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Wildenstein Tax Fraud Trial Delayed in France
New York Times / January 6th, 2016
The tax fraud and money laundering trial of art dealer Guy Wildenstein, 70, has been suspended in France until May 4. He is accused of hiding inheritance from his late father, Daniel, in offshore trusts and authorities seek $600 million in back taxes. Defense lawyers for Wildenstein, who is a ...
Ai Weiwei Sets Up Studio on Greek Island to Focus Artwork on Refugee Crisis
Guardian / January 5th, 2016
Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei has set up a studio on the Greek island of Lesbos and will create projects to call attention to the refugee crisis. Hundreds of thousands of refugees have stopped on Lesbos as they flee war-torn regions, including Syria, en route to Europe. Untold thousands ...
Venice Considers Selling Art to Shore Up Finances
Dow Jones Business News / January 4th, 2016
Reminiscent of the scenario faced by Detroit, Venice is considering drastic measures to save the sinking city from debt. Again, art is on the line. Mayor Luigi Brugnaro is tossing around the idea of selling masterpieces in Venice's public museums, which include works by Gustav Klimt and Marc ...
Portland Museum of Art to Unveil Two Major Acquisitions
MPBN / January 4th, 2016
The 135-year-old Portland Museum of Art in Maine is undergoing a transformation. After a first phase of refurbishment, this noted repository of American, European and contemporary art -- including a trove of Winslow Homer works and the artist's studio -- will open with some changes later this ...
Art Dealer Wildenstein On Trial In France For Grand-Scale Tax Evasion
ABC / January 4th, 2016
A billionaire scion of the French art dealing family, 70-year-old Guy Wildenstein began his trial in France on Monday over charges of tax fraud.and money laundering. French authorities seek a staggering 553 million euros ($602 million) in back taxes from "hidden" estates. Franco-American ...
Sculpture of Lincoln's Hand Missing From Museum
NYTimes / January 3rd, 2016
A plaster sculpture of President Lincoln's hand disappeared from the Kankakee County Museum in Illinois. The hand was sculpted more than 150 years ago by George Grey Barnard and was an important object in the museum's collection, in "The Land of Lincoln."
2015 in Review: Art Market Trends
ArtNewspaper / December 31st, 2015
The Art Newspaper breaks down six of the biggest art trends of 2015. Hot topics: 1. Prices for top-tier works keep soaring and experts ask if a top-heavy market bloated with auction guarantees seems ripe for correction? Topping the auctions: $170.4m paid by the Chinese billionaire Liu ...
Best Art Books of 2015
Huffington Post / December 31st, 2015
Five top art books of 2015: 1. Piet Mondrian: The Studios 2. Agnes Martin 3. Diego Rivera & Frida Kahlo in Detroit 4. Artists Living With Art 5. Basquiat: The Unknown Notebooks View the full list compiled by Huffington Post here.
Egypt Plans Ambitious Underwater Museum
Smithsonian / December 30th, 2015
A new museum proposed for Egypt’s City of Alexandria aims to bring visitors to sunken treasures not seen by the public in over 1,400 years, reports Smithsonian. Lighthouse of Pharos aims to safeguard sunken relics. “This area was one of the most important areas in the world for around 1,000 ...
British Museum Becomes World's Largest Google Street View of an Interior Space
National Geographic / December 29th, 2015
The British Museum recently unveiled the results of its partnership with the Google Cultural Institute (GCI): the world’s largest Google Street View of an interior space, covering nine floors and 85 permanent galleries of the museum. Its public database of more than 3.5 million objects ...
2015 in Review: Museums
Observer / December 29th, 2015
The Observer takes a look at museum trends and news in 2015 with its list here, and we've added links and additional stories below. - Openings and Closings: Cheers abounded for the Whitney move to New York City's Meat-Packing district, with inaugural exhibitions "American is Hard to See" ...
Park Avenue Armory Shuts Out Art and Antiques Show
Page Six / December 28th, 2015
New York's Park Avenue Armory seems to be moving forward with plans to become more of a performing arts center. Page Six has reported that the distinguished Upper East Side venue has already told the New York Art, Antique & Jewelry Show that dates are not available for their 2016 edition ...
Ellsworth Kelly, Artist, Remembered
Guardian / December 28th, 2015
Famed American abstract artist and sculptor Ellsworth Kelly passed away Sunday at his home in Spencertown, New York. He was 92. Influenced by Picasso and Matisse, Kelly studied art in Paris on the GI Bill after serving in World War II. “In his work Kelly abstracts the forms in his paintings ...
Germany Negotiates Possible $3m Loan Fee For Tehran Museum's Modern Art
TAN / December 26th, 2015
Works from Iran's long-hidden collection of modern art may soon begin to travel. Officials in Tehran are negotiating a loan fee of up to $3m with their German counterparts, reports The Art Newspaper. The fee is for Berlin State Museums to host an exhibition of works of modern art from the ...
2015 in Review: Art Crime
The Creators Project / December 26th, 2015
Sensational stories of art crimes were plenteous in 2015. The Creators Project has put together a list of some of the biggest headlines, ranging from ISIS destroying the ancient buildings and artifacts of Palmyra to the brazen Ukranian ultranationalists who seek an exorbitant "finder's fee" for ...
Happy Holidays from ARTFIXdaily
ArtfixDaily / December 20th, 2015
ARTFIXdaily's e-newsletter service will be suspended from Dec. 21-25 during our holiday week closure. The e-newsletter will resume on Dec. 28. Happy Holidays! SHOWN: On view through January 6, 2016, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art is the beloved annual tradition with a brightly lit, ...
Paris Photo to Reimburse Part of Exhibitors' Costs Following Closure
/ December 17th, 2015
After the terrorist attacks that hit Paris the night of November 13th which led the French government to declare a State of Emergency, Paris Photo was obliged to close its doors Saturday and Sunday November 14-15th, thus depriving the event of more than 25,000 expected visitors during the course ...
AD Reveals Overlooked Artists, Styles to Collect Now
AD / December 15th, 2015
Architectural Digest writer Christopher Mason has created a casual survey of styles, periods and artists that the art market has not been "nice" to lately. The current frenzy for modern and contemporary art, from post-war to Pop art and mid-century design, has left a lot of room for new ...
Chinese Vase Soars Ten Times Above Estimate in UK Auction
itv / December 17th, 2015
A Chinese famille rose vase provoked a bidding battle at the UK auction house Hansons this week. Described as bearing a Qianlong mark and of the period (1736-1795), the ovoid form vase had six telephone bidders pursuing it for seven minutes. An anonymous UK buyer prevailed, sending the lot with ...
Sotheby's Employee Buyouts Come to $40 Million
New York Times / December 16th, 2015
In a filing Monday with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Sotheby's reported that 80 employees, or 5% of its workforce worldwide, would take a buyout offer expected to cost the auction house about $40 million.