Law & Politics Concluding a Slate of Negotiations, Germany and Nigeria Plan to Sign an Agreement on the Return of Benin Bronzes From Berlin The negotiations mark another chapter in the ongoing saga of Nigeria's efforts to secure the Benin bronzes. By Vittoria Benzine, Jun 29, 2022
Law & Politics Artist Ryder Ripps Called the Bored Ape Yacht Club NFTs Racist. Now, Yuga Labs Is Suing Him for Trademark Infringement and Harassment The case promises to be a hotly watched one in the NFT space, with the court asked to look at issues involving appropriation and trademark rights. By Dorian Batycka, Jun 29, 2022
Law & Politics Two Dissident Cuban Artists Have Been Slapped With Lengthy Prison Sentences for Speaking Out Against the State Artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara and Rapper Maykel Castillo will serve five and nine years in prison, respectively. By Taylor Dafoe, Jun 24, 2022
Law & Politics An Anti-Money Laundering Bill That Could Have Profound Effects on the Art Market Just Took a Big Step Forward The Enablers Act would require art and antique dealers to investigate potential clients and report financial wrongdoing. By Taylor Dafoe, Jun 24, 2022
Law & Politics A Photographer Is Suing Tattoo Artist Kat Von D After She Inked His Portrait of Miles Davis on a Friend’s Body The potential ramifications of a ruling in the case are fascinating. By Sarah Cascone, Jun 24, 2022
Law & Politics After a Brief Trial, Eight Men Have Been Found Guilty of Stealing a Banksy Mural From the Bataclan in Paris They have been ordered to wear electronic monitoring bracelets. By Anna Sansom, Jun 23, 2022
Law & Politics A Sculpture Stolen from a Tuscan Chapel Has Been Missing for Over a Century. Italian Authorities Claim It’s in Cleveland Reports suggest the glazed terracotta relief has been hiding in plain sight at the Cleveland Museum of Art for 100 years. By Artnet News, Jun 15, 2022
Law & Politics A Top Swiss Collector Believes He’s Been Fooled by the Antiquities Smuggling Ring That Ensnared the Louvre’s Director: ‘It’s Frightening’ “I hope this affair will clean up the market, so we’ll be able to breathe again,” Jean-Claude Gandur said. By Devorah Lauter, Jun 14, 2022
Law & Politics Biennale Star Cian Dayrit Was One of Dozens of Artists Arrested in the Philippines for Supporting Farmers’ Rights The Filipino multimedia artist was detained for four days. By Rebecca Anne Proctor, Jun 14, 2022
Law & Politics Billionaire Bill Gross Won His Farcical Dispute With a Neighbor Who Complained About His Dale Chihuly Sculpture The neighbors also complained that the Grosses blasted the 'Gilligan's Island' theme song on repeat. By Amah-Rose Abrams, Jun 8, 2022
Law & Politics An Iraq Court Just Sentenced a British Tourist to 15 Years in Prison for Taking Pottery Shards From an Archaeology Site The man’s lawyer said he plans to immediately appeal the decision, which left his family feeling “hopeless” and “broken.” By Taylor Dafoe, Jun 7, 2022
Law & Politics France Suspends Duties of Embattled Former Louvre Director Jean-Luc Martinez From Ambassadorship and Creates an Art-Trafficking Task Force Martinez is facing charges related to art stolen from Egypt. By Devorah Lauter, Jun 7, 2022
Law & Politics A Landmark Ban on Ivory in the U.K. Went Into Effect Today. Many Owners Raced to Cash in at the 11th Hour Over the last month, 165 U.K. auction houses sold more than 2,700 ivory objects for a combined $1 million. By Taylor Dafoe, Jun 6, 2022
Law & Politics Artist Michelle Hartney Is Enlisting the Public to Embroider Messages From Women Pleading for Help With Unwanted Pregnancies The letters were written 100 years ago to Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger. By Sarah Cascone, Jun 2, 2022
Law & Politics Police Seize Five Prized Ancient Egyptian Artworks From the Met as Part of an International Trafficking Dragnet The objects are connected to Roben Dib, a German-Lebanese dealer accused of laundering artifacts from the Near and Middle East. By Taylor Dafoe, Jun 1, 2022
