Ancient Egyptian Papyrus Reveals 3,300-Year-Old White-Out Fluid

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Researchers at the Fitzwilliam Museum have discovered evidence of 3,300-year-old "white-out" used to correct an artistic error on an ancient Egyptian papyrus. While preparing for an upcoming exhibition, curators identified a modification on a copy of the Book of the Dead belonging to the royal scribe Ramose, where a mixture of calcite and huntite was applied to slim down the figure of a jackal deity.

ancient egyptians correction fluid book of the dead 1234776392

Researchers at the Fitzwilliam Museum have discovered that ancient Egyptian scribes used a primitive form of correction fluid to amend errors on papyrus scrolls. While preparing a 3,300-year-old copy of the Book of the Dead for the tomb of the scribe Ramose, conservators noticed white lines of huntite and calcite mixed with yellow orpiment used to slim down a painted jackal. This 'ancient Wite-Out' was specifically blended to match the cream-colored tone of fresh papyrus, concealing revisions made during the artistic process.

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Ulysses Jenkins, a pioneering video artist, muralist, and performer, has died at the age of 79. His passing was confirmed by the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles, the institution that hosted his major 2022 retrospective, "Without Your Interpretation." Born and raised in Los Angeles, Jenkins dedicated his career to using the camera as a tool for social commentary, famously documenting the Watts Festival to counter negative media stereotypes and exploring the complex relationship between mass media and Black American identity.

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Isaiah Zagar, the visionary mosaic artist behind the landmark Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens, died on February 19 at age 86 due to complications from heart failure and Parkinson’s Disease. A Pratt Institute graduate and former Peace Corps volunteer, Zagar transformed Philadelphia’s South Street neighborhood over five decades, creating more than 200 public murals and a sprawling, immersive environment of tunnels and grottos made from glass, tile, and found objects.

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French broadcaster France Télévisions aired previously unseen footage of the October 2025 robbery at the Louvre Museum, in which thieves stole crown jewels worth approximately €88 million ($102 million). The four-minute video, shown on the investigative program Complément d'enquête, captures the thieves smashing display cases with their fists and an angle grinder while security guards remain largely motionless nearby. One guard briefly confronts the thieves with a rope stanchion before backing down, and another makes a phone call. The footage corroborates findings from a security audit that deemed the museum's system "outdated and inadequate," with a severe lack of functioning cameras. Louvre director Laurence des Cars had previously stated that the sole camera covering the gallery was facing the wrong direction, and it took guards eight minutes to access the correct feed during the break-in.

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New research by Tudor historian Owen Emmerson suggests that the most famous portrait of Anne Boleyn, displayed at London’s National Portrait Gallery, actually depicts her daughter Queen Elizabeth I. Emmerson argues the late-16th-century painting was deliberately made to resemble Elizabeth I, reinforcing a legitimate Tudor succession. The theory is supported by comparisons with another portrait of Elizabeth at Compton Verney and by Lawrence Hendra of Philip Mould gallery. An upcoming exhibition at Hever Castle, "Capturing a Queen: The Image of Anne Boleyn," will present this and other evidence, alongside newly identified contemporaneous images of Boleyn, including a miniature from the British Museum and a drawing by Hans Holbein the Younger.

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The ABC television series *High Potential* aired a midseason finale episode titled “The One that Got Away,” in which protagonist Morgan Gillory, a cleaning lady turned police consultant, investigates a museum heist involving a $20 million Rembrandt painting, *Young Girl Leaning on a Windowsill*. The fictional theft—executed via a skylight rope descent, laser security disabling, and smoke bomb—eerily mirrored a real-life Louvre heist that occurred just a week after the episode was written, where thieves used a cherry picker and angle grinder to break through a window. The episode also touches on Nazi-looted art and a possible serial art thief named John Baptist.

