Catch up on some of the latest news happening in the art world!
Woman Finds 2,000-Year Old Roman Bust at Texas Goodwill (Hyperallergic)
Budding art collector Laura Young has made a habit of discovering the interesting and overlooked works of art that are often overlooked and sent to thrift stores, but nothing prepared her for the truth about the bust she discovered in a Goodwill in Austin, Texas. After purchasing the bust for $34.99, Young learned the bust once belonged to King Ludwig of Bavaria. The bust has been displayed in the courtyard of the Pomejanum, a full-scale replica of a villa in Pompeii built in the 1840s in Aschaffenburg, Germany. The bust went disappeared during World War II after Allied bombers targeted Aschaffenburg and caused damage to the Pomejanum. It’s believed by the San Antonio Museum of Art, where the bust is currently on display, that an American soldier may have picked the bust up and brought it back to Texas with him where it remained unknown until Young found it in 2018. The bust will remain on display until it returns to Germany in 2023. (Image: Laura Young)
Kyiv museum curators bravely criticise war by telling stories of its collection’s historic objects (The Art Newspaper)
After the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the curators and staff at the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in Kyiv rushed to put their disaster plans into action and closed the museum to the public. While the museum is closed, the curators have bravely signed their names to a series of online articles about historic objects in their collection that resonate with their current war with Russia. In one such article, a curator discusses a bejewelled cross from 1720 that previously belonged to the Church of St Nicolas the Good in Kyiv, which was destroyed by the Bolsheviks in 1935. The curator, considering the current war in light of the history of the cross notes that “the current bombing of religious buildings once again reminds us that Ukraine is at war not only with terrorists, but also with a barbaric state”. While the museum remains closed to the public, these curators continue to promote Ukrainian history to bring the country together and fight back against their invaders.
Warhol’s Bullet-Marred Portrait of Marilyn Monroe Sells for $195 M., a Record for the Pop Artist (Art News)
Andy Warhol’s images of Marilyn Monroe are arguably one of the most recognizable images from the 20th century and one of his 1964 silkscreen prints of Marilyn sold for a record-breaking $195 million at Christie’s New York on Monday. This is the most expensive work by a 20th century artist ever sold at auction. The work was purchased by art dealer Larry Gagosian.
This sale rode on a wave of a renewed interest in both Warhol and Monroe with Netflix documentaries on both Warhol and Marilyn released this year, as well as the much-talked-about moment of Kim Kardashian wearing Monroe’s 1962 “Happy Birthday Mr. President” nude gown to the Met Gala.
The Guggenheim and London’s National Gallery Are Latest Museums to Drop Sackler Name (ArtNews)
In the wake of lawsuits and accusations against pharmaceutical magnate Sackler family in relation to their role in the U.S opiod crisis, more museums opt to remove the family’s name from their walls. This list now includes the Guggenheim and London’s National Gallery of Art. On May 9, the National Gallery announced they were removing the Sackler family’s name, renaming the gallery housing 17th and 18th century British paintings bearing their name to Room 34 and stripping any reference of the family from the signage. This statement was made jointly with the Mortimer and Theresa Sackler Foundation – the family’s UK charitable organization, stating they agreed the “naming of Room 34 as the Sackler Gallery should come to an end.”
The Guggenheim initially released no statement on their decision to remove the Sackler name from their Center for Arts Education, but a spokesperson confirmed to Artnet that along with the family, they agree it is in the best interest of the museum to remove their name.
Along with these two museums, the Tate, the British Museum, the Metropolitan Museum and the Louvre have all removed the Sackler name from their galleries and buildings.
More News:
Iron Age rock art depicting ancient Gods discovered beneath Turkish home (ArtNewspaper)
North America’s Largest Cave Art Discovered in Alabama (Hyperallergic)
Renaissance Reframed 