ROME (AP) – Italy’s art squad police said July 19 they have thwarted the potential illegal sale by a Vienna auction house of a 17th-century painting by Artemisia Gentileschi, a celebrated Baroque artist.
Boxing champion belt given to Nelson Mandela stolen in South Africa
JOHANNESBURG (AP) – A World Boxing Council championship belt belonging to former South African President Nelson Mandela has been stolen from a museum in Soweto, according to police. The belt was given to Mandela by American boxing legend Sugar Ray Leonard during one of his visits to South Africa. It was one of many artifacts inside the Nelson Mandela National Museum, a major tourist attraction for local and international travelers.
Ukrainian artist makes cultural stand at Venice Biennale
VENICE, Italy (AP) – Artist Pavlo Makov’s role representing Ukraine at the Venice Biennale has become an act of defiance against the Russian invaders, whose attacks on his adopted hometown of Kharkiv have grown more intense in recent days. Not only do the Russians intend to take over his country, the Russian-born Ukrainian national says, but they are also bent on erasing Ukrainian culture.
Van Gogh self-portrait found hidden behind another painting
LONDON (AP) – A previously unknown self-portrait of Vincent Van Gogh has been discovered behind another of the artist’s paintings, the National Galleries of Scotland said July 14. The self-portrait was found on the back of Van Gogh’s Head of a Peasant Woman when experts at the Edinburgh gallery took an X-ray of the canvas ahead of an upcoming exhibition.
Cheech Marin’s museum of Chicano art opens in California
RIVERSIDE, Calif. (AP) – A home for Cheech Marin’s collection of Chicano art has debuted in Southern California. The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture opened June 18 in Riverside, east of Los Angeles.
Harvard returns Standing Bear’s tomahawk to Nebraska tribe
BOSTON (AP) – A tomahawk once owned by Chief Standing Bear, a pioneering Native American civil rights leader, has been returned to his tribe after being housed for decades in a museum at Harvard University.
Germany, Nigeria sign accord on return of Benin Bronzes
BERLIN (AP) – Germany and Nigeria on July 1 signed an agreement paving the way for the return of hundreds of artifacts known as the Benin Bronzes that were taken from Africa more than 120 years ago – an accord that Nigerian officials hope will prompt other countries to follow suit.
UK climate change protesters glue themselves to Constable frame
LONDON (AP) – Two climate change protesters were arrested after they glued themselves to the frame of a famous John Constable painting hanging in Britain’s National Gallery, the central London museum and police said.
Dalai Lama marks 87th birthday by opening library and museum
DHARMSALA, India (AP) – Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama marked his 87th birthday on July 6 by inaugurating a library and museum in his hillside Indian headquarters.
Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts employees, management, reach labor deal
BOSTON (AP) – Employees at Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts ratified their first labor deal on June 28, becoming the latest prestigious art institution to protect workers with a union contract. The collective bargaining agreement is the first since museum workers voted to join the United Auto Workers Local 2110 in November 2020, the union and management said in a joint statement.