Seventh Banksy Mural Spotted in London, British Museum Broke Law Says Internal Review, Nazi Artifacts Stolen, and More: Morning Links for August 12, 2024

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THE HEADLINES

POINTLESS PAINTINGS. A seventh animal painting by Banksy emerged in London over the weekend. This time the elusive street artist made a police box in the City of London look like a fish tank. Given the police’s reaction, though, it looks like the authorities are running out of patience. “We are aware of criminal damage to a City of London Police box in Ludgate Hill,” detective chief inspector Andy Spooner reportedly said. “We are liaising with the City of London Corporation who own the police box.” The fish follow a mountain goat, a pair of elephants, three monkeys, two pelicans, and a wolf, all sprayed in various London locations. What do the simple, black, stenciled silhouettes that could have been painted by a toddler mean? People have been speculating on social media but Banksy’s support organization, Pest Control Office, appeared to pour cold water on any philosophical intent. It told the Guardian that “recent theorizing about the deeper significance of each new image has been way too involved.”

MISHANDLING MUSEUM. An internal review at the British Museum has found that the institution broke the law after thousands of ancient artifacts went walkabouts from its collection. Last December, the museum confirmed that 2,000 objects went missing and admitted that many might be “unrecoverable” after being “sold for scrap” or defaced. The internal audit revealed that the museum did not house the treasures in line with UK law. the Times reports that the Public Records Act dictates that museums and libraries are required to “meet basic standards of preservation, access, and professional care,” while objects need to be in “the care of suitably qualified staff.” Any organizations guilty of neglecting these standards might see their treasures taken elsewhere by authorities or handed over to the National Archives. A British Museum source, however, said that there “was no suggestion” as of yet that the museum would suffer such a fate. It was revealed that 1,500 or so items from the British Museum were feared to have been stolen last year, while around 350 had parts removed including gold and gems.

THE DIGEST

A former bank in Sheffield is set to be transformed into an arts and culture venue called S1 Artspace. The Grade II listed Yorkshire Bank Chambers building in the city center was purchased as part of the former UK government’s Levelling Up Fund, created to improve infrastructure across the country. S1 Artspace’s team described the move as a “monumental step.” [BBC]

Anyone interested in stepping foot in the art world should read “recovering” art dealer Orlando Whitfield’s memoir, All That Glitters. It details Whitfield’s close relationship with disgraced art peddler Inigo Philbrick – and the former’s exhilarating downfall. [The New Statesman]

Hong Kong is known for a few things, among them it’s adversarial relationship with China. Street art is perhaps not one of the country’s internationally known traits, but the FT thinks it should be. [FT]

A museum in the English county of Norfolk housing a collection of Nazi artifacts was broken into last Friday, and a volunteer who works there has pointed the finger at “far right” activists. A baton belonging to German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, two SS knives, helmets, and a baby gas mask were pilfered from the Desert Rats Museum. The police are investigating. [ITV]

PAW-CASSO. Another major art story for you. A trainee therapy dog called Pickles who helps adults and children has surprised everyone with his artistic skills. He creates artworks by licking paté off clear plastic bags which contain paint, a canvas, and stencils. Fifteen of his paintings have been sold to date, with the funds reinvested into the community projects Pickles works for, Plant Pots and Wellies, in Essex. He’s getting his big break on September 3, when some of his work will go on display at the Harlow Civic Center. His owner, Rowen Saunders, said, “I was trying to work out a way for him to do painting with the children but every time I gave him a paintbrush, he’d crunch it into three bits and say ‘thank you very much.’ Our local MP Chris Vince has bought one of the paintings and he’s going to put in up in the Houses of Parliament, which we’re really, really proud of.” As it stands, Pickles’ work sells for about $10 a piece. [BBC]