Law & Politics The US Government Has Filed a Lawsuit Demanding the San Francisco Asian Art Museum Return Two Ancient Artifacts to Thailand The museum’s staff was already working to repatriate the objects and says the case will just delay the process. By Taylor Dafoe, Oct 28, 2020
Auctions The Museum of Islamic Arts Has Halted a Planned Sotheby’s Sale of Its Treasures After It Was Condemned by Israel’s President Israeli President Reuven Rivlin jumped into the fray after experts questioned the ethics of the auction. By Taylor Dafoe, Oct 27, 2020
Law & Politics As a Lawsuit Over the Nazi-Looted Guelph Treasure Goes to the Supreme Court, Congressional Leaders Blast Germany’s Attempt to Derail It The Supreme Court will hear arguments in early December. By Eileen Kinsella, Oct 25, 2020
Art Fairs TEFAF Is Known for Its Top-Notch Vetting Process. But Can It Work Online? Here's how the fair is applying its high standards to the first online edition. By Eileen Kinsella, Oct 14, 2020
Art & Exhibitions A French Museum Puts Its Genghis Khan Exhibition on Hold After China Pressures It to Rewrite the History of Mongol Culture The Château des ducs de Bretagne will now work to stage the exhibition without loans from China. By Sarah Cascone, Oct 14, 2020
Market Christie’s Experimental Partnership With the Biennale Paris Fair Bombs With Less Than a Quarter of the Works Sold The new online event reaped just $1.7 million in sales. By Eileen Kinsella, Oct 13, 2020
Crime Hong Kong Police Have Recovered a Mao Scroll That Was Stolen as Part of a $645 Million Art Heist—But It’s Been Cut in Half Two men were also arrested this week in connection with the incident, which may be the most valuable art heist in the region's history. By Taylor Dafoe, Oct 8, 2020
Law & Politics After Years of Foot-Dragging, France’s National Assembly Just Approved the Restitution of Looted Artifacts to Benin and Senegal Since France's groundbreaking report on restitution in 2018, the country has returned exactly zero objects to Africa. By Taylor Dafoe, Oct 7, 2020
Art World Two Amateur Metal-Detector Enthusiasts Have Discovered the Remains of an Ancient Pagan Warlord The warrior's burial was found alongside a host of ancient luxury goods, indicating that he was of royal status. By Sarah Cascone, Oct 6, 2020
Art World Archaeologists Have Discovered an Extraordinary New Style of Aboriginal Rock Art That Honors the Human-Animal Bond Archaeologists have dubbed these depictions of humans and animals together the Maliwawa Figures. By Sarah Cascone, Oct 6, 2020
Auctions Will This Rare Botticelli Portrait Reset the Old Masters Market? A Renaissance ‘Golden Boy’ Could Fetch $80 Million Sotheby's is offering a rare Botticelli portrait with an extensive museum exhibition history and an $80 million estimate. By Eileen Kinsella, Sep 24, 2020
Auctions The King of the New York Auctions This Fall Isn’t Picasso or Pollock. It’s a T. Rex Named Stan—and His $8 Million Skeleton The skeleton is expected to bring in as much as $8 million. By Eileen Kinsella, Sep 16, 2020
Art World Archaeologists Have Discovered a Secret Crypt Beneath a Polish Chapel. It May Lead Them to the Holy Grail The chapel serves as final resting place for several Knights Templar. By Sarah Cascone, Sep 15, 2020
Art World A Volunteer Archaeologist Just Discovered the Oldest Example of Religious Graffiti Ever Found in Britain The graffiti, found in an ancient Roman fort, is 1,400 years old. By Taylor Dafoe, Sep 15, 2020
Art World Baffling Archaeologists, This Ancient Depiction of the Cosmos Could Be 1,000 Years Younger Than Previously Thought The Nebra Sky Disc could actually date to the Iron Age, rather than the Bronze Age. By Sarah Cascone, Sep 14, 2020