Category: visual

“The Scream is one of the world’s most recognisable paintings. Copies of the anguished expressionist work can be found in any major poster shop and it is even the name and symbol of a popular pub chain in the UK.” It was stolen before – in 1994, and held for ransom, but was recovered before the money was paid.

Work began on Catalan architect Antonio Gaudí’s Sagrada Familia church in Barcelona in 1883. “Though work resumed in 1952, it has gone very slowly. More than 50 years later, the church is still only 40 percent finished. (It now holds 4,000 people; when it reaches its final circumference, 295 by 196 feet, it will accommodate 14,000.)” It will take at least 30 years more to complete. But for those unwilling to wait to see what it will look like, a new 3-D projection has been completed.

Kenneth Baker weighs in on repatriating the Parthenon Marbles to Greece: Few object when courts ordain the return of art treasures and other property confiscated from European Jews by the Nazis. But people seem to feel the ethical force of arguments for repatriation of valuable plunder less when they involve greater spans of time and differences in culture. After Tony Blair’s mortifying alliance with the “coalition of the willing,” an agreement to return to their origin the greatest surviving remnants of Greek classicism would go a long way to restore Britain’s international prestige.”

The UK is cracking down on graffiti. But will threats of bigger penalties and stepped up enforcement deter graffiti? Not likely – the danger, the difficulty – it’s all part of the allure…

“After years of declining attendance and contributions, the Science and Technology Museum of Georgia is suspending operations this weekend. SciTrek has struggled financially for years, although its recent tax forms show a balanced budget of about $2.6 million. About 70 percent of its financial contributions came from local businesses, with the rest from city and state government.”

Australian Aboriginal art is very popular these days, and the market just keeps on going up. But the artists themselves live in poverty, so now some plans to improve their welfare. “Suddenly such conscience is manifest in several plans – complementary, competing, or controversial, depending on your view – initiated by dealers, auction houses, artists, and government.”

“A Chinese official responsible for looking after cultural relics has been sentenced to death for stealing them. Li Haitao was found guilty of the theft of more than 250 antiques over a period of 10 years, state media said. The case is said to be the largest theft of antiquities since the start of communist rule in 1949.”

Florence’s Uffizi Gallery could see its budget cut by 25 percent next year, leading to severe cutbacks. “Premier Silvio Berlusconi’s government has approved the cuts, which will be discussed by parliament in the autumn and are aimed at containing Italy’s deficit within limits set by the European Union.”

Italy’s culture minister has threatened to shut down the Uffizi museum if the government does not scale back planned spending cuts.

The Russian parliament has ordered prosecutors to bring a group of artists to trial for allegedly “inciting religious strife” by lampooning the Russian Orthodox Church.