BEST?
Venice Bans Big Ships – The floating city is finally working on a permanent solution to the cruise ships and large charters that clog its historic waterways.
Salvator Mundi Gets the NFT Treatment – Even Leonardo da Vinci can’t escape the frenzy, as an art historian just minted the famous image clutching a fistful of bills.
John Cleese Has a Bridge to Sell You – Artnet News spoke to the comedic legend about his latest crypto-art lark.
Play Ball! – A visionary designer has blended two perennial New York City classics for the hottest accessory of the season: a baseball hat with a mega-logo celebrating both the Mets baseball team and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Truth Is Funnier Than Fiction – Happy April Fools’! These art stories are so absurd, they sound like jokes—but they are actually real.
Cooper Union Makes Progress on Tuition-Free Education – The art school is back on track to make good on its promise to restore free tuition by 2029 after facing criticism for beginning to charge students back in 2012.
Hauser & Wirth Will Show Klan Paintings – The mega-gallery will display Philip Guston’s Klan works after a controversy surrounding the series resulted in four museums postponing the artist’s retrospective.
Murakami Makes NFTs, Too – After announcing his business was facing bankruptcy, Takashi Murakami is jumping on the NFT train in the hopes of making some quick cash.
An Art Gallery for Ants? – This summer, Pallant House Gallery is hosting a model art gallery filled with miniature works by more than 30 leading UK artists.
WORST?
Nike Sues Art Collective Over Satanic Sneaks – The collective MSCHF teamed up with Lil Nas X to create Air Max shoes containing a drop of real blood—but the shoe company quickly filed a lawsuit to halt production.
A Fire Blazes in Brazil – A storage unit housing thousands of artworks caught fire in Brazil, damaging scores of pieces by top artists.
DIA Board Members Depart En Masse – Six members of the board at the Detroit Institute of Arts resigned in protest of director Salvador Salort-Pons.
Appeals Court Rules Against Andy Warhol – The judge ruled that the late pop artist violated a photographer’s copyright with his rendering of Prince.
Hong Kong’s M+ Museum Faces Hurdles – The museum’s director originally said that M+ would display divisive political works, including those by Ai Weiwei—but increasing political tensions could thwart that plan.
Billionaire Collector Dies in Crash – Petr Kellner died in a helicopter crash in Alaska, leaving behind a massive art collection.
Spanish Police Bust Old Master Forgery Ring – The authorities nabbed a trove of fake Goya, El Greco, and Modigliani works that a dealer was attempting to sell as authentic.