“The discoveries were little short of miraculous: pieces of third-century pottery engraved with one of the first depictions of the crucified Christ, along with Egyptian hieroglyphics, and with Basque words that predated the earliest known written examples of the language by 600 years.” No miracles here, though: there were serious anachronisms in the engravings as well as traces of modern glue. Archaeologist Eliseo Gil and two collaborators were convicted of fraud in a Spanish court. – The Guardian
Category: visual
The Public Art In The New LaGuardia Airport
With three of the four works accessible without a boarding pass, Terminal B just may be the best indoor space for contemporary art — no appointment needed — that the public is welcome to visit in phase one of New York’s reopening. – The New York Times
Norton Museum Director Suddenly Resigns Just 19 Months Into The Job
Elliot Bostwick Davis came to the Norton from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, after spearheading the addition of its groundbreaking Art of the Americas Wing. She joined the Norton in March 2019, a month after its $100 million Foster + Partners-steered expansion opened. The expansion triggered a growth spurt during which the museum welcomed 218,000 visitors, mounted 19 exhibitions and served 9,000 students with its schools programs in the year after its unveiling. – Palm Beach Post
Let’s Stop Defining Artemisia Gentileschi As The Rape-Victim Painter
“Indexing Gentileschi’s oeuvre back to the rape and trial reinscribes the painter as an adolescent sex object, rather than an eminent adult artist with a 40-year career across major European cities. It also means that several of her paintings have been misattributed or overlooked because they didn’t correspond to the tropes of stricken or vengeful women. – Psyche
Modigliani Scholar Sues Guy Wildenstein’s Nonprofit For Holding His Research ‘Hostage’
“[Marc] Restellini’s lawsuit against the institute asserts that it is in possession of roughly 89 boxes and various other containers of research materials that he had amassed over the years and that are rightfully his. The lawsuit accuses the nonprofit of holding this research ‘hostage.’ The Wildenstein Plattner Institute, however, says the records are theirs.” – The New York Times
Banksy’s Bataclan Mural, Stolen From Paris, Found In Italian Farmhouse
The memorial to the victims of the 2015 terrorist attack at the Paris rock club was painted at the venue in 2018 and was stolen by thieves using angle grinders the following year. French and Italian law enforcement recovered the mural during a raid in Italy’s Abruzzo region. – ARTnews
2021: A Traffic Jam Of Postponed Biennales
Following a wave of postponements due to the public-heath situation, it seems that 2021 may give 2017 a run for its money. There are at least 20 major biennials—more biennials than months—so far scheduled for next year, many of which were originally due to take place in 2020. – Artnet
Annenberg Space For Photography In L.A. Closes For Good As Funders Pivot To Pandemic Recovery
The museum, one of Southern California’s leading venues for photo exhibitions, had been closed for three months because of the coronavirus lockdown and was unsure when, and under what rules, it could reopen. “Its parent organization, the Annenberg Foundation, … ‘will be focusing its philanthropy especially on public health, food insecurity, economic recovery, helping get people back to work and social justice nonprofits.'” – Los Angeles Times
Italians Revel In Tourist-Free Museums
With only a trickle of EU tourists arriving, Italians have a historic opportunity: the chance to see their own masterpieces free from throngs of tourists and by booking just days in advance, rather than weeks or months. – CBC
MOCA Cleveland Cancels A Show About Black Victims Of Police, Then Apologizes
The museum withdrew the show when it got uncomfortable with the content. Shaun Leonardo, the artist, says he wasn’t consulted. Now the museum has apologized for the cancellation. – The New York Times