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Ukraine’s Culture Minister Accuses Russians Of Selling Off Art And Artifacts They’ve Looted

“Russia has stolen more than 1.7 million pieces of Ukrainian cultural heritage since its full-scale invasion began, according to the Ukrainian Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications Mykola Tochytskyi,” and has been selling many of those items on the black market. - ARTnews

It’s About Time We Acknowledged That Andrew Wyeth Was A Genuinely Great Artist

“The slow collapse of the postwar avant-garde’s underlying tenets (no figuration! no storytelling! no obvious skill!) has allowed many to admit that Wyeth was onto something specific and powerful …, (and) I find it tends to overwhelm most reservations. What he was onto, in short, was mortality.” - The Washington Post (MSN)

The Classically Cool Frick Re-emerges

If the museum experience is now more stylistically bifurcated — the Beaux Arts past on one side of the complex, a sympathetic but unapologetic contemporary aesthetic on the other — they unite in enhancing the museum experience. - Bloomberg

Why Trump’s Sculpture Garden Project Of American Heroes Is A Big Deal

Effectively killing the NEH in its current form and then reallocating its money to build the National Garden of American Heroes—the centerpiece of Trump’s plans to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States (thus, 250 sculptures)—is yet one more missile launched in his administration’s ongoing culture war. - The Atlantic

Pope Francis Puts Architect Antoni Gaudí On Path To Sainthood

“The architect behind the Sagrada Familia church in Barcelona has been declared ‘Venerable’ by Pope Francis, the second step in the path to canonisation. Gaudí was recognised by the Vatican for his ‘heroic virtues’.” - Dezeen

Climate-Protesting Art Vandal Who Attacked Degas Sculpture Convicted

“A federal jury convicted Raleigh climate activist Timothy Martin of two felonies Monday for smearing washable paint on a sculpture’s display case in the National Gallery of Art — an act of civil disobedience that could send him to prison for 10 years.” - The News and Observer (Raleigh, NC)

Where Is Ninety Percent Of Sub-Saharan Africa’s Material Cultural Legacy?

In Western museums, of course. - African History Extra

Ireland’s Trailblazing Artists Were Treated So Badly That One Retreated To A Convent

"The Irish Times used the phrase 'freak pictures’ in a review, and Russell again had a field day, referring to their work as ‘artistic malaria.’ It all weighed heavily on them both.” - The Guardian (UK)

In Italy, A Treasure Trove Of Recovered Black Market Art Goes On Display

“It is the loot of raiders who for decades have targeted sites from classical antiquity in southern Italy, such as Pompeii and Herculaneum. Some even used underwater metal detectors, GPS, sonar and drones to extract treasures from the shipwrecks and archaeological sites.” - Seattle Times

Australia’s Public Art Fans Resist An American ‘Art Entrepreneur’ And His Shiny Huge Astronaut Statue

In Perth, “the Kebab’s original plinth still stands, awaiting the sculpture’s restoration and return. No report ever eventuated examining the three options presented to council in 2022 – conservation, relocation or decommissioning.” Then the spaceman plan was announced. - The Guardian (UK)

Where Does Art End?

It’s the frames, but also far beyond the borders of the frames, when an art lover goes to a museum. - The New York Times

The BBC Did What With A Pedophile’s Art?

They reinstalled Eric Gill’s statue, is what they did. Now it’s behind a “protective screen” (to protect the sculpture, that is), but, uh, "visitors can now scan a QR code near the building to understand the dark background of the sculpture’s creator.” - The Guardian (UK)

William Morris Designs Are Literally Everywhere Now

"His legacy, like his life, is one of contradictions: he was a radical socialist and hugely successful businessman, who made wallpaper for Queen Victoria; a passionate champion of craftsmanship and workers’ rights, whose designs have become a template for mass-produced tat.” - The Guardian (UK)

Is This Vermeer’s Last Painting?

Until recently the Kaplan painting had been considered to have been completed between 1670-72. That dating has now been revised, with Wheelock stating it as 1670-75. Vermeer died on 15 December 1675 and Young Woman seated at a Virginal is most likely his final picture. - The Art Newspaper

The Prado Has Enlisted AI To Count People In Paintings

The Prado hopes that actually knowing exactly how many people are in these crowded scenes will help us better understand these paintings, and how the artists were using large quantities and repetition in their work. - Artnet

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