“Brouhaha International were charged by Durham police yesterday, along with abstract artist Maurice Agis, 76, after the deaths caused by the Dreamspace inflatable sculpture in July 2006. Police charged Agis with gross negligence manslaughter.”
Category: visual
Stolen Basquiat Recovered
An $8 million painting by Jean-Michel Basquiat has been located in a Manhattan warehouse after apparently being smuggled out of Brazil, federal prosecutors said.
American Galleries Struggle As Economy Fades
“There are more dealers hanging on by their fingernails but no-one will go on the record,” said a prominent art world public relations expert who did not want to be named. “Everyone is wondering if the downturn will be just like 9/11,” she added.
Artist: Enough With The Art Prizes Already
Does Australia have too many art prizes? Curiously, Melbourne artist Gareth Sansom, the winner of the $100,000 John McCaughey Memorial Prize, says yes, it does.
Thai Artifacts Stolen Property, Say Feds
The 1966 discovery of ancient Thai artifacts by a Harvard student living in northeast Thailand still ranks as one of the great artifact finds of the era. “Now Ban Chiang is in the news again as a result of a five-year undercover investigation by three federal agencies… In the affidavits filed to obtain search warrants, the agents laid the groundwork for a legal argument that virtually all Ban Chiang material in the United States is stolen property.”
Fighting Back Against Britain’s Ugly Statues
“From the beaches of southern England to the thoroughfares of London, the fightback against ‘bad’ public sculpture in the UK has begun. In recent years an unprecedented number of tasteless statues (with the rare exception, such as works by Antony Gormley) have appeared across the country.”
UK Museums Debate Proposed Tax Change
UK arts leaders are saying that proposed tax changes will dry up art donations from wealthy donors. But is this really true?
Were Newspaper’s Stories On Smithsonian Director Travel Fair?
The Washington Post wrote about Richard West Jr.’s travel as founding director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian. He spent $250,000 and West supporters complained about the stories…
LACMA’s Buttoned-Down Addition Plays With Messy Artists
“Even with this theatrical flourish, Piano has added a characteristically well-tailored building. It’s a museum, though, that Director Michael Govan is determined to turn over to artists with untidy aesthetic intentions.”
Where Museums Are Vulnerable
“Now that museums have tightened up on nighttime security, they have to know how to secure objects while they’re on view, when there are people in the gallery.”