ARTFIXdaily News Feed - Breaking News from the Art World

Boris Johnson Formerly Deemed British Holding of Parthenon Sculptures 'Unacceptable'

ArtfixDaily / July 3rd, 2022

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson once ardently supported the Parthenon Marbles repatriation to Athens in letters to the Greek culture minister that detailed why the British government should give the ancient sculptures back. Greek daily newspaper Ta Nea has reported on previously unseen and ...

View Highlights of Norway's Massive, New National Museum Debuting June 11

ArtfixDaily / May 31st, 2022

Norway's long-awaited National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design opens in Oslo on June 11. Designed by Klaus Schuwerk, who partnered with Kleihues + Kleihues of Germany and Dyrvik Arkitekter of Norway, the new 587,000-square-foot building merges the collections of four institutions with some ...

Former Louvre Head Charged in Alleged Antiquities Trafficking Case

The Art Newspaper / May 28th, 2022

Former director of the Louvre, Jean-Luc Martinez, was charged last week as part of an investigation into alleged trafficking of antiquities. An "official legal source" told The Art Newspaper that Martinez was charged Wednesday with “complicity of gang fraud and laundering“ of antiquities ...

Greece and UK to Talk About Parthenon Marbles in Formal Dialogue

ArtfixDaily / May 19th, 2022

Greece and the UK have agreed to formally discuss the contested Parthenon marbles, UNESCO announced this week. Acquired from the Acropolis in Athens by Lord Elgin, key sculptural elements from the Parthenon were sold to the British government and have been housed in London’s British Museum since ...

Over $1 Million in Antiquities from The Met, Yale Art Gallery Collections Are Seized for Repatriation

New York / April 4th, 2022

Objects from the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Yale University Art Gallery were surrendered to authorities after investigations revealed that they had been stolen from their countries of origin, according to the Manhattan District Attorney's office. “These are more than just beautiful ...

Legal Action Looms Against British Museum For 3D Scan of Parthenon Marbles

Guardian / March 30th, 2022

The British Museum is facing legal action from a heritage preservation organization over its alleged refusal to allow the 3D scanning of a Parthenon piece in the museum's collection, reports The Guardian. UK-based Institute for Digital Archaeology (IDA) said it is planning to serve an ...

Bidders To Battle For Ides of March Ancient Roman Coin Thought to Be Worn By Julius Caesar Assassin Brutus

ArtfixDaily / March 14th, 2022

One of the most important gold coins from the ancient world, which is thought to have been worn by a murderer of Julius Caesar, will be auctioned in May 2022, by the leading ancient coin firm, Numismatica Ars Classica. The ‘Eid Mar’ coin was minted by Caesar’s betrayer, Marcus Junius Brutus, to ...

Museum to Return Easter Island Moai 'Head'

Phys.org / February 21st, 2022

A 1,500-pound giant sculptural head taken from Easter Island by the Chilean navy in 1870 will be returned. Chile's National Museum of Natural History said Monday it will return the stone statue, dubbed Moai Tau, to the Rapa Nui people. "For the Rapa Nui, their ancestors, funerary objects and ...

'Queen Nefertari’s Egypt' Exhibition Brings Egyptian Masterpieces to New Orleans

ArtfixDaily / February 6th, 2022

The New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA) presents Queen Nefertari’s Egypt, on view March 18–July 17, 2022. As the favorite wife of Pharaoh Ramesses II (reigned 1279–13 BCE), Queen Nefertari had significant diplomatic and religious roles before her death in c. 1250 BCE, and she is linked to some of ...

The Getty's 'Poussin and the Dance' to Combine 17th-Century Paintings, Antiquities and Contemporary Dance

ArtfixDaily / February 3rd, 2022

Nicolas Poussin (French, 1594–1665) was the most influential French painter of the 17th century, and an artist fascinated by movement. Living and working in Rome, he painted scenes of wild revelry—dancing nymphs and satyrs—that drew inspiration from classical antiquity and helped make ...

First-Ever Art Exhibition Held at Giza Pyramids Features AI Robot Artist

ArtfixDaily / October 25th, 2021

Through November 7, Ai-Da Robot, the world’s first ultra-realistic humanoid robot artist, takes part in a major contemporary art exhibition and sculpture trail at the great Pyramids of Giza, Egypt. Titled Forever is Now, the exhibition represents the first time in the 4,500 year history of the ...