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Sylvain Amic, an art historian who became director of the Musée d’Orsay in Paris just 16 months ago, died suddenly at age 58 on Sunday in southern France due to heart failure. His death has shocked the French and international art world. Amic previously led the Musée Fabre in Montpellier, oversaw a consortium of 11 museums in Rouen, and served as an adviser to former French culture minister Rima Abdul Malak. He was in the midst of planning a permanent collection rehang and a new research center at the Orsay, and had recently organized a traveling exhibition of masterworks that visited Shanghai's Pudong Art Museum.

louvre to return 258 works from rothschild cabinet of curiosities 1234743810

The Louvre Museum in Paris will return 258 works from the bequest of collector Adèle de Rothschild to the Fondation des Artistes after a 2019 cross-inventory revealed the objects were improperly inventoried in the Louvre's collection. Rothschild, who died in 1922, bequeathed her private mansion and its contents to the French government with the stipulation that her cabinet of curiosities remain intact, but the Louvre held works from the cabinet—including objets d'art and Islamic art—in violation of her wishes. The foundation's director, Laurence Maynier, described the surrender as a "just return," noting that the objects were all in storage and invisible to the public. Some 30 other objects will remain at the Louvre for five years to allow curators to find replacements, and the museum will receive 104 pieces from the foundation's inventory as compensation. The cabinet is set to reopen in September.

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New York's Spring Break Art Show has returned to its namesake season, opening alongside Frieze New York after abruptly canceling its Los Angeles edition due to January's devastating fires. Founded by artist duo Andrew Gori and Ambre Kelly, the fair is now held in a former book printing office on Varick Street, featuring offbeat emerging art and boundary-pushing installations. Roughly a third of the presentations were already planned under the theme "Paradise Lost and Found," but the accelerated timeline led to last-minute additions, with some artists joining just the night before. Standout works include Louis Sarowsky's carved stone food sculptures, Kate Rusek's zero-waste porcelain pieces molded from trash, and Colin J. Radcliffe's ceramic sculptures reimagining queer figures in classical iconography.

LATIN AMERICA AT THE VENICE BIENNALE: A VISUAL TOUR OF THE CENTRAL EXHIBITION

LATINOAMÉRICA EN LA BIENAL DE VENECIA: UN RECORRIDO VISUAL POR LA MUESTRA CENTRAL

The 61st Venice Biennale, titled "In Minor Keys," opened its preview days on May 8, 2025, curated by the late Koyo Kouoh (1967–2025). The central exhibition, realized by a team she selected before her death, features 110 participants from around the world, with a strong Latin American presence of 15 artists, collectives, and organizations. The show explores themes of colonial history, plantation economies, geological memory, and environmental crisis through works that emphasize shared materials, politics, and poetics across geographies from Dakar to San Juan.

GEORGE FEBRES: TRANSLATION, IRONY, AND LIBERATION. AN ECUADORIAN ARTIST IN THE DIASPORA

The article examines the life and work of George Febres (1943–1996), an Ecuadorian artist who spent most of his career in the United States, primarily in New Orleans. Febres’s practice blends Pop Art, Neo-Surrealism, and Southern US culture with his experiences as a migrant and queer subject, using bilingualism and ironic tropical imagery to create a hybrid, irreverent body of work. Despite his significance, no works by Febres exist in Ecuadorian public collections, and no major retrospective has been held in his home country, reflecting a broader erasure of queer narratives from national art history.

GEORGE FEBRES: TRADUCCIÓN, IRONÍA Y LIBERACIÓN. UN ARTISTA ECUATORIANO EN LA DIÁSPORA

George Febres (Guayaquil, 1943 – New Orleans, 1996) was an Ecuadorian artist whose work blended pop art, neo-surrealism, and Southern U.S. culture, shaped by his experience as a migrant and queer individual. The article traces his life from a privileged but unstable childhood in Ecuador to his migration to the United States, where he was drafted during the Vietnam War and eventually settled in New Orleans. Febres used bilingualism and ironic appropriation of tropical imagery to create a hybrid, irreverent body of work that challenges the official historiography of Ecuadorian art.

New York Galleries: Openings and Closings of the Week (11/11—11/16)

Comment | I went to see Sarah Lucas and Damien Hirst sculptures in an ancient UK cave system—and it was eerily brilliant

The article describes a visit to "Back to the Cave: The Full Spectrum," an exhibition of around 70 sculptures by contemporary artists including Damien Hirst, Antony Gormley, Sarah Lucas, and Maggi Hambling, held in the ancient Clearwell Caves in the Forest of Dean, England. The show was organized by Rungwe Kingdon and Claude Koenig of Pangolin Editions, a sculpture foundry that fabricated many of the works, and required significant ingenuity to install large, heavy pieces in the deep, dark, damp cave system.

The Rediscovery of the Female Old Masters

Die Wiederentdeckung der Alten Meisterinnen

The Museum of Fine Arts Ghent (MSK) has launched a major exhibition titled "Unforgettable: Women Artists from Amsterdam to Antwerp, 1600–1750," showcasing over 40 female Baroque artists who were once highly successful but later faded into obscurity. The show highlights figures like Michaelina Wautier, who defied gender norms by painting large-scale history scenes and male nudes, and Rachel Ruysch, whose floral still lifes commanded prices rivaling those of Rembrandt. These women were not merely exceptions but active participants in the art market, running workshops and securing royal patronage across the Low Countries.

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Ann Temkin, the chief curator of painting and sculpture at New York’s Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), is featured in a Cultured magazine profile discussing her career and the museum's ambitious upcoming exhibition of Marcel Duchamp, which she and her colleagues have been preparing for five years. The article includes a Q&A where Temkin reflects on her biggest contribution to culture—connecting art and people—and cites John Cage's touring exhibition "Rolywholyover A Circus" as a surprising influence, noting how it demonstrated that a show can itself be a work of art.

fashion versace ss26 campaign mexico city

Versace has launched its Spring/Summer 2026 campaign, commissioning three photographers—Steven Meisel, Frank Lebon, and Tania Franco Klein—to create distinct visual contributions. Klein, a Mexican photographer based in Mexico City, shot her portion entirely in her home city, using local talent and crew. Her images are intimate, psychological, and reference her own past projects, including a recreation of her grandmother's earthquake-destroyed room. The campaign was directed by Dario Vitale and features a soundtrack by the duo New York.

parties guggenheim museum gala 2025 rashid johnson

The Guggenheim Museum held its 2025 gala, titled "Under the Oculus: A Celebration of Visionaries," honoring artist Rashid Johnson, whose solo exhibition "A Poem for Deep Thinkers" is on view at the institution, alongside the National Basketball Association and National Basketball Players Association. The event featured a seated dinner by Chef Marcus Samuelsson, a performance by Questlove and the Roots, and drew a crowd of art-world figures, sports leaders, and patrons including Abigail and Joseph Baratta, Wendy Fisher, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, and gallerist David Kordansky.

fashion david yurman jewelry phaidon

David and Sybil Yurman, the couple behind the iconic David Yurman jewelry empire, reflect on their origins as artists in New York in a new book, *Sybil and David Yurman: Artists and Jewelers*, published last month. The book draws from their personal archive of paintings, sculptures, photos, and jewelry, tracing their journey from working under sculptor Jacques Lipchitz and ceramicist Shōji Hamada to building a global brand. In an interview with CULTURED, the Yurmans share stories of their first date, Sybil's early career as a ceramicist and painter, and how their partnership evolved from art to jewelry.

art heist genre film tv books guide

This article from Cultured explores the history and evolution of the art heist genre across film, television, and books. It traces the genre's origins from the 1911 theft of the Mona Lisa by Vincenzo Peruggia to its appearance in 19th-century detective serials by Agatha Christie and Arthur Conan Doyle, and later in French New Wave noirs and slick 1990s heist films. The piece highlights recent entries like Kelly Reichardt's film *The Mastermind* starring Josh O'Connor, and compiles a list of key works including *Animal Crackers* (1930), *How to Steal a Million* (1966), *The Thomas Crown Affair* (1968/1999), and *Hudson Hawk* (1991), noting how the genre reflects changing attitudes toward wealth, crime, and the sublime power of art.

anderson ranch gala arts center 2025 gala titus kaphar

Anderson Ranch Arts Center held its 2025 gala on July 10 in Snowmass Village, honoring artist Titus Kaphar with the International Artist Award. The evening featured a seated dinner, a gala auction with works donated by galleries including Gagosian, Hauser & Wirth, White Cube, and Marianne Boesky Gallery, and drew a crowd of collectors, artists, patrons, and cultural figures such as Peter Waanders, Sarah Harrelson, Jessica Silverman, and Kristina Newman-Scott.

aerospace entrepreneur tanya fileva art young collectors

Tanya Fileva, a 34-year-old aerospace entrepreneur born in Siberia and based in San Francisco, discusses her art collection and the Lyra Art Foundation she founded to support boundary-pushing artists. She highlights works by Yoko Ono, Sylvia Sleigh, Jenny Saville, Dominique Fung, Sarah Lucas, and Agnes Denes, emphasizing her interest in overlooked voices and artists who experiment relentlessly.

