Artnet News August 6, 2021 ShareShare This Article

BEST?

Machu Picchu’s Real Age Uncovered – Thanks to new radiocarbon dating, the cultural heritage site is revealed to be even older than scientists previously thought.

To Infinity and Beyond – The biggest-ever museum devoted to astronomy has opened in Shanghai, with an observatory, planetarium, and solar telescope.

Mega Michelangelo – The latest immersive art experience to take over the country is none other than Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel, which will touch down in cities around the U.S.

Musicians Get Artsy – Grimes, Bon Iver, and other musicians are creating art installations to draw attention to climate change.

Art on the Page – Looking for a new beach read? We’ve rounded up 17 art-centric books to delve into this summer.

Return to Sender – More than 17,000 ancient artifacts looted from Iraq are being returned after they were recovered in the U.S., Italy, the Netherlands, and Japan.

More Museum Workers Move to Unionize – Workers at the Art Institute of Chicago are trying to unionize in an attempt to combat low wages and excessive hours.

Court Rules Against Stonehenge Tunnel – A judge in the U.K. has thwarted plans for a highway tunnel near Stonehenge—a big win for cultural preservationists.

WORST?

Guards Under Pressure – Museum guards at the Metropolitan Museum of Art are reporting dire conditions, saying they are being asked to work too much, and the art is suffering as a result too.

Museum Director Resigns Over Mandates – An Italian museum director has left his post due to new vaccination mandates, claiming that no cultural institution should bar visitors.

Extreme Weather Threatens Cultural Sites – Wildfires raging throughout Europe are sparking fear as historic cultural sites in Greece appear to be in the line of destruction.