically important, but Jules Cheret's work — widely imitated and now found in reproductions in countless homes, restaurants and offices — established the visual vocabulary that we now associate with the Belle Epoque. - Artnet
The long-planned institution on Charleston's waterfront, set to open next January, will tell stories of the Africans involuntarily brought to the U.S. and their descendants. Here's an overview of its construction, what will be in its galleries, and a few small controversies. - Charleston City Paper
The revelation begs a question: At a time when TV and film productions are churning out increasingly elaborate sets in the streaming era, and audiences remain hungry for IRL immersive experiences, could installations like Netflix’s Sistine Chapel have a second life? - Artnet
