The Temple Anthropology Lab and Museum (TALM) officially opened this week. “The space was languishing and something needed to happen — either it was going to be shut down or someone was going to be having to take care of them.” - Philadelphia Inquirer (MSN)
From the banana on the wall to the butt-plug-shaped balloon to the (alleged) vulva in Versailles, here’s a chance to revisit some of the biggest brouhahas of the past quarter-century. - ARTnews
“The gold leaf had washed off the 350-year-old statues, leaving a behind dull, ruddy scene. Algae had spread across the 13 statues, leaving marks down Apollo’s dashing face that appeared like a trail of green tears. Things were not much better internally.” - Artnet
The Getty maintains earthquake and fire insurance but, as expressed in the filing, there are concerns “such insurance could become unavailable at rates considered reasonable by the Getty Trust.” - ARTnews
Kevin Young’s leave came two weeks before Trump issued an executive order calling for the elimination of what he described as “improper, divisive or anti-American ideology” within the Smithsonian. - The Guardian
Following the attempted prosecution of the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth for child pornography over an exhibition of Sally Mann’s photography, a state representative has proposed a law that would fine a museum $500,000 per item per day for displaying anything deemed “obscene or harmful material.” - Fort Worth Report
While most of the 100 museums in the list grew their social media followings over the past year, this is despite almost all of them experiencing a decline in followers on X. - The Art Newspaper
Years after the pandemic sharpened issues around mental health, the practice has boomed, with doctors prescribing visits to museums from Montpellier to Massachusetts as a complement to more traditional treatments. - The Guardian
“The man-made building heighten the beauty of the desert and the desert more beautiful because of the building,” Wright wrote in To Arizona. “A dream, but realization is coming.” - Bloomberg
“Videos of (the) museum showing empty rooms, piles of rubble and broken artefacts posted on social media after the Sudanese army recaptured the area from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. … The museum held an estimated 100,000 artefacts from thousands of years of the country’s history.” - The Guardian
Much like Munch’s iconic painting, this suite of five “never-before-seen” works made around 1893 all depict the main figure on a bridge alongside a pair in the background. In this case, the central character displays a range of emotions, from happiness to anger and boredom. - Hyperallergic
“The most significant damage to cultural heritage sites appears to have occurred in and around Mandalay, the country’s second-largest city and the home of many ancient monasteries and palaces.” - ARTnews
“There’s no way this is anti-American if it’s showing everything we’ve been through and what our nation is founded on. How is it divisive to educate people on what happened?” - Washington Post
Why would historic site manager Brian Pease save The Battle of Nashville? The Capitol “was finished in 1905, only 40 years after the Civil War. The war was fresh in people’s minds, especially the state’s veterans, who had become politicians, governors and business leaders.” - MPR
“Works on Skin sells artwork in numbered limited editions of 100, initially for €100 each but reaching up to €2,000 for the last remaining numbers. With their purchase, buyers acquire a signed fine-art print of the artwork.” - The Observer (UK)
