“The state took over the artworks as part of the assets of Portugal’s BPN bank, which was nationalised during the financial crisis in 2008. A court in Portugal earlier rejected an injunction by opposition politicians attempting to block the sale.”
Category: visual
Picasso Tapestry on the Verge of Eviction – And, Perhaps, Existence
“For more than half a century, it has hung in the hallway of the Four Seasons Restaurant on Park Avenue, an immense work by one of the greatest artists of the 20th century. But Picasso’s curtain is coming down – and that might just destroy it.”
4,600-Year-Old Step Pyramid Discovered in Egypt
No one yet knows what it was used for, but archaeologists are sure that it’s older than the great pyramids at Giza.
Art Stolen By Nazis Goes To Auction (And Here Are The Issues)
“Both Sotheby’s and Christie’s now frequently coordinate with buyers, sellers, restitution lawyers and private art-loss databases to broker deals on art they discover was looted by the Nazis.”
Why It’s So Hard To Authenticate A Modigliani
“Authenticating art of all types has become more challenging in recent years as a widening circle of scholars and artists’ foundations refuse to offer opinions or publish a catalogue raisonné — the definitive compendium of an artist’s work — for fear of being sued by buyers or sellers unhappy with their conclusions.”
Will The First V&A Museum Outside Of London Ever Actually Open?
The project in Dundee, Scotland, is going to open three years late – and doesn’t have all the answers about long-term funding for the museum – but a lottery grant of £9.4 million has set it back on track.
This Guy Paid 100,000 British Pounds For A ‘Chagall’ – And Now It’s Being Burned
“The Chagall Committee seems ‘hell-bent’ on destroying the painting, even though fakes have their uses in training the eye to what is genuine: ‘They are getting back to Mr Lang this week. But, as it stands, this picture will be burned in front of a magistrate.'”
When Leica Cameras Changed The World
100 years ago: “Suddenly, photographers could throw away their heavy tripods and exploding flashguns, and step out of their studios to walk the streets and take photographs with this new mobile camera.”
Drake, Perfecting The #Artselfie
Perhaps it’s tough to take a bad #artselfie in a James Turrell show at LACMA, but on the other hand, the Canadian rapper (and huge star) Drake gets them just right.
Smashed Stained Glass Window In Le Corbusier Chapel Ignites Controversy
“The irreversible damage to what the Fondation Le Corbusier’s president Antoine Picon calls ‘one of the most iconic and most fragile elements of the chapel’ … has sparked controversy over the state of preservation of the structure.”