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Seven Years After Fire That Destroyed It, National Museum Of Brazil Is Partially Reopening

“(The museum) in Rio de Janeiro will temporarily reopen some galleries this month, nearly seven years after an electrical fire engulfed the building and destroyed around 90% of its collection. The museum aims to offer a glimpse into its years-long efforts to rebuild and preview ... the full reopening” in 2028. - The Art Newspaper

Tourist Jumps Fence, Damages Terracotta Warriors In Xian

The tourist was visiting the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang in Xi’an, a city in western China that was the capital during several ancient dynasties, when he “climbed over the guardrail and the protective net and jumped” more than 15 feet into Pit No. 3 on Friday. - ARTnews

Canadian Museums Facing Storage Crisis

Museums in Canada face several challenges to housing and preserving their collections, let alone displaying those items. And overcrowding is becoming a bigger issue, experts say, from what might be a surprising source — Canadians donating way more fine art and artifacts than the museums can possibly use. - CBC

The Artists Keeping Burned-Out Altadena’s Black Arts Community Alive

“Six months after the blaze, more people have returned to their homes, or to the land where their homes once stood, and are assessing how to continue. How safe the post-burn areas are is an unresolved question.”  - The Guardian (UK)

The Final Piece Of This Sprawling, Three-Island, Ten-Museum Art Installation Is Now Open

The Naoshima New Museum of Art “is likely to provide more fuel for global art pilgrims — some six million of them since 2004 — who have flocked to the islands, most taking a couple of trains and a ferry to experience major artworks in unusual settings.” - The New York Times

After A Six Year Battle, Harvard Lets Go Of Photos Of Enslaved People

"Commissioned by Harvard professor Louis Agassiz and taken by Joseph T. Zealy in 1850, the daguerreotypes — an early form of photography exposed on copper plates — show Renty and Delia stripped to the waist.” Now, the images will go to one of their descendants. - Hyperallergic

Trump Fires Director Of The National Portrait Gallery, Calling Her “Highly Partisan”

The dismissal marks the first action Trump has taken against the Smithsonian Institution since an executive order he signed earlier this year that promised to eliminate “divisive narratives” and “anti-American ideology” from the museum and research body, which is partially funded by the federal government. - Washington Post

Can The Designer Of The Iconic iPhone Give AI Its Breakout Device?

The news of his move to OpenAI felt something like learning that LeBron James was joining the Miami Heat: Jony Ive had become synonymous with Apple’s success, perhaps second only to Jobs. Now, after a period of independence, he was choosing a new team. - The New Yorker

A Desert Mirage? Plans For A Joshua Tree Art Museum Are At A Standstill

“On the Twentynine Palms Highway, a makeshift billboard declares “JTAM” in tall black letters. … Except for that recently erected sign — plus a website, social media presence and a ‘community outreach project’ named Alien Robot Museum — JTAM does not exist. And it may never. The reason is not for lack of funding.” - Los Angeles Times (MSN)

Pompidou Center To Open Branch Near Iguazu Falls in Brazil

While the Paris mothership is closed for a five-year renovation, items from its collection will be sent for exhibition at the museum’s satellites in Metz, Málaga, Shanghai — and, beginning in November 2027, a new outpost in Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil. (Branches in Brussels and Seoul, and possibly Jersey City, are in development.) - ARTnews

Damien Hirst’s Plan To Keep Producing Art For 200 Years After He Dies

“Hirst plans to fill up 200 notebooks, each representing one year after his demise. ... ‘The idea,’ he (says), ‘is to have a certificate that says ‘Year One after Damien Dies: you’ve got the right to make this sculpture and you can trade the certificate before it isn’t made.’” - Artnet

Great News For Art Conservators: There’s A New Specialty Glue That Looks Like Rice Noodles

“Art conservators were starting to panic after two critical ingredients for a glue called Beva 371 and used to line historical canvases were discontinued. However, researchers … have developed a new, safer version of the adhesive (which) comes in various forms, including a solvent-free extrusion that looks like rice noodles.”  - ARTnews

A Klimt Painting Was On Sale For $16.4 Million. It May Have Been Exported Illegally.

“The 1897 canvas, Prince William Nii Nortey Dowuona,” which was on sale at this year’s TEFAF in Maastricht, “had reportedly resided in Hungary for decades, but conflicting accounts from Hungarian and Austrian authorities have raised questions over whether the work was legally cleared to leave the country.” - Artnet

Archaeologists Uncover Large Ancient Marble Workshop In Greece

Paros wasn’t just rich in natural resources. It was also a hub for artistry and culture. At a dig on the site of Floga, Parikia, archaeologists found a large number of unfinished marble statues—evidence of the organized production of artwork in an ancient sculpture workshop. - Artnet

What’s The Rococo Remake Of The Oval Office All About?

A parade of golden objects march across the mantel, relegating the traditional Swedish ivy to a greenhouse. Gilded Rococo wall appliqués, nearly identical to the ones at Mr. Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, are stuck to the fireplace and office walls with the same level of aesthetic consideration a child gives her doll’s face. - The New York Times

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