From Part of Her Pink Granite Sarcophagus to a Pair of Everyday Sandals, Get a Glimpse of Queen Nefertari's Egypt

ArtfixDaily / October 17th, 2021

An exhibition now in Oregon explores the world of Queen Nefertari, the Great Royal Wife of Pharaoh Ramesses II. Drawn from the world-renowned Museo Egizio in Turin, Italy, Queen Nefertari’s Egypt immerses visitors in the magnificent palaces and tombs of ancient Egypt, including Queen Nefertari’s ...

5 Highlights Coming Up at TEFAF Online This September

ArtfixDaily / August 8th, 2021

The European Fine Art Foundation (TEFAF), has revealed a special preview of works that will appear at the second iteration of TEFAF Online, running September 9-13, 2021 with an invitation-only preview on September 8, 2021. This “First Look” provides a glimpse into the quality, breadth and depth ...

The Morgan Offers an Unprecedented Look inside the World of Enheduanna and the Women of Mesopotamia

ArtfixDaily / July 1st, 2021

The Morgan Library & Museum will present She Who Wrote: Enheduanna and Women of Mesopotamia, 3400-2000 BC opening September 10, 2021, and running through January 16, 2022. The exhibition brings together for the first time a comprehensive selection of artworks that capture the rich and ...

Reopening August 15, The Santa Barbara Museum of Art Is Transformed Following $50 Million Renovation

ArtfixDaily / June 12th, 2021

The Santa Barbara Museum of Art (SBMA) has announced the August 15, 2021 grand re-opening of its renewed and expanded galleries following a six-year, $50 million renovation, led by the Santa Barbara-based firm of Kupiec Architects PC and executed by Santa Maria-based Diani Corporation. Marking ...

'Last Supper in Pompeii' To Open at SF's Legion of Honor This Summer

ArtfixDaily / April 7th, 2021

"Dinner... without a friend is like the life of a lion or a wolf." – Seneca the Younger, Roman philosopher (4 BC–AD 65) As the ash from Mount Vesuvius began to rain down on Pompeii in AD 79, the people of the city were engaged in two of their most important daily activities: eating and ...

'House of the Drinking Contest' Mosaic Among Restored Artifacts From the Ancient City of Antioch in New Exhibition

ArtfixDaily / March 31st, 2021

A new exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg (Florida) is presenting the famed 1930s excavation of the ancient city of Antioch through rare documents, artifacts, and the exquisite mosaics that were discovered during the archaeological dig. Antioch Reclaimed: Ancient Mosaics at ...

Cleveland Museum of Art's Diverse New Acquisitions Range From A 16th-Century Marble 'Dido' to Amy Sherald's 'Handsome' Portrait

ArtfixDaily / March 29th, 2021

Recent acquisitions by the Cleveland Museum of Art include Aurelio Lombardo’s Dido, an exquisitely carved early 16th-century marble relief sculpture; a drawing by Giulio Romano directly related to one of the artist’s most important frescoed ceilings in Italy; Gustave Caillebotte’s Study of a ...

'The Painters of Pompeii,' OKCMOA is the Exclusive U.S. Venue for This Blockbuster Summer Exhibition, With Virtual Programs For Armchair Travelers

ArtfixDaily / March 24th, 2021

The exhibition “The Painters of Pompeii: Roman Frescoes from the National Archaeological Museum, Naples" will travel exclusively to Oklahoma City Museum of Art from Italy and be on view from June 26 to Oct. 17, 2021.   “The Painters of Pompeii” highlights a seldom seen medium – the ...

'The Great Chinese Art Heist' Will Be Directed By Jon M. Chu of 'Crazy Rich Asians' Fame

Deadline / March 1st, 2021

Jon M. Chu will direct The Great Chinese Art Heist, a new film from Warner Bros. based on a 2018 GQ article by Alex W. Palmer, first reported Deadline. The GQ article details the mysterious high-profile thefts of Chinese art and antiques from museums in Europe, including prized works ...