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GAO Agency Finds That Trump Administration Withholding Of Library And Museum Funding Breaks Law

The nonpartisan Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a decision on Monday finding that the Trump administration‘s withholding of funding for the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), appropriated by Congress, is in violation of the law. - ARTnews

Colorado Museums Brace For Program Cancellations

Institutions across Colorado were awarded about $4.3 million in IMLS grants, most of which require matching funds from the museum or library, for the current fiscal year. - Colorado Newsline

One Of Gaudí’s Most Famous Barcelona Houses Has Its Rear Façade Restored

“In a project Casa Batlló has described as a ‘remarkable rediscovery,’ the back façade has been returned to its original state following a years-long €3.5 million ($4 million) initiative. ... This was the first comprehensive attention that has been paid to the building’s rear in more than a century.” - Artnet

This 13th-Century Yemeni Citadel May Not Survive Its Own Restoration

“From its perch 5,000 feet above sea level, the ancient al-Qahira Castle has watched over Yemen’s third-largest city, Taiz, for more than 800 years. ... But the future of its weathered walls is now uncertain — not because of threats from invaders or empires, but because of the sudden suspension of restoration funds.” - Smithsonian Magazine

Posting The Receipts: Writers Are Documenting Themselves Writing On TikTok To Prove They’re Not AI

Prolific authors are not only calling out people who use AI to write, they’re also posting livestreams and time-lapses of their writing processes to defend themselves against such complaints. - Wired

Is Art Basel Losing Its Mojo?

Art Basel’s flagship event in Switzerland now faces formidable challenges. The 289 gallerists from 42 countries participating in this year’s edition of the fair, whose V.I.P. preview opened on Tuesday, are trying to make sales at a time when the art market is in a slump and the world is in turmoil. - The New York Times

Man Drives Mercedes Down Rome’s Spanish Steps, Gets Stuck

Firefighters who helped the 80-year-old driver from his vehicle say that he was uninjured and disoriented but not intoxicated. A crane removed the car from the travertine staircase, which is evidently undamaged. - Artnet

Is Art Basel Being Overshadowed By Its Own Spinoffs?

For decades it was the contemporary art world’s do-not-miss fair, but the Swiss mother-ship now faces competition from Art Basel events in Qatar, Hong Kong, Miami Beach, and, especially, Paris, a city which experience-minded collectors are likely to prefer to sedate Basel. - The New York Times

With Its Own Building Closed For Renovations, Pompidou Center Moves Into Newly-Restored Grand Palais

The Beaux-Arts landmark on the Champs-Elysées, built for the Paris Universal Exhibition (World’s Fair) in 1900, has been renovated for the first time in its history. Among the Pompidou exhibitions so far is Fun Palace, a pink, textile structure designed by Rotterdam architect Studio Ossidiana as a habitable "living laboratory.” - Dezeen

What AI Art Looks Like When It Hasn’t Trained On Artists’ Work

Depending on your perspective, Broad’s art is either a pioneering display of pure artificial creativity, a look into the very soul of AI, or a clever but meaningless electronic by-product, closer to guitar feedback than music. - The Verge

Bringing The Plants To Life At Philly’s Soon-To-Open Calder Sculpture Garden

Calder Gardens will be a stylized oasis with woodlands, wildflower-filled prairie meadows, and rivers of grasses running through it — all carefully laid out by landscape designer Piet Oudolf to maintain visual interest year-round. (However, it will probably take two years for the plants to grow into Oudolf’s vision.) - The Philadelphia Inquirer (MSN)

Iran Closes Its Museums And Orders Artifacts Transferred To Safe Storage

“As the conflict with Israel continues to escalate, Iran has closed its museums and cultural heritage sites until further notice, according to local news reports. Officials have also ordered valuable artefacts across the country to be relocated to secure storage facilities.” - The Art Newspaper

Tourists Sit On, And Break, Crystal-Coated “Van Gogh Chair” In Museum

A couple visiting the Palazzo Maffei museum in the Italian city of Verona was caught on closed-circuit TV sitting on artist Nicola Bolla’s Swarovski-encrusted “van Gogh” chair. The piece folded under the man’s weight, and the pair promptly ran from the room - ARTnews

The Cultural Implications Of The UK National Gallery Rehang

A rehang tends to elicit strong reactions from anyone with a stake in the collection – and in the case of a public gallery, “anyone” means “everyone”. Unsurprisingly then, it has only been done twice at the National Gallery since the second world war. - The Conversation

Egypt’s Grand Egyptian Museum Opening Is Delayed Due To “Regional Developments”

“In light of the current regional developments, it has been decided to postpone the official opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum,” the GEM explained in a statement on social media. - ARTnews

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