bust of egyptian goddess satala turkey

Archaeologists excavating the ancient Roman military stronghold of Satala in northeastern Turkey have unearthed a bronze bust of the Egyptian goddess Isis. The eight-inch-tall sculpture, found in a necropolis, dates to the 2nd or 3rd century CE and depicts Isis atop a circular base with calyx-shaped leaves. The discovery was led by Elif Yavuz Çakmur of Karadeniz Technical University and marks the first sculpture found at the site since the Satala Aphrodite was unearthed in 1872.

sothebys sells york avenue hq weill cornell breuer move

Sotheby's has sold its longtime New York headquarters at 1334 York Avenue to Weill Cornell Medicine, marking the final step in a major real estate transformation. The auction house will lease back floors 7–10 under a long-term lease while relocating its global headquarters to the Breuer Building at 945 Madison Avenue, which opens November 8 with a blockbuster exhibition. Sotheby's also acquired Gantry Point, a 240,000-square-foot complex in Long Island City, in 2023. CEO Charles Stewart stated the sale proceeds will reduce debt and invest in core business.

msn warsaw director joanna mytkowska interview

Joanna Mytkowska, director of the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw (MSN Warsaw) since 2007, discusses the museum's first year in its new building designed by American architect Thomas Phifer. Located in Warsaw's Central Square near the Palace of Culture and Science, the white modernist structure opened last fall with performances and the collection exhibition "The Impermanent." Mytkowska reflects on the museum's controversial reception among local audiences, its role in Poland's political debates—including being mentioned during the recent presidential election campaign—and the institution's long-standing ambivalence toward artistic canons rooted in its close ties to Warsaw's progressive artistic community.

matthew christopher pietras death by suicide

Matthew Christopher Pietras, an arts patron who pledged millions to the Metropolitan Opera and the Frick Collection, died by suicide on May 30 in his Manhattan apartment, as ruled by the New York City medical examiner. His death was attributed to acute intoxication from a combination of prescription drugs. Pietras had made a $15 million pledge to the Met Opera, but when he attempted to transfer $10 million, the transaction was flagged as fraudulent, and it was later revealed that the funds belonged to the Soros family, not to Pietras himself. He worked as a financial manager—or, more accurately, a personal assistant and property manager—for Gregory Soros, the youngest son of billionaire George Soros.

smithsonian institution internal review trump administration

Smithsonian Institution Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III announced an internal review of the museum network's programming in response to an executive order from the Trump administration calling for a review of its content. In a letter to staff, Bunch stated the institution would conduct its own review to ensure programming is nonpartisan and factual, while asserting the Smithsonian's independence from the White House. This follows a March executive order claiming the Smithsonian had adopted a divisive, race-centered ideology, and earlier pressure to end DEI initiatives, which the Smithsonian had already closed in January. Bunch had lunch with President Trump after the White House released a list of artworks it denounced, and the administration previously claimed to have fired National Portrait Gallery director Kim Sajet over DEI support, though she later resigned.

sylvain amic musee d orsay dead

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.

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.

king tutankhamen egyptian artifact auction grasshopper

An intricately carved ivory and wood grasshopper from the Age of Tutankhamun, known as the 'Guennol Grasshopper,' is set to be auctioned by Apollo Art Auctions in July with an estimate of £300,000–£500,000. Egyptian art historians, including German Egyptologist Christian Loeben, have raised concerns that the cosmetic vessel may have been stolen by British archaeologist Howard Carter, who discovered King Tutankhamen’s tomb and allegedly kept some items for his own collection. The auction house states there is no documented evidence linking the object to the tomb, and it has been cleared against the Art Loss Register, but experts like former Met director Thomas Hoving have long connected it to the pharaoh’s burial.

smithsonian white house national museum american history

The Smithsonian Institution is facing renewed scrutiny from the Trump administration, this time targeting the National Museum of American History's permanent exhibition "Entertainment Nation." Fox News reported that the White House has raised concerns about wall texts in the display, which opened in 2022 and explores the entertainment industry's impact on American pop culture. One text notes that Mickey Mouse's design has roots in blackface minstrelsy, while another describes pop star Selena Quintanilla-Pérez as sparking conversations about identity and Latinx influence. A 1923 circus poster is accompanied by a placard linking circuses to colonial impulses. White House lawyer Lindsey Halligan criticized the exhibition as framing American culture as "inherently violent, imperialist, or racist." The Smithsonian has stated it is reviewing content to ensure it meets its standards of unbiased scholarship.

french museums open letter

Four pro-Tibetan groups in France have filed a legal complaint against Paris's Musée Guimet, accusing it of erasing Tibet's cultural identity by renaming its Nepal-Tibet gallery to "Himalayan world" and removing references to "Tibetan art." The groups argue the changes blur Tibet's distinct heritage and align with political pressures from Beijing. The museum denies external influence, stating the new name better reflects the region's cultural interconnections, citing similar usage by institutions like the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Smithsonian.

vatican museums restored raphael rooms cleaning project

The Vatican Museums have unveiled the final room of the Raphael Rooms in the Apostolic Palace after a decade-long cleaning and restoration. The project revealed that Raphael used a novel mural painting technique, applying oil paint directly to the wall rather than using traditional fresco. Restorers discovered a grid of metal nails embedded in the walls, intended to hold a natural resin surface for the oil paint, confirming earlier reports of this experimental approach. The room, dedicated to the Roman emperor Constantine, was completed by Raphael's students after his death in 1520.

