Art World A ‘Golden Period’ Stradivari Violin Once Owned by Catherine the Great Could Sell for Millions of Dollars at Auction The violin has been in the collection of no fewer than two Russian Empresses, including Catherine the Great. By Brian Boucher, May 23, 2023
Law & Politics A Jewish Dealer’s Heirs Are Suing Sotheby’s, Alleging Its Provenance of a Tiepolo Work ‘Misled the Public’ The heirs of Otto Fröhlich say he sold the painting under duress during World War II. Sotheby's pleads 'human error.' By Brian Boucher, May 22, 2023
Art World Putin Has Ordered a State Museum to Return Russia’s Most Precious Icon to the Orthodox Church, Raising Panic Over Its Fragile Condition Conservationists fear the icon might simply disintegrate if removed from museum conditions. By Brian Boucher, May 19, 2023
Art World Greece and the British Museum May Have Found a ‘Win-Win’ Solution for the Parthenon Marbles. Just Don’t Call It a Loan Greece's prime minister has hinted at a possible resolution. By Brian Boucher, May 17, 2023
Pop Culture For Decades, ‘The Simpsons’ Has Made Surprisingly Incisive Observations About Art. Here Are 4 That Still Resonate Today The long-running sitcom has such wise lessons on the art world, it ought to be on art school curricula. By Brian Boucher, May 15, 2023
Museums & Institutions Weeks After a Ransomware Attack, the National Gallery of Canada Is Still Working to Bring Its Operations Back Online The museum assured members that no credit or debit card information was stored on its servers. By Brian Boucher, May 15, 2023
NFTs A New NFT and ‘Speculative Reality’ Puzzle From Artist Trevor Paglen Sends Users on a Dark, Mind Control-Themed Treasure Hunt "I was thinking about audience in a different way," the artist said. By Brian Boucher, May 12, 2023
Museums & Institutions The Smithsonian National Museum of African Art’s Director Has Resigned After Less Than Two Years, Citing ‘Resistance and Backlash’ Ngaire Blankenberg quietly departed after less than two years. By Brian Boucher, May 10, 2023
Museums & Institutions MoMA PS1 Has Named Connie Butler, Chief Curator at the Hammer Museum in L.A., to Be Its New Director Butler has played a key role in Los Angeles's rise as a global art hub. By Brian Boucher, May 9, 2023
Archaeology & History Israeli Divers Have Discovered a Trove of Antiquities From Not One But Two Ancient Shipwrecks Off the Coast of Caesarea One of the ships went down some 1,700 years ago, and now they have given forth coins, jewelry and figurines. By Brian Boucher, Dec 23, 2021
Archaeology & History Christmas Comes Early in Scotland, Where Researchers Unwrap a Rare Rock Crystal Jar From the Viking-Era Galloway Hoard The jar is inscribed on the bottom: “Bishop Hyguald had me made.” But the existence of this clergyman remains a mystery. By Brian Boucher, Dec 23, 2021
Museums & Institutions After Nearly Going Under, New York’s South Street Seaport Museum Just Secured $50 Million in Funding. But Not Everyone Is on Board Most of the funding comes from the Howard Hughes Corporation on the condition that it build a high-rise in the historic district. By Brian Boucher, Dec 22, 2021
On View See the Psychedelic Cat Art of Louis Wain, the Eccentric Artist Played by Benedict Cumberbatch in the Hit New Film These are some seriously far-out felines. By Brian Boucher, Dec 21, 2021
Museums & Institutions With Omicron on the Rise, Museums on America’s Eastern Seaboard Are Shuttering or Reducing Admittance as Protective Measures Whether as a preventative measure or in response to increased numbers of positive tests, museums are taking action. By Brian Boucher, Dec 21, 2021
Museums & Institutions A Curator Wants to Put Confederate Monuments in a Contemporary Art Museum. First, He Has to Figure Out Who They Belong To LAXART director Hamza Walker is organizing the show along with artist Kara Walker. Or at least he's trying to. By Brian Boucher, Dec 20, 2021