Sotheby’s Cleared in Rybolovlev Feud, Mafia-Looted Opie Painting Returned, and ‘Sleeper’ Guercino Portrait Acquired, and More: Morning Links for January 31, 2024
To receive Morning Links in your inbox every weekday, sign up for our Breakfast with ARTnews newsletter. The Headlines ART FEUD FINALE. Sotheby’s was cleared Tuesday of claims they helped Swiss...
Sotheby’s Cleared of Accusations of Aiding and Abetting Fraud in Rybolovlev Case
Sotheby’s was cleared Tuesday in Manhattan federal court of claims that they helped Swiss art dealer Yves Bouvier defraud Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev, in a...
Plan to Restore Giza Pyramid Draws Anger and Mockery from Archaeologists
A plan to restore one of the Giza pyramids is being slammed by archaeologists, who have compared it to “straightening the Tower of Pisa.” The project—which is...
Google Brings Back App that Turns Selfies Into Famous Artworks by van Gogh, Rembrandt, and More
For those who missed the art selfie craze, it has officially returned—this time using generative AI. In 2020, Google Arts and Culture launched an art filter that...
Florence Museum Director Says Tourism Has Turned the City Into a ‘Prostitute,’ Drawing Pushback
The director of Florence’s Galleria dell’Accademia, the famed museum that houses Michelangelo’s David, compared the Italian city to a sex worker, suggesting that excessive tourism...
Suspect in Brent Sikkema Murder Confesses, Thief Believed Dorothy’s Slippers Were Real, and More: Morning Links for January 30, 2024
To receive Morning Links in your inbox every weekday, sign up for our Breakfast with ARTnews newsletter. The Headlines CRIMINAL CONFESSION. The suspect in the murder of New York dealer Brent...
New-York Historical Society Promotes Wendy Nālani E. Ikemoto to Chief Curator
The New-York Historical Society, the city’s oldest museum, has named Wendy Nālani E. Ikemoto as its new chief curator and vice president. Ikemoto, who is...
Russian Billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev’s Case Against Sotheby’s Comes to a Close
After just over three weeks, lawyers for both Dmitry Rybolovlev’s Accent Delight International and Sotheby’s made their closing statements in a case whose decision could...
CEO of Royal Commission of AlUla Arrested for Corruption, Money Laundering
Amr al-Madani, the chief executive officer of the Royal Commission of AlUla in Saudi Arabia, was arrested on corruption charges on January 28. The arrest...
Alice Mackler, Artist Who Had a Late-Career Rise in New York, Dies at 92
Alice Mackler, an artist whose piquantly fashioned ceramics caught the attention of prominent New York critics in the final stages of her career, died on...
Iran Calls for Halt of British Museum’s Planned Loan of 2,600-Year-Old Babylonian Artifact to Jerusalem
Iranian officials are calling to halt the planned transfer of a significant Babylonian artifact from the British Museum to Jerusalem, raising concern that relocating the...
Centre Pompidou and Staff Reach Agreement, Ending Three-Month Strike
The Centre Pompidou, a complex of cultural institutions that includes France’s National Museum of Modern Art, has reached an agreement with two unions that represent...
Laurie Anderson Withdraws from Visiting Professor Post at German University After Pro-Palestine Letter Resurfaces
The New York–based artist and musician Laurie Anderson said she would not take up a visiting professor position at the Folkwang University of the Arts...
Climate Activists Target ‘Mona Lisa’, Indigenous Artifacts Barred From View, Anti-Hamas Protest at Tate, and More: Morning Links for January 29, 2024
To receive Morning Links in your inbox every weekday, sign up for our Breakfast with ARTnews newsletter. The Headlines MONA LISA DRENCHED. After cake, why not soup? Two climate protestors threw soup at...