site santa fe international

Site Santa Fe has announced its 12th International exhibition, titled "Once Within a Time," opening June 27 and running through January 2026. Curated by Cecilia Alemani, who previously curated the 59th Venice Biennale, the show draws its name and dreamlike logic from a 2022 film by Santa Fe artist Godfrey Reggio. Featuring over 70 artists and more than 300 works—including new commissions, archival interventions, and contemporary selections—the exhibition uses 20 figures with ties to New Mexico as narrative catalysts, among them Navajo code talker Chester Nez, novelist Willa Cather, and the Fire Spirit from local folklore. For the first time, the International will be fully embedded within Santa Fe's urban fabric, activating sites such as a historic foundry, a toy store, and a dispensary alongside traditional cultural partners. Participating artists include Simone Leigh, David Horvitz, and Dominique Knowles, with contributions from writers Tommy Orange, Lucy R. Lippard, and Estevan Rael-Gálvez.

Putin ‘Won’ the Venice Biennale, Quips Italian Culture Minister

Italian Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin "won" the 2024 Venice Biennale, criticizing Russia's controversial return to the event. Giuli, who repeatedly denounced Russia's presence, told Corriere della Sera that Russian artists in the pavilion cannot express dissent against their regime. The Biennale faced widespread calls to remove Russia, with the EU threatening to withhold a €2 million grant, but organizers argued they lacked legal authority to exclude the country. Protests by Pussy Riot and FEMEN marked the pavilion's opening, while the Biennale's jury resigned en masse after announcing that nations charged with crimes against humanity would be ineligible for Golden Lions.

An Unprecedented 24-Hour Strike Could Upend the Venice Biennale

An unprecedented 24-hour strike is set to interrupt the Venice Biennale's opening week on Friday, May 8, in protest of Israel's participation in the global art event. The action, organized by the activist group Art Not Genocide Alliance (ANGA), follows a letter signed by over 230 Biennale participants demanding Israel's exclusion. The strike has exposed divisions among participants, with some artists and pavilion teams weighing solidarity against the rare opportunity to platform their own political messages. The Slovenian pavilion, represented by Nika Grabar of the Nonument Group, has committed to the strike, while others like Ecuador's Tawna Collective remain undecided, balancing protest with their mission to highlight ecological crises in the Amazon.

First Impressions of a Venice Biennale Torn Apart by the Present

The 61st Venice Biennale, titled "In Minor Keys," opens amid turmoil: its curator Koyo Kouoh died of cancer during planning, and the festival jury resigned after a controversial statement about excluding Israel and Russia from prizes, replaced by a Eurovision-style people's choice award. The main exhibition, completed by a team of five collaborators using Kouoh's plans, features over 110 artists and collectives, with highlights including works by Big Chief Demond Melanchon, Tammy Nguyen, Guadalupe Maravilla, Ayrson Heráclito, and a section focused on Michael Armitage's Nairobi Contemporary Art Institute.

Treasures From Matthew Perry’s Estate Head to Auction for a Good Cause

Heritage Auctions will sell a trove of artifacts from Matthew Perry's estate starting June 5, including scripts and memorabilia from the sitcom *Friends*, artworks by Banksy and Mel Bochner, and personal items like a 3D portrait of his invented superhero "Mattman." Proceeds benefit the Matthew Perry Foundation, a nonprofit focused on ending addiction stigma and expanding access to evidence-based care, founded after the actor's death in 2023.

‘She had a fresh, informed eye’: mural depicting late Venice Biennale curator Koyo Kouoh displayed in lagoon city

A mural honoring Koyo Kouoh, the late curator of the 2025 Venice Biennale, has been unveiled in Venice. Created by US artist Derrick Adams, the collage titled "Heavy is the head that wears the crown" adorns the facade of the Palazzetto dello sport Giobatta Gianquinto near the Arsenale. Kouoh died on 10 May 2025 at age 57 after a cancer diagnosis. The tribute was organized by curator Francesco Bonami, who had invited Kouoh to join the jury for the 50th Venice Biennale in 2003.

Is A Random Unknown Artist More Valuable Than Picasso? AI Thinks So.

An experiment using a custom AI model to evaluate artistic value independent of market context found that the model assigned a seven-figure price to an unknown street artist's work while valuing a Picasso at under $1,000. The project, run by an art journalist with a data scientist and an AI expert, trained a Fine Art Large Vision Model on millions of images and price data. Without metadata like artist name or gallery affiliation, the model's predictions were technically interesting but commercially useless; only when those market signals were added did predictions align with real auction outcomes.