notre dame cathedral spire statues return

On June 23, the first of 16 larger-than-life copper statues was reinstalled atop Notre-Dame Cathedral's spire, following a blessing from Archbishop of Paris Laurent Ulrich. The statues, comprising the 12 apostles and four evangelist symbols, were originally installed in 1861 and had been safely removed days before the 2019 fire. After restoration by French company SOCRA, the statues are being returned in stages, with completion expected by July.

lough kinale book shrine medieval manuscripts national museum ireland

In 1986, divers recovered ancient fragments from a lake in Longford County, Ireland, which were later identified as the Lough Kinale Book Shrine, the largest and oldest book shrine in Ireland. After a 39-year conservation process at the National Museum of Ireland (NMI), the 9th-century oak and bronze container is now on public display. The shrine, featuring intricate metalwork, snake-head hinges, and a permanently sealed interior, was reconstructed using photogrammetry and 3D modeling. It is part of the NMI exhibition "Words on the Wave," which showcases over 100 early medieval artifacts, including manuscripts on loan from the Abbey Library of St. Gall in Switzerland.

syria isis palmyra restoration

The Syrian government has announced plans to reopen the ancient city of Palmyra to tourists as early as next summer, following extensive damage inflicted by ISIS. The historic UNESCO World Heritage Site, once attracting 150,000 visitors annually, was occupied twice by the terrorist group, which destroyed iconic structures including the Temple of Bel, the Temple of Baal Shamin, and the Arch of Triumph, and beheaded the city's head of antiquities, Khalid al-As'ad. Restoration efforts are underway with assistance pledged from UNESCO, Russia, Poland, and Italy, focusing on repairing the Old City and restoring artifacts such as the Lion of Al-lāt statue.

museums in tehran and tel aviv move to safeguard their collections

Iran and Israel have taken urgent steps to protect their cultural heritage amid escalating military hostilities, including air strikes on Tehran and Tel Aviv. Iran's Cultural Heritage Organization transferred museum artifacts to secure storage and closed all museums and heritage sites, with deputy minister Ali Darabi directing custodians to follow crisis protocols. Israeli institutions, including the Israel Museum in Jerusalem and the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, removed artworks from display to underground facilities and closed indefinitely, following Iran's retaliatory strikes on Tel Aviv.

south korea president orders major arts investment

South Korea President Yoon Suk-yeol has announced a $3.7 billion fund to support film, TV, art, and cultural projects, along with plans to transform the historic presidential residence Cheong Wa Dae (Blue House) into a cultural complex modeled after France's Palace of Versailles. The initiative aims to boost the country's cultural sector ahead of major art events including Frieze Seoul, Kiaf fairs, and the Busan Biennale. President Yoon also directed that state-owned art collections, including 23,000 works from the late Samsung Group chair Lee Kun-hee, be made accessible through nationwide tours, and that government art purchases prioritize works by disabled and emerging artists.

assyrian king ashurbanipal relief nineveh

A team of archaeologists from Heidelberg University has uncovered a monumental stone relief in Nineveh, Iraq, depicting King Ashurbanipal flanked by two major Assyrian gods, Ashur and Ishtar, along with demigods. The 2,600-year-old relief, measuring nearly 20 feet across and 10 feet high, was found buried in a pit at the northern palace, a site first excavated in the 19th century by Austen Henry Layard. The discovery is part of the Heidelberg Nineveh Project, launched in 2018 after the liberation of Mosul from the Islamic State.

james rondeau returns as director of art institute of chicago following plane incident

James Rondeau is returning as director of the Art Institute of Chicago after taking a voluntary leave following an incident in April 2025 in which he reportedly undressed on a flight from Chicago to Munich. CBS News reported that police were called after a passenger—identified as Rondeau—stripped off his clothes, having consumed alcohol and prescription medication. The museum’s board conducted an independent investigation and expressed confidence in Rondeau’s leadership, allowing him to resume his role as President and Director on Monday. Rondeau issued a statement expressing regret and gratitude for the opportunity to continue his work.

louvre to return 258 works from rothschild cabinet of curiosities

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.

shooting washington dc jewish museum

A shooting outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday night killed two Israeli embassy staff members, Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, in what authorities have called an antisemitic attack. The gunman, Elias Rodriguez of Chicago, opened fire as the victims exited a diplomatic event hosted by the American Jewish Committee, then entered the museum where he was detained by security. Police reported that Rodriguez shouted “free, free Palestine” after being taken into custody. The museum expressed heartbreak and condemned the violence, while the Israeli embassy mourned the loss of the couple, who were engaged to be married.

metropolitan museum returns antiquities iraq robin symes

The Metropolitan Museum of Art has announced it will return three ancient sculptures to Iraq, collectively valued at $500,000. The objects include a Sumerian gypsum alabaster vessel (ca. 2600–2500 BCE) and two Babylonian terracotta sculptures (ca. 2000–1600 BCE) depicting a male and female head. The repatriation follows new information from an investigation into Robin Symes, a dealer accused of trafficking looted artifacts. The Manhattan District Attorney's Office reported that the Symes investigation has led to the seizure of 135 antiquities worth over $58 million, with two of the items seized by the Antiquities Trafficking Unit earlier this year.

this qing dynasty painting could sell for nearly 19 million at auction

Sotheby's Hong Kong offered the Qing dynasty imperial painting *The Blue Goats* as a single-lot sale during its Asian Art Week. Commissioned by Emperor Qianlong in the late 1750s, the seven-by-six-foot hanging scroll was created by Italian Jesuit painter Giuseppe Castiglione (Lang Shining) and Chinese court artist Jin Tingbiao, blending Western and Eastern techniques. Despite a presale estimate of HK$60–150 million ($7.7–19.3 million), the work sold for HK$58.9 million ($7.6 million) after fees, below the low estