A significant number of New York art galleries, including major players like Pace Gallery, David Zwirner, and Marian Goodman, will close on January 30 to join a nationwide general strike protesting expanded Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations. The strike is a response to allegations of federal overreach, including the use of deadly force against protestors and the detention of Native Americans, which have fueled widespread outrage.
A Confederate heritage group, the Georgia Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, has filed a lawsuit against Stone Mountain Park in Georgia, challenging a new exhibition that examines the site's history of slavery, segregation, and white supremacy. The group argues that the exhibition, commissioned by the Stone Mountain Memorial Association and developed by Warner Museums, violates state law by repurposing the park away from its original mandate to honor the Confederacy. The exhibition, funded with $11 million from the Georgia legislature in 2023, is not yet open to the public but has already sparked backlash from heritage groups.
French police conducted a raid on the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris as part of an investigation into its former president, Jack Lang, and his daughter, Caroline Lang. The probe, led by the National Financial Prosecutor's Office, focuses on suspicions of aggravated tax fraud and money laundering linked to their names appearing in the newly released Jeffrey Epstein files. Lang, a former culture minister, resigned from the institute to protect its reputation, denying all allegations.