Art News. Vasari Codex

gavel restitution schedule Jul 25, 2025 visibility 16 link 3 artists

is spains sistine chapel of romanesque art at risk

The Spanish Supreme Court has ordered the return of the Sijena Murals, 12th-century Romanesque frescoes known as the "Sistine Chapel of Romanesque Art," from the National Art Museum of Catalonia (MNAC) in Barcelona to their original monastery in Huesca, Aragon, by June 25. However, the MNAC is resisting the move, arguing that transporting the fragile, fire-damaged murals poses a "real risk of irreparable damage." The museum has requested more information about the destination and conditions at the Sijena monastery, and has suggested a longer timeline for the return of particularly delicate sections, while the Sijena City Council has proposed installing the works elsewhere if necessary.

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gavel restitution schedule Aug 21, 2025 visibility 19 link 3 artists

petition to block loan of bayeux tapestry to londons british museum garners 50000 signatures

Nearly 50,000 people have signed a petition to block the loan of the Bayeux Tapestry from France to the British Museum in London. The petition, launched in July by French art historian Didier Rykner, cites warnings from textile restorers that transporting the 1,000-year-old embroidered linen could cause irreparable damage. The tapestry is scheduled to be displayed at the British Museum from September 2026 to July 2027 while its home, the Bayeux Tapestry Museum in Normandy, undergoes renovation. The loan was announced by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron. Prominent French cultural figures, including former Bayeux Tapestry Museum director Isabelle Attard, and British conservation watchdog ArtWatch UK director Michael Daley have voiced concerns. Rykner hopes to unite French and British opposition to stop the exchange, which also includes Anglo-Saxon and Medieval objects from the British Museum moving to France.

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gavel restitution schedule Apr 22, 2025 visibility 14 link 1 gallery

mfa boston to rescind promised gift of benin bronzes close dedicated gallery

The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, will return a promised gift of Benin Bronzes and close its dedicated Benin gallery on April 28, 2025. The gallery will be repurposed for Nubian art. The collection, pledged by Robert Owen Lehman, includes objects traceable to the 1897 British looting of the Kingdom of Benin. Lehman has donated five objects outright, which will be displayed in the Art of Africa Gallery. The MFA stated it could not reach a mutually agreeable resolution for the gallery's long-term sustainability.

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gavel restitution schedule Jun 10, 2025 visibility 11 link 1 artist

looted antiquities sold facebook marketplace palmyra syria

Thieves in Syria are looting ancient artifacts from archaeological sites like Palmyra, a UNESCO World Heritage city dating back to the 3rd century BCE, and selling them on Facebook Marketplace. The looting has surged since the overthrow of former president Bashar al-Assad in December, with traffickers listing funerary gold, statues, and mosaics alongside ordinary secondhand goods. The Antiquities Trafficking and Heritage Anthropology Research (ATHAR) Project reports that nearly one-third of its 1,500 Syrian cases occurred in December alone, and sales are happening faster than ever—mosaics that once took a year to sell now move in two weeks.

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gavel restitution schedule Aug 21, 2025 visibility 15 link 3 artists

Tens of thousands sign petition to stop loan of ‘extremely fragile’ Bayeux Tapestry to UK

Nearly 50,000 people have signed a petition to block the loan of the Bayeux Tapestry to the British Museum, citing warnings from textile restorers that moving the 1,000-year-old embroidered linen could cause irreparable damage. The petition, launched by art historian Didier Rykner, opposes the planned exhibition in London from September 2026 to July 2027, which coincides with the closure of the Bayeux Tapestry Museum in Normandy for renovations. The loan was announced in July by French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Prominent French cultural figures, including former museum director Isabelle Attard, have voiced strong concerns, and Rykner hopes to ally with British opponents of the exchange, which would also send Anglo-Saxon and Medieval treasures from the British Museum to France.

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