Law & Politics A Dingbat German Student Broke Into an Australian Natural History Museum to Take Selfies With Dinosaur Skeletons The man also stole an employee's cowboy hat, which he wore during his visit. By Taylor Dafoe, May 20, 2020
Art World The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Is the First Major Art Institution in the US to Reopen. Here’s How They’re Making It Work The San Antonio Museum of Art will follow suit next week. By Taylor Dafoe, May 19, 2020
Art World Katherine Bradford, Gina Beavers, and 140 Other Artists Are Giving Away Their Work for Free to Donors Supporting Pandemic Relief Efforts Artists for Humans has raised over $136,000 for a range of charities. By Taylor Dafoe, May 14, 2020
Art Fairs NADA Is Launching a Communal New Online Art Fair for 200 Dealers Who Will Equally Share 20 Percent of All Sales Galleries will also pay 10 percent of their sales proceeds to NADA for organizing the event. By Taylor Dafoe, May 14, 2020
Politics Two Dozen Mayors From Across the US Are Urging Congress to Send Urgently Needed Funding for the Arts in Its Next Relief Package The arts sector generates nearly 5 percent of the nation's GDP. By Taylor Dafoe, May 13, 2020
Art World ‘How This Moment Will Be Misremembered’: An Internet Theorist on What Social-Media Images Hide About the Pandemic Nathan Jurgenson says our photos of sourdough starters speak to a desire for togetherness and domesticity. By Taylor Dafoe, May 13, 2020
Politics Art Galleries and Auction Houses in the UK Will Be Allowed to Reopen at Limited Capacities Starting Next Month Art trade associations have lobbied to ensure galleries will be included in phase two of Boris Johnson’s reopening plan. By Taylor Dafoe, May 12, 2020
Politics Arts Leaders Fear Philadelphia’s Planned Budget Cuts Will ‘Completely Decimate the Grassroots Cultural Scene’ The mayor’s proposed budget would eliminate the city’s arts office and central cultural fund. By Taylor Dafoe, May 7, 2020
Law & Politics A Massive International Sting Operation Spanning 103 Countries Has Recovered Thousands of Stolen Artworks and Antiquities 101 suspects were arrested in the global operation. By Taylor Dafoe, May 7, 2020
Market When an Art Collective Cut Up a $30,000 Damien Hirst Spot Print, the Spots Sold Out. Now the Leftover Paper Just Sold Too—for $261,000 The collective also sold the 88 individual spots cut out from the print individually. By Taylor Dafoe, May 6, 2020
Art World Claiming That Art Is ‘Essential,’ Some California Galleries Have Reopened in Blatant Defiance of Stay-at-Home Orders Two dealers even say they are willing to “risk fines, arrest, or jail" to operate their business. By Taylor Dafoe, May 6, 2020
Art World Three Nonprofits Are Teaming Up to Pay Artists to Create Images That Combat Widespread Misinformation About Coronavirus The project's organizers are looking for images that "go beyond hazmat suits." By Taylor Dafoe, May 5, 2020
Crime A Trove of Artifacts Inscribed With Gibberish Was Intercepted at Heathrow. They May Reveal an Alarming New Front in the War on Forgery British Museum curators explain what makes the new wave of bogus antiquities different. By Taylor Dafoe, May 4, 2020
Art World Mail Art, a Quirky Pursuit That Hasn’t Been Popular Since the ’60s, Is Suddenly Having a Renaissance Amid the Worldwide Lockdown The beauty of all the mail art initiatives that have sprung up in the past few months is that anyone and everyone can partake. By Taylor Dafoe, May 1, 2020
Market Christie’s Literally Wants to Offer You the Moon With the Sale of a $2.5 Million Chunk of Lunar Meteorite The 30-pound moonrock fell to earth in the Sahara desert. By Taylor Dafoe, May 1, 2020