Law Russian Billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev’s Secret Backing of Some of Hollywood’s Biggest Movies Has Been Revealed in a High-Stakes Lawsuit A firm Rybolovlev silently backed is behind blockbusters such as 'Top Gun: Maverick' and 'Mission: Impossible 7.' By Eileen Kinsella, Jan 5, 2023
Shows & Exhibitions A New Show of Contemporary Mexican Design Explores the Explosive Scene on Its Own Terms "Everything Here Is Volcanic" features unusual materials—including actual volcanic rock—at Friedman Benda gallery. By Adrian Madlener, Jan 5, 2023
Art World Art Industry News: Hunter Biden May be Forced to Disclose the Buyers of His Pricey Art + Other Stories Plus, Bonhams hit a record-breaking $1 billion in sales in 2022, and police seek leads in a $400,000 art theft in Boulder, Colorado. By Artnet News, Jan 5, 2023
Crime The Man Who Allegedly Stabbed Two MoMA Staffers Has Been Extradited to New York and Charged With Assault Police arrested Gary Cabana three days after the shocking attack. By Sarah Cascone, Jan 4, 2023
Archaeology Archaeologists Discover 60 High-Ranking Renegade Mummies in a Tomb of an Ancient Egyptian Opposition Figure in Luxor Important Egyptians chose to be interred in Amenhotep-Huy's burial place because he opposed Akhenaten's controversial move to monotheism. By Sarah Cascone, Jan 4, 2023
Museums London’s National Portrait Gallery Has Acquired a $3.6 Million Public Toilet. (They Must Have Been Feeling Flush) Flush with cash, the museum will convert the Victorian-era restroom into an annex. By Sarah Cascone, Jan 4, 2023
Law Italian Police Confiscated a $4.2 Million Rubens Painting From a Genoa Exhibition as Part of a Fraud Investigation A decade ago, the owners illegally exported the piece and staged fake sales abroad to boost its value, according to the Carabinieri. By Taylor Dafoe, Jan 4, 2023
Art World ‘Having Agency Is Exactly That’: How Director Crystal Whaley Masterminded the First Documentary to Spotlight Black Women Photographers 'The Sound She Saw' will screen at the Brooklyn Museum in February. By Jasmin Hernandez, Jan 4, 2023
Museums The British Museum Is in Talks to Return the Parthenon Marbles to Greece in Landmark Loan Deal But the "cultural exchange," drawn up by the museum's chairman George Osborne, is not likely to resolve the longstanding row over ancient sculptures. By Vivienne Chow, Jan 4, 2023
Art World Art Industry News: An Illustrator Had Her Work Co-Opted by the Alt-Right, Then by A.I. + Other Stories Plus, Lehmann Maupin appoints a Singapore-based director, and the world's largest archaeological institution gets an opening date. By Artnet News, Jan 4, 2023
Art World Marilyn Minter’s Upcoming Series Reimagines Modern Feminist Icons From Lizzo to Jasmine Wahi as ‘21st-Century Odalisques’ A handful of the works will be on view at LGDR this April. By Annie Armstrong, Jan 4, 2023
Archaeology Ancient Stone Tools Once Thought to be Made by Humans Were Actually Crafted by Monkeys, Say Archaeologists If monkeys made the tools, it's a major blow to experts seeking to disprove the long-held "Clovis First" theory. By Sarah Cascone, Jan 3, 2023
Crime The Man Accused of Attempting to Steal a Banksy Mural in Ukraine Could Face Up to 12 Years in Prison The accused thief claims he was planning to sell the street artist's work to benefit the Ukrainian Army. By Sarah Cascone, Jan 3, 2023
Archaeology Police Seized Hundreds of Paleolithic Tools, Roman Tiles, Bones, and Other Ancient Artifacts From Two Homes in Spain Also uncovered at one of the sites was a hand-written notebook detailing the exact locations from which the items were taken. By Taylor Dafoe, Jan 3, 2023
On View German Artist Julian Rosefeldt’s New Film Weaves 2,000 Years’ Worth of Cultural History Into a Commentary on Capitalist Greed Currently on view at Park Avenue Armory, the work is a 24-channel installation that also features the Brooklyn Youth Chorus. By Katy Diamond Hamer, Jan 3, 2023