“After the Museum closed its doors for renovations in 2018, it would take seven years and a $300 million capital campaign that nearly doubled its original goal to finally set an opening date. With construction delays and fund-raising hurdles cleared, the museum will reopen to the public on Nov. 15.” - The New York Times
“While the whereabouts of these gold treasures — three Dracian bracelets dating from 50 B.C.E. and the 2,500-year-old Cotofenesti helmet — remain unknown, Dutch prosecutors say that evidence gathered from wiretapped conversations suggests they have not yet been melted down.” - Artnet
“The current crisis in China is a result of corporate backers tightening their budgets, consumers curtailing their discretionary spending, and rising costs, people working at the museums tell the Post.” - South China Morning Post (Hong Kong)
Ben Davis: “It’s smug provocation. And there’s no particular love for classic art here; the aesthetic sensibility is totally internet-brained. These specific paintings are picked because they are mildly to very cartoonish, so that holding them up as a sincere image of the past will get people riled up.” - Artnet
Four years after a fire gutted it, Donald Judd’s “Architecture Office will reopen with new ventilation systems, recycled-denim insulation and an upstairs apartment for researchers and staff. The forlorn windows have been uncovered, inviting fresh consideration of Judd’s architecture.” - The New York Times
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
