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The Headlines
THE DIPLOMATS.TheBritish Museumand Greece have been in talks since last year about the possible return of the so-calledElgin Marbles, aka theParthenon Marbles, according to a report in the Athens paperTa Neathat has been picked up byBBC News, theAssociated Press, and other outlets.Ta Neasays that negotiations are at an “advanced stage.” Greece is not commenting. While declining to address the story, the London institution said that “we are seeking new positive, long-term partnerships with countries and communities around the world, and that of course includes Greece.” British law currently bars the museum from deaccessioning works in its collection. For more on the long-running dispute on the marbles,ARTnewshas a primer.
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STREET CRIME.Officials in Ukraine said that they haddetained eight peoplefor allegedly trying to make off with aBanksypainting on the side of a building in the town of Hostomel, on the edge of Kyiv, theGuardianreports. While the suspects cut the work—a depiction of a person in a gas mask brandishing a fire extinguisher—from the structure, it has not been damaged.BBC Newsreports thatOleksiy Kuleba, the region’s governor, saidin a social media post, “We’ll do everything to preserve these works of street art as a symbol of our victory.” A number of pieces by the shadowy street artist appeared in Ukraine last month;ARTnewshas more onthat guerrilla project.
The Digest
After years in obscurity, the 17th-century Dutch painterMichaelina Wautieris “having something of a moment,”Milton Esterowwrites, with a show of her work at theMFA Bostonand her market ascendent. Though she was celebrated during her life, even some experts in Netherlandish art were not aware of her until recently.[The New York Times]
Law enforcement officials seized antiquities from philanthropistShelby Whiteon two occasions, last year and this year, according to search warrants, and they have been returned to Italy and Turkey. White, aMettrustee, declined to comment. TheManhattan District Attorney’s Office, which was involved in the action, declined to comment, citing an ongoing investigation.[The Art Newspaper]
TheMoravian Museumin Brno in the Czech Republic is returning aBeethovenmanuscript (the fourth movement of hisString Quartet in B-flat Major, Op. 130) that was looted by the Nazis from a family that fled Czechoslovakia during World War II. A new restitution law made the move possible, the museum said.[The Associated Press]
An exhibition at theBerlinische Galerielooks at how class shapes contemporary art, with wall labels highlighting facts like how artists received funding for their work and the professions of their parents. “We really wanted to give more information on the circumstances that enabled the work to be,” one of its co-curators,Anna Schapiro, said.[The New York Times]
The Italian designer, architect, curator, and all-around polymathPierluigi Cerri, who created revered furniture, graphics, and exhibitions, has died at 83. His lengthy CV included conceiving the visual identities for the 1976Venice Biennaleand Milan’sSalone del Mobilefair.[Wallpaper]
ARTISTS IN PROFILE.Nan Goldin, the subject of the acclaimedLaura Poitras–directed documentaryAll the Beauty and the Bloodshedis in theGuardian.Nalini Malani, who has a show up at theArt Gallery of South Australia, is in theGuardian, too, remarking that PresidentsTrumpandBolsonaroare “totally phallic people.”William Kentridge, with an exhibition now at theBroadin Los Angeles, is in theLos Angeles Times. AndAntrei Hartikainen, an inventive woodworker, is in theNew York Times.
The Kicker
THEIR BETTER HALVES.What is it like to have a boyfriend or husband who is crazy about NFTs?Nylonasked three women, who shared tales about bearing witness to that obsession, like one guy missing bachelor-party festivities to queue digitally for a coveted token. One of the women, who voiced some interest in the field, nevertheless proposed that “now that we’re planning a wedding, I don’t think aSpace Lionis really the most appropriate thing to be spending a couple grand on.”[Nylon]
