Crime Police in Italy Busted a Major Antiquities Trafficking Ring, Seizing Some 3,500 Relics in the Process Twenty-one suspects faces charges of criminal conspiracy, theft, and the illegal export of goods. By Artnet News, May 25, 2023
Shows & Exhibitions A Sculpture Depicting King Tut as a Black Man Is Sparking International Outrage The statue is featured in a Dutch exhibition that pairs Egyptian antiquities with works from Black culture. By Sarah Cascone, May 22, 2023
Art Collectors What I Buy and Why: Qatari Collector and Curator Mohammed Al Thani Scours the Globe for Works That Leave Him Breathless He recently opened the Institute of Arab and Islamic Art in lower Manhattan. By Lee Carter, May 22, 2023
Art World Art Industry News: Wim Wenders Dropped a 3D Anselm Kiefer Doc at Cannes + Other Stories Plus, Dia will steward Cameron Rowland's land art project and Ortuzar Projects expands in Manhattan. By Artnet News, May 19, 2023
Shows & Exhibitions A Forgotten ’80s Technology ‘Revolutionized’ Art for Keith Haring, David Hockney, and Others. What Happened to the Quantel Paintbox? Early Paintbox adopter Adrian Wilson curated an exhibition of work made on the pioneering technology. By Sarah Cascone, May 18, 2023
Shows & Exhibitions Italy’s Newest Site for Contemporary Art Is Not a Swanky Architect-Designed Museum—It’s the Charred Ruins of Pompeii Wael Shawky is the first contemporary artist to create and debut a work on-site as part of the new initiative. By Hili Perlson, May 18, 2023
Art World Art Industry News: An Eleventh-Hour Fundraiser Saves a Santa Fe Art Museum From Closing + Other Stories Plus, Patrick Drahi funds a new art sales platform and Sprüth Magers now reps Martine Syms. By Artnet News, May 16, 2023
Politics Oxford University’s Ashmolean Museum Has at Long Last Removed the Sackler Name From Its Galleries The tainted family name has also been dropped from the university library and staff posts. By Vivienne Chow, May 16, 2023
Gallery Network Spotlight: See New York City Through the Lens of Legendary Photographer Richard Sandler in a New Exhibition at Hudson Yards "Richard Sandler: The Eyes of the City" opens at Avant Gallery, New York, on May 18, 2023. By Artnet Gallery Network, May 10, 2023
Museums The Smithsonian National Museum of African Art’s Director Has Resigned After Less Than Two Years, Citing ‘Resistance and Backlash’ Ngaire Blankenberg quietly departed after less than two years. By Brian Boucher, May 10, 2023
Archaeology A California Man Repatriated 30 Ancient Artifacts He Found in His Father’s Cupboard After Reading a Viral Article About Repatriation The objects were likely created between the 6th and 3rd centuries BC, according to an illicit antiquities trafficking expert. By Taylor Dafoe, May 9, 2023
Pop Culture The Netflix Series ‘Transatlantic’ Dramatizes the Effort to Evacuate Artists From France During World War II. Here’s What Actually Happened in Real Life Artists including Marc Chagall, Max Ernst, and André Breton fled France with help from the Emergency Rescue Committee. By Min Chen, May 6, 2023
The Back Room The Back Room: Will May Go the Market’s Way? This week: a temperature check before May’s market mania, the museum director carousel keeps spinning, anxiety in the antiquities market, and much more. By Artnet News, May 5, 2023
Art World Art Industry News: Thousands Sign Petition Asking King Charles to Return the Crown Jewels to Africa + Other Stories Plus, Matthew Barney is planning a new epic video installation and a "stock exchange for art" launches at the V&A. By Artnet News, May 5, 2023
Wet Paint The Game of Museum-Director Musical Chairs Heats Up, Leo Fitzpatrick’s Gallery Is Closing Shop, and More Juicy Art World Gossip Plus, how does Lucy Bull get rid of her back pain from painting? Where did all the art stars wind up after the Met Gala? By Annie Armstrong, May 4, 2023
