“Arbitration clauses are interpreted literally, but not foolishly,” the new filing argues. It asks the court to enter an order compelling Suda to submit to arbitration, and to stay legal proceedings until the matter is resolved in arbitration. - Philadelphia Inquirer
Long-term loans are not restitution. They do not acknowledge historical wrongdoing, nor do they restore agency to source communities. Instead, they reinforce a museum’s claim of ownership over objects it has no moral (and often legal) right to possess. - Hyperallergic
The main takeaway, for me, is that museums have a vulnerability—a technical, physical vulnerability—that is mirrored by the vulnerability of the public’s reaction, the idea that you can be culturally wounded in a profound collective manner. - The New Yorker
It felt like visiting your childhood home stripped of its furniture — intimately familiar yet deeply disorienting. How would Paris get through five years without this place? - The New York Times
“Starting on 1 February 2026, the Italian capital is introducing €2 tickets for tourists to descend the steps to the area around the water-filled basin - from where it is customary to toss a coin into the fountain. Viewing the aquatic masterpiece from the piazza above will remain free.” - Euronews
Staffers are feeling cautiously hopeful about new CEO Daniel Weiss. The “cautiously” part would seem to be because of what staffers have been through over the previous three years. - The Philadelphia Inquirer (MSN)
As some political leaders double down on the old memorial language, they ask: What if we thought of our memorials as works in progress, to be improved, edited, reconfigured and even deleted? - Washington Post
“Funds apportioned for the Smithsonian Institution are only available for use in a manner consistent with Executive Order 14253 ‘Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History." - Washington Post
This year’s highlights include the remodeling of a Richard Seifert brutalist ‘corncob’ tower, a celebration of Japanese carpentry and a wearable hot-water bottle. - The Guardian
The Trump administration threatened “to withhold federal funds if it does not submit extensive documentation for a sweeping content review. … It was not immediately clear how much money the White House might try to withhold, from which parts of the Smithsonian or on what authority.” - Washington Post (MSN)
“The museum holds more than 40,000 items from across Africa, many of which were traded, collected, looted or preserved during the era of the British empire. … The names of makers, the cultural significance of objects and the people to which they once belonged are largely unknown.” - The Guardian (UK)
“Along with projecting portraits of Angelenos, Am I Next? highlights brief stories of people, including US citizens, accosted and snatched out of homes, cars, workplaces and the streets by federal agents, under the word ‘Taken.’” - The Guardian (UK)
The Frick’s new chief curator loves nothing more than researching the women on the walls. "What captured Ng’s attention, though, was Lady Skipwith’s forlorn expression. Was she as miserable as she appeared in the painting?” - The New York Times
After years of “fast-casual architecture” — blocky, drab grey hulks clad in relentless grid façades which look all the worse next to the city’s fine old brick rowhouses — architects in Philadelphia are getting back in touch with the craft of bricklaying and getting away from straight lines. - The Philadelphia Inquirer (MSN)
