BEST?

Baltimore Bets Big on Women – The Baltimore Museum of Art is taking a major step toward rectifying the gender imbalance within its institution, announcing it will only acquire works by female artists in 2020, and dedicating next year’s programming to female artists as well.

Greta Thunberg, Time Traveler? – A photograph of a young girl from 1898 lit up the internet when keen-eyed Twitter users noticed an uncanny resemblance to climate-change activist Greta Thunberg.

Getting Her Due – The multimedia artist Suzanne Jackson is at last being given broad institutional support after a decades-long career, and she spoke to Artnet News about the long road to get there.

Nefertiti in 3-D – After a three-year struggle, artist Cosmo Wenman has succeeded in forcing Berlin’s Egyptian Museum to publicly release its 3D scan of a bust of Nefertiti.

Hugo Boss Prize Nominees – The Guggenheim announced the six contenders for next year’s coveted Hugo Boss Prize, which comes with a $100,000 award and a solo exhibition at the New York museum.

France Makes Good on Restitution – French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe returned a wood and iron saber to Senegalese president Macky Sall this week. The objects once belonged to the leader of the Toucouleur empire, but were seized by the French in 1893.

A Deeper Dive Into Haacke – In the second of a two-part review of Hans Haacke’s show at the New Museum (the first part is here), Ben Davis looks at how the famed “institutional critique” artist’s work helps understand the stakes of today’s debates around museums.

Recovered Treasure – The “Indiana Jones” of the art world, Arthur Brand, spoke to Artnet News about how he managed to recover a stolen ring that once belonged to Oscar Wilde.

Anonymous Awards Announced – The “Anonymous Was a Woman” program announced this year’s 10 winners of the $25,000 art prize that recognizes female artists over the age of 40.

Auction Roundup – Our market experts highlight the biggest flips and flops from the $1.1 billion auction mega-week.

WORST?

Sotheby’s Bails on Banksy – A Banksy sculpture of a crouching monkey wearing an orange traffic cone as a hat was set to be auctioned at Sotheby’s this week—until artist Andy Link claimed to be its rightful owner, resulting in the auction house pulling the object from its sale just an hour before it hit the block.

P.A.I.N. Crosses the Pond – Nan Goldin and her anti-opioid activist group P.A.I.N. staged a die-in protest outside of the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, calling out director Tristram Hunt, who proudly embraces the Sacklers’ financial support.

Picasso’s Electrician Gets Charged – After a decade-long fight, Pablo Picasso’s former electrician and his wife have been found guilty in a French appeals court of stealing the artist’s property.

Kanye Is Making an Opera – The rapper and art enthusiast is teaming up with artist Vanessa Beecroft, who will direct a new work, titled Nebuchadnezzar: A Kanye West Opera, set to debut during the Hollywood Bowl in LA.

Art Crime Crackdown – Officials in Italy carried out a wide-ranging sting operation throughout Europe, resulting in the arrest of 23 individuals and the discovery of more than 10,000 stolen archaeological artifacts.

Monnaie de Paris Shutters – The contemporary art space in the Parisian Mint is closing down due to financial concerns and low attendance.

A $300 Million Art Trove Is Missing – More than 300 German artworks from the collection of Maria Chen-Tu, which were lent to a Chinese businessman, have gone missing, prompting artists including Markus Lupertz and Anselm Kiefer to speak out about the situation.