Category: visual

This is what happens when you poke around in old collections: Three unknown shark specimens spur scientists to look at other dead animals, not to mention live ones, to determine the sharks’ closest relatives and to see if any may still be alive. – Gizmodo

Sure, the Mugrabi divorce is tawdry and full of allegations of sexual impropriety, drugs, and a lot more, but “more than a tabloid story, the divorce also threatens to expose the private dealings of one of the wealthiest and most influential families in the art world.” – The New York Times

The ban started in 2010, when the National Gallery removed (aka censored) a video by artist David Wojnarowicz because of conservative political pressure. Every year since then the Foundation has reviewed its decision. “We thought that a period of time has to go by before you know whether someone has really changed,” says the Foundation president. – The New York Times

The guy who owns the garage has been having a hard time keeping the mural secure – and of course, as the mural’s fame spreads on Instagram, it’s getting massive traffic and interest from all over the world. Now, the Welsh government said that “it was taking over the cost of security and looking for a long-term solution.” – The Guardian (UK)

On Friday, the Van Gogh Musem “announced the painting has been taken off the wall for research and restoration, months after scientists found the artist’s choice of a light-sensitive yellow paint was causing the flowers’ petals and stems to turn brown.” – The Independent (UK)

Toronto artist Gillian Genser works with natural materials, including mussel shells. Then she started to exhibit all of the symptoms of severe dementia … or heavy metal poisoning, but she didn’t work with heavy metals. Or did she? – BBC

The heads are unforgettable, standing watch over Easter Island’s windswept plains. Clearly they served some function, but was it more than ceremonial? The answer, say scientists, is yes. And a practical yes at that… – The Guardian

“Now, Ms. Schutz admits that she is ‘guarded’ about the controversy …, saying only that [painting Open Casket] was an attempt to ‘register this monstrous act and this tragic loss.’ But she acknowledged that may have been an ‘impossible’ task.” Even so, she doesn’t regret having painted the piece or the subsequent conflict: “It’s good those voices were heard.'” — The New York Times

It used to be that a handful of glossy magazines and fashion houses determined what’s cool. No longer. And perhaps that explains how “streetwear” has taken over and become big business. – BBC