From the Smithsonian’s Return of Benin Bronzes to Jeff Koons’s Bizarre Legal Battle: The Best and Worst of the Art World This Week

Catch up on this week's news, fast.

A resident takes a photograph of a new mural in Cardiff by artist My Dog Sighs depicting Ukraine's capital under siege on March 1, 2022 in Cardiff, Wales. (Photo by Huw Fairclough/Getty Images)

BEST?

Smithsonian Mobilizes to Return Benin Bronzes – In a landmark move, the Smithsonian will repatriate dozens of bronzes looted from the Benin Royal Palace in 1897.

Authorities Seize 10,000 Looted Artifacts – International authorities arrested more than 50 people and seized thousands of looted cultural goods as part of Operation Pandora.

An Immersive Experience for Ukraine – The creators of the viral “Immersive Van Gogh” show are making the work of Ukrainian artist Taras Shevchenko the subject of a new installation, and the proceeds will support war victims.

Everything’s Coming Up Rauschenberg – The late artist’s foundation is launching a slew of exhibitions dedicated to the artist in New York and Salzburg.

Archaeologists Unearth Shackelton’s Lost Ship – After more than a century lost at sea, marine researchers found the 144-foot vessel.

Want to Become a Top NFT Artist? – Physicist Albert Laszlo Barberisi joins Tim Schneider on the Art Angle to reveal the secrets of highly successful crypto artists.

The Met Is Selling a Picasso Sculpture – The museum is deaccessioning a bronze cast considered Picasso’s first Cubist sculpture, and it could fetch up to $30 million.

Folk Art Museum Gets a Treasured Archive – After the Healing Arts Initiative declared bankruptcy, the American Folk Art Museum acquired its colorful, fantastical archive.

World’s Oldest Mummies? – Archaeologists may have discovered the world’s oldest human skeletons in Portugal, dating back 8,000 years, and preserved 1,000 years before other specimens.

Pictures for Ukraine – Photography organizations around the world are hosting print sales, with the proceeds benefiting Ukrainian relief efforts.

 

WORST?

Women Artists Still Woefully Unknown, Study Finds – An art historian asked 2,000 Brits to name three female artists, and only 30 percent could do it.

Jeff Koons’s Bizarre Legal Battle – In a case that’s dragged on for more than 25 years, the artist continues to claim that a collector’s 1991 sculpture is fake, but an Italian judge ruled in favor of its owner.

Russian Museum Demands Loans Back Early – The Hermitage Museum is forcing three Italian museums to return loans for traveling exhibitions.

Floods Destroy Australian Culture – Devastating floods in Eastern Australia are causing irreparable damage to homes, art, and other property.

Russian Galleries Give Fair Spots to Ukrainians –Two galleries from Russia have withdrawn from the Liste art fair, and are giving their spots to Ukrainian galleries.


Follow Artnet News on Facebook:


Want to stay ahead of the art world? Subscribe to our newsletter to get the breaking news, eye-opening interviews, and incisive critical takes that drive the conversation forward.