A group of anti-gentrification protesters vandalized the contemporary art museum of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) as demonstrations against rising housing prices and the growing displacement of local residents continue across the city. - Hyperallergic
The Mona Lisa represents an impossible ideal—palpable, yet clearly beyond reach. The Scream, on the other hand, arguably speaks to a much more ancient, existential state, connecting to the fears—psychological and physical—that have haunted mankind from its beginnings. - ARTnews
A week with this invisible group of virtuoso gardeners in their run-up to a new season reveals how, sitting at the intersection of art and science, they manage with near-religious fervor to conjure from the dirt some of the most famous flowers in art. - The Wall Street Journal
7,400 artefacts were smuggled into Rmelan from dozens of dig sites. The items have now come to light—literally—as the heritage NGOs responsible for Rmelan believe the security situation has stabilised enough for them to be transferred to local museums. - The Art Newspaper
For the first time since that 2016 discovery, the full panel of petroglyphs has been exposed again after seasonal ocean swells swept away covering sand. In all, the petroglyphs are spread across 115 feet of beach and consist of 26 figures and abstract shapes that archaeologists believe were created 500 or more years ago. - Artnet
This summer marks the 100th anniversary of the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes (International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts), a colossal fair that took over 57 acres in central Paris and which gave the Art Deco movement its name. - The Observer
I’ve led communications at nonprofits for decades and — with rare exceptions — subscribe to the “as long as they’re spelling our name right” school of public relations. But the complications around OnOur250th.org were different, particularly the gravitational force to be drawn into political conflicts. - Hyperallergic
“An unidentified 34-year-old man died after jumping from the Whitney Museum on Wednesday evening, shortly before the museum closed, according to a source with knowledge of the incident.” - ARTnews
The gems were originally, circa 240 BC, buried in a stupa in Piprahwa, India, where they were mixed with some cremated remains of the Buddha. The jewels were to be auctioned by descendants of the British colonial landowner who took them to England; Prime Minister Modi intervened to halt the sale. - The Guardian
Art advisors and experts told ARTnews the works are high caliber and have “crazy” starting bids relative to their actual value based on previous auction records and sales information. However, the simple auction website and association with an international fugitive may deter potential bidders in an already sluggish art market. - ARTnews
Farah Nayeri: “Powered by the tech giant OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, an audio tool lets visitors (on or off site) converse with 20 outdoor statues in three languages. On that summer afternoon, I put the chatbot to the test.” - The New York Times
When director Joanna Burton revealed last week that she’s going to ICA in Philadelphia, she said she’d stay at MOCA through late October. On Wednesday, however, MOCA announced that it has appointed an interim director, Ann Goldstein, and a source said that Burton’s last day is this Friday. - Los Angeles Times (Yahoo!)
Chief Justice John Roberts is, ex officio, the Smithsonian Institution’s chancellor (the equivalent of board chairman). When Trump up and decided to fire National Portrait Gallery director Kim Sajet, Roberts led the board to state publicly that only they can hire and fire Smithsonian museum directors. - ARTnews
The images, bookended by posts cheering the administration’s deportation campaign, have been widely shared by conservatives and sparked alarm among the artists, their families and some historians, who see their use as part of an effort to rewrite the past with an exclusionary view of American history. - Washington Post
The art world’s consensus has been that the painting was inspired by the African masks Picasso saw on a visit to Paris’s first ethnographic museum in 1907. Collector/researcher Alain Moreau argues that Demoiselles was completed before then and Picasso inspiration came instead from medieval Catalan frescoes. - The Times (UK)
