"New works by the elusive illustrator have been popping up around the city to coincide with the third anniversary of the natural disaster, which killed more than 1800 people as it swept across the US Gulf Coast."...
Banksy's Political Gift Rejected Becauswe He's Anonymous
When Banksy offered one of his highly sought-after canvases to Britain's Labour Party to auction for Ken Livingstone's ill-fated re-election campaign, the party's high command was jubilant. Then they realized that the true identity of the artist would have to be declared under the law. And that was a deal breaker......
Should The Public Give Money To Rich People For Their Art?
Two Titians might leave the UK if they are sold at auction. The owners want £100 million for them. " If the paintings are not secured by the galleries, it is likely that they will be lost to the British viewing public and head overseas to richer galleries. Worse still, they could end up hanging in the hallway of a plutocrat's mansion, hidden from view. They have only been on display in the National Galleries in London and Scotland for so long because of a loan deal agreed in 1945."...
Pope Condemns Crucified Frog Sculpture
A sculpture in northern Italy depicting a crucified green frog holding a beer mug and an egg could be soon removed from display after Pope Benedict condemned it as blasphemous....
Why Japanese Curators Haven't Made Their Mark On The World
"In the last two decades, Japan's visual artists have become as prominent as its scientists, and its designers as respected as its businessmen. But local curatorial talents have never stood out on the world stage."...
Iraq's Top Archaeologist: Looting Of Artifacts Is Over
"Professional looting has ended, although just like anywhere in the world there may be some occasional digging by children. Religious leaders have issued fatwas against damaging our heritage. Guards with proper facilities are protecting sites. Iraqi archaeologists have resumed excavating, which means the sites are better monitored."...
A Case For UK Museums' Purchase Of £100m Titians
The figure represents one third of their estimated open market value, but why is it so important to save the works for the nation, and how difficult will it be to raise the cash? National Gallery of Scotland director John Leighton: "I think it would be hard to exaggerate the misfortune it would be. In our terms it would be like the Mona Lisa being taking out of the Louvre, or the Uffizi gallery in Florence losing its Botticellis,"...
Yale School of Art and Architecture Emerges From Makeover As A Masterpiece
"Now seen in its full glory, his building turns out to be a masterpiece of late Modernism, one that will force many to reappraise an entire period of Modernist history and put Rudolph back on the pedestal where he belongs."...
Huxtable: World Trade Center Project Is A Monumental Fiasco
"I would say that this has probably been the greatest planning fiasco in the history of the world. Daniel Libeskind's prize-winning design, a flexible, schematic concept that established a framework of achievable, creative possibilities, has been progressively purged by political pandering and economic pragmatism. The Port Authority's own brutally detailed report earlier this year gave some cogent reasons why a strong, unified vision of civic and urban renewal on a plane worthy of a great city could not survive."...
Moscow's Tratyakov Wants To Build New Home For Modern Art
Russia's Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow's largest collection of Russian art, said it has begun talks with the city government to build a new space for its modern and contemporary art collection....
UK National Museums Want 50 Million Pounds To But Titian
London's National Gallery and the National Galleries of Scotland seek to buy a Titian painting for 50 million pounds ($92 million) as part of a plan that would allow the U.K. to continue showing the most important private collection of Old Masters on loan to the nation....
Damien Hirst Aims At Moving Out The Inventory
"Realising his British clientele can no longer soak up the quantity of art that he produces, Hirst is tapping the wider international market. He is putting 223 other works up for sale at Sotheby's next month in his first sale of newly produced art at a major auction house. Hirst has opted for the auction house route partly because the commission is lower than the 40% often levied by galleries. He has also said that galleries can be "snobby" towards possible customers and "look down" on them."...
India Gets Its First Contemporary Art Museum
"In a way, Devi is the natural next step for a country awash in new wealth, soaring art prices and a prolific crop of artists and collectors. A modern art museum is also under way in the eastern city of Calcutta. Herzog & de Meuron, the Swiss architecture firm that built the Tate Modern in London, is designing it."...
Artist Paints Old-Style Fresco In Pisa Church (Competition Ensues)
"Over the past year, Luca has chosen over 100 prominent Pisans to represent the leading figures in his fresco. There have been public castings and auditions to find the other 150 characters."...
Did Someone Throw Away A Leger?
"A prized 1921 painting by the French cubist Fernand Leger has been lost - perhaps unintentionally thrown out - by Wellesley College's Davis Museum and Cultural Center. That would be a costly mistake. Last year, the average Leger painting sold for $2.8 million."...