Archaeology & History A 2,700-Year-Old Sculpture of an Assyrian God—Once Buried for Safekeeping—Has Been Unearthed Again in Iraq The monumental, 18-ton body of the ancient winged deity will now be reunited with its head, held at the Iraqi National Museum in Baghdad. By Jo Lawson-Tancred, Nov 7, 2023
Museums & Institutions A Rare Renaissance Panel Found Hanging Over a Stove in a French Home Has Been Acquired by the Louvre The work, which marks the advent of painting in pre-Renaissance Italy, was declared a French "national treasure." By Jo Lawson-Tancred, Nov 7, 2023
Law & Politics A Judge Has Ruled in the Bitter Ownership Dispute Over Norman Rockwell Works That Once Hung in the White House Was a long term loan to the White House used to disguise the theft of four valuable Rockwell drawings? By Jo Lawson-Tancred, Nov 6, 2023
Art World Right-Wing Journalist Pietrangelo Buttafuoco Is Set to Take Over the Venice Biennale—Who Is He? In the past, Buttafuoco was a member of far-right groups. More recently, he has converted to Islam. By Jo Lawson-Tancred, Nov 3, 2023
Crime An Art Dealer Who Allegedly Headed a Trafficking Ring That Sold Egyptian Antiquities to the Louvre and the Met Has Been Arrested Serop Simonian has been extradited from Hamburg to Paris and put in pre-trial detention. By Jo Lawson-Tancred, Nov 1, 2023
On View A Delayed and Expanded David Hockney Show Opens at London’s National Portrait Gallery, Harry Styles and All Returning to the same subjects throughout his life, Hockney shows us how to capture someone's essence on canvas. By Jo Lawson-Tancred, Nov 1, 2023
Museums & Institutions Tate Modern Reopened Its Controversial Viewing Platform With Restricted Access to Protect Its Neighbors’ Privacy The U.K.'s Supreme Court had ruled that the viewing platform was a "nuisance" to residents of nearby luxury apartments. By Jo Lawson-Tancred, Oct 26, 2023
Politics A Right-Wing Journalist Has Been Nominated to Lead the Venice Biennale. Here’s What We Know Pietrangelo Buttafuoco is set to replace current president Roberto Cicutto, whose first term ends in March 2024. By Jo Lawson-Tancred, Oct 26, 2023
Politics Following Backlash, Artists Including Peter Doig and Tomás Saraceno Quietly Retracted Support From a Pro-Palestine Petition Joan Jonas is also among those who have removed their names from the petition. By Jo Lawson-Tancred, Oct 25, 2023
Archaeology & History Artifacts Used for Magic Rituals in the Early Ottoman Period Have Been Discovered on an Ancient Pilgrimage Route in Israel Magical ceremonies were popular with people of all religions, including Muslim pilgrims, during medieval times. By Jo Lawson-Tancred, Oct 18, 2023
Museums & Institutions Will Algorithms Replace Docents? A New Mobile App Uses A.I. to Generate Art Recommendations for Turin’s Museumgoers The app offers visitors recommendations about what to see in other museum collections and curates its own "virtual museums" based on themes. By Jo Lawson-Tancred, Oct 18, 2023
Archaeology & History Clues on Ancient Documents Suggest That Vlad the Impaler—The Prince Who Inspired Count Dracula—May Have Shed Tears of Blood Using new technology, scientists are able to find out increasingly intimate information about famous figures from the past. By Jo Lawson-Tancred, Oct 14, 2023
Art & Tech An A.I. Has Created Interactive Portraits Showing Uncannily Humanlike Emotions Could a digital agent with humanlike behaviors be manipulated for nefarious purposes? By Jo Lawson-Tancred, Oct 13, 2023
Art Fairs Art Council Collection Has Snapped Up Work by Four Rising U.K. Talents as Part of Its Inaugural $49,000 Fund The new initiative picked works from Frieze art fair to enter into public collections. By Jo Lawson-Tancred, Oct 11, 2023
Art Fairs Women Artists Shine at Frieze Masters. Here Are 5 of Our Favorite Rediscoveries, From a Korean Avant-Garde Visionary to a British-Born Surrealist The new fair section "Modern Women" spotlights women artists who have been historically overlooked. By Jo Lawson-Tancred, Oct 10, 2023