ARTFIXdaily News Feed - Breaking News from the Art World

Getty's 'Victorious Youth' Once Again in Custody Battle

LA Times / May 8th, 2014

One of the prized attractions on view at the Getty Villa in Malibu, Calif., is the subject of a legal dispute for a third time. In Rome this week...

Sicily Suddenly Cancels Traveling Exhibition of Antiquities

Plain Dealer / July 11th, 2013

A major traveling exhibition of ancient treasures has been cancelled on mid-tour after Sicilian cultural authorities decided the extended loans were hurting their tourist economy. Now on view at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles, the exhibition...

Latin American Countries Demand Halt to Antiquities Auction

ArtfixDaily / March 21st, 2013

A Sotheby's auction of 300 pre-Columbian objects set to sell this weekend in Paris has been denounced by four Latin American countries. Mexico, Peru, Guatemala and Costa Rica have cited...

Cleveland Museum of Art Hires First Provenance Researcher

ArtfixDaily / February 14th, 2013

In the light of increasing scrutiny on artworks with dubious histories as Nazi loot and antiquities illegally lifted from ancient lands, many American museums are looking harder at the provenance of works in their own collections as well as new acquisitions.

Museum Group Tightens Guidelines on Antiquities Acquisitions

LA Times / January 31st, 2013

Five years ago--in response to complaints from Greece, Italy, Egypt and other countries--the Assn. of Art Museum Directors (AAMD) gave its members stricter guidelines for acquiring pieces originating from ancient lands. Now the AAMD...

Police Arrest 3 People for Museum Theft in Greece

ArtfixDaily / November 25th, 2012

Three men were arrested for their connection to an armed robbery at the Archaeological Museum of Olympia in Greece last February, say police.

Frieze Masters Combines Best of Old & New

Telegraph / October 2nd, 2012

Frieze Masters debuts next week in London, with about 100 galleries, presenting works from the pre-Christian era to the late 20th century.

Art Heists from Montreal to Massachusetts; Athens Hit Twice

ArtfixDaily / March 6th, 2012

Antiquities have been the subject of three major art heists in the last six months. This February, in Athens, the Olympia Museum was victim of a particularly violent theft in which a guard was tied up at gunpoint and exhibition cases smashed with a sledgehammer. In all, 77 artifacts were stolen...

Getty Museum Appoints New Director Who Will "Think Big"

ArtfixDaily / February 19th, 2012

As of September 1, the Getty Museum will have a new director, a position that has been empty since the departure of Michael Brand over two years ago. The incoming director will be...

Aphrodite and the Gods of Love Exhibition Tours the U.S.

ArtfixDaily / February 7th, 2012

Aphrodite may be the best known of all the classical Greco-Roman goddesses, recognized for her beauty, and as symbol of love and lust. Her allure has been spoken of for centuries; the Aphrodite of Knidos sculpted by Praxiteles in the 4th century B.C. was the first life-size female nude, both ...

Clock Runs Out on Trial of Antiquities Dealer

New York Times / January 31st, 2012

A three-judge panel in Rome threw out the trial of American antiquities dealer Robert Hecht, 92, ruling that the statue of limitations on the alleged crimes had run out. Accused of receiving artifacts illegally looted from Italy and conspiring to deal in them, Hecht was on trial for six years, concurrently with Marion True...

“Lansdowne Dionysus” Returns to Santa Barbara Museum of Art

ArtfixDaily / January 4th, 2012

Acquired in 2009, the “Lansdowne Dionysus” returns to the Santa Barbara Museum of Art (SBMA) after a sojourn at the J. Paul Getty Museum’s Antiquities Conservation Department. The over life-size fragment weighs in at over 900 lbs and dates from somewhere between 100-150 CE.  As the statue ...

Keno brothers unearth "Buried Treasure" on FOX-TV series

ArtfixDaily / August 18th, 2011

The human drama of reality television is mixed with the excitement of revealing some valuable art and antiques on a new FOX-TV series hosted by identical twin brothers Leigh Keno and Leslie Keno. The two Americana experts debut in "Buried Treasure" on Aug. 24 at 8pm/7pm Central. The duo expands ...

Met Museum to return 19 antiquities to Egpyt

AP / August 2nd, 2011

Nineteen artifacts excavated from the tomb of boy-pharaoh Tutankhamun will be returned to Egypt next week after residing for more than 50 years at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, according to Egypt's antiquities authority.

"Chasing Aphrodite" reveals the Getty's illicit treasure-buying

The National / July 31st, 2011

In recent years, the Getty Museum has given back some of its finest pieces of classical art to Italy. Museums worldwide have followed suit. The reason for this voluntary submission of an art trove?

Sales surge at TEFAF Maastricht

Guardian / March 22nd, 2011

This week's rarefied bazaar of art and antiquities at TEFAF in Maastricht is truly an international affair that has proven the upper-end of the market remains strong in many categories, from antiquities to contemporary art.  Early on, a group of Chinese buyers snapped up Japanese art from ...

Confident dealers offer their best art & antiques in Maastricht; Preview video online

TEFAF Preview / March 17th, 2011

There are 30,000 items worth more than 1 billion euros ($1.4 billion) offered by 260 top-tier galleries at the world’s most influential art and antiques fair. Two highlights are extraordinary paintings by Rembrandt and Renoir. Attracting leading international collectors and museum officials, ...

Chippendale commode, Roman bust soar at auction

ArtfixDaily / December 8th, 2010

Dominating auction news on Tuesday was the record-setting sale of Audubon's Birds of America which reached $11.5 million, making it the most expensive book in the world. Dec. 7 was a banner day for Sotheby's as superb pieces in other categories, offered in London and New York, also catapulted ...

News Briefs: Audubon fetches $11.5 million; Getty loses goddess

ArtfixDaily / December 7th, 2010

A rare first edition copy of John James Audubon’s masterpiece “Birds of America,” which includes 435 hand-colored illustrations, sold at Sotheby's in London Tuesday night for 7.3 million pounds ($11.5 million), a record for any printed work. Paying well above the previous record of $8.8 million ...

Property of artist Ben Shahn featured in Rago auction, Nov. 14

ArtfixDaily / October 18th, 2010

Ben Shahn (1898-1969) was one of the most popular artists of the 1940s and 1950s. His graphic brilliance, visual and emotional realism, and social conscience attracted an international audience.   The children of Ben Shahn and his wife, Bernarda, chose Rago Art and Auction Center, in ...