No, the courts have not cleared the way for contemporary stained-glass windows at Notre-Dame

Non, la justice n'a pas laissé la voie libre aux vitraux contemporains de Notre-Dame

The article clarifies that legal challenges against installing contemporary stained-glass windows in Notre-Dame Cathedral are still ongoing, contrary to misleading headlines. Two judicial procedures remain active: an appeal by the heritage association Sites & Monuments after losing a first-instance ruling on procedural grounds, and a separate case contesting the legitimacy of the works themselves. Although an emergency injunction was denied because the judge found no urgency, the core legal arguments—that replacing Viollet-le-Duc's windows is not conservation or restoration—remain strong. The author warns that if the windows are installed before the appeals are resolved, they may later have to be removed at great expense.

In This Nazi-Era Restitution Dispute, the Focus Turns to a Missing Cow

A family is seeking restitution of a painting they believe is a lost Rubens work, looted by Nazis during World War II. However, an expert has cast doubt on the claim, arguing the painting is a copy because it lacks a distinctive detail found in the original: a urinating cow. The dispute has shifted focus to this missing element, complicating the family's efforts to recover the artwork.

Musée d’Orsay displays Renoir and Degas works looted by Nazis

The Musée d’Orsay in Paris has opened a new gallery dedicated exclusively to artworks suspected of being looted or forcibly sold during the Nazi occupation of France. Among the 13 works on display is Edgar Degas's *Dinner at the Ball* (1919), originally owned by Jewish collector Fernand Ochsé, who was deported to Auschwitz with his wife in 1941. The painting passed through multiple hands before being identified as one of over 100,000 artworks plundered by the Nazis. The museum has assembled a team of six provenance researchers to spend three years tracing the original owners of these works, which are part of the "MNR" (Musées nationaux récupération) collection—some 2,200 pieces deemed too important to sell but whose owners remain unknown.

Guatemala stakes claim to stone lintel by 'the Michelangelo of the pre-Columbian era' that was repatriated to Mexico

A Maya stone lintel, dating from AD600-AD900 and depicting a ritual scene associated with the ruler Cheleew Chan K'inich, was repatriated to Mexico on April 16 after being turned over to the Mexican consulate in New York by an unnamed US businessman. However, hours after the ceremony, experts determined the lintel actually originated from Guatemala's Petén Basin. Guatemala's cultural ministry, led by minister Luis Méndez Salinas, has formally requested the object's return through diplomatic channels, citing technical analysis and consultations with archaeologists.

Une souscription pour la Maison-atelier Lurçat

The Académie des beaux-arts has launched a subscription campaign to acquire a monumental tapestry by Jean Lurçat, recently rediscovered by Christie's. The tapestry, titled *Bestiaire* (1930), measures 3 by 6.45 meters and was originally created for the artist's home-studio in Paris's 14th arrondissement. It will be publicly unveiled at Christie's Paris on May 6–7, 2025, before a private sale between the Académie and the auction house for €110,000. Donations are being collected online or by check to fund the purchase.

London’s Wellcome Collection to Transfer 2,000 Manuscripts to Jain Community, But They Will Stay in UK

The Wellcome Collection in London has announced plans to transfer 2,000 Jain manuscripts to the Jain community, but they will remain in the UK at the University of Birmingham’s Dharmanath Network in Jain Studies. The manuscripts, ranging from the 15th to 19th centuries, were largely purchased in 1919 from a temple in India and from sources in present-day Pakistan. The transfer follows years of dialogue with the UK-based Institute of Jainology and aims to maximize community access and research opportunities.

Investigators search again for stolen Celtic gold treasure

Ermittler suchen erneut nach gestohlenem Kelten-Goldschatz

More than three years after the theft of a Celtic gold treasure from the Kelten Römer Museum in Manching, Bavaria, investigators are conducting a new search for the missing loot. Four perpetrators were arrested and sentenced to long prison terms in July 2025, but only a small portion of the stolen gold coins was recovered. Now, based on new intelligence, Bavarian state police are searching the property of the main suspect and his partner in Plate, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, using X-ray and radar technology. They believe 411 gold coins and a gold casting ingot—about three kilograms of gold—are professionally hidden there, along with cash from other burglaries. The suspect's partner is under investigation for money laundering for allegedly offering to help sell the gold.

Bavarian State Police Return Saint Figures to the Czech Republic

LKA gibt Heiligenfiguren an Tschechien zurück

Bavarian state police (LKA) have returned five stolen religious sculptures—saints and angel figures—to Czech authorities. The artworks, some dating back centuries, were stolen from Czech churches as early as 1993 and later offered for online sale in Bavaria and Berlin. The handover ceremony took place in Prague, coordinated with Germany's Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and Media (BKM).