Museums Whitney Museum Director Adam Weinberg Will Step Down After 20 Years, Paving the Way for Curator Scott Rothkopf to Succeed Him Weinberg oversaw the Whitney’s move downtown and helped grow museum attendance, membership, and staff size. By Taylor Dafoe, Mar 8, 2023
Museums An Indiana University’s Faculty Have Voted to Halt Its Controversial Plan to Deaccession Three Masterpieces Worth Over $20 Million The vote came just one day after the Association of Art Museum Directors threatened to sanction the museum if the sale went ahead. By Taylor Dafoe, Mar 7, 2023
Crime Ontario Police Have Arrested Eight People Suspected of Forging Thousands of Artworks Attributed to Indigenous Artist Norval Morrisseau Forced child labor, murder, and a member of the Barenaked Ladies all factor into the story around the elaborate forgery ring. By Taylor Dafoe, Mar 6, 2023
People Timothy Wyllie, the Mystical Telepathic Artist Who Spoke to Dolphins, Is Finally Getting His Due for His Remarkable Landscapes The late writer published numerous books on drugs and co-founded a “spiritual community” most called a cult. By Taylor Dafoe, Mar 2, 2023
Science & Tech After Sending ‘Girl With a Pearl Earring’ Out on Loan, the Mauritshuis Has Hung an A.I. Facsimile in Its Place. Fans Are Not Happy The controversial portrait was submitted through an open call for ‘Pearl Earring’ substitutes launched by the museum. By Taylor Dafoe, Feb 28, 2023
Museums Charleston’s International African American Museum Has Announced Its Opening in June, After More Than Two Decades of Planning The institution lives at Gadsden's Wharf, a once-prolific trading port where hundreds of thousands of slaves passed through. By Taylor Dafoe, Feb 28, 2023
Archaeology Archaeologists in Italy Are Using A.I. Robots to Piece Together Ancient Frescoes From Fragments Discovered at Pompeii A new machine called RePAIR can figure out how centuries-old fresco shards fit together—and even has robotic arms to reassemble them. By Taylor Dafoe, Feb 27, 2023
Politics French Artist Jean-Pierre Raynaud Made a Rendition of Picasso’s ‘Guernica’ to Donate to Ukraine on the One-Year Anniversary of the War Ukraine's ambassador to France will accept the painting on behalf of his country. By Taylor Dafoe, Feb 24, 2023
Pop Culture The Victoria & Albert Museum Says ‘Let’s Dance’ to David Bowie, Agreeing to Acquire the Iconic Musician’s Complete Archives Some 80,000 items from the musician's career will be available at the new David Bowie Center for the Study of Performing Arts. By Taylor Dafoe, Feb 23, 2023
Museums Legendary Ghanaian Sculptor El Anatsui Will Be the Next Artist to Take Over Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall The Ghana-born, Nigeria-based sculptor will become the 21st artist selected for the prestigious commission. By Taylor Dafoe, Feb 22, 2023
Auctions Christie’s Will Auction More Masterworks From the Estate of the Late Media Tycoon S.I. Newhouse, Expecting to Surpass $144 Million Pieces by Bacon, de Kooning, and Picasso are each expected to net more than $20 million in the single-owner evening sale. By Taylor Dafoe, Feb 21, 2023
Law The Musée d’Orsay Has Been Ordered to Restitute Paintings by Cézanne, Renoir, and Gauguin That Were Stolen During World War II The artworks are to be returned to the heirs of their one-time owner, Ambroise Vollard. By Taylor Dafoe, Feb 17, 2023
Law A Class Action Lawsuit Against a Popular A.I. Art Generator Alleges the App Collects Its Users’ Biometric Information Without Their Permission The complaint says Lensa A.I. illegally extracts users’ facial data to train its models. By Taylor Dafoe, Feb 16, 2023
Art World The Mellon Foundation Is Giving Out $125 Million in Grants for Creative Projects Addressing the ‘Dehumanization’ of U.S. Criminal Justice The nonprofit has already given $41 million in grant money to multiple projects, including Nicole Fleetwood’s “Marking Time” program. By Taylor Dafoe, Feb 16, 2023
NFTs Jill Magid Is Selling NFT Bouquets Made of Flowers From ‘The Legend of Zelda,’ ‘World of Warcraft,’ and Other Video Games “Out-Game Flowers” began as a reflection on how value moves between the digital and virtual worlds. By Taylor Dafoe, Feb 14, 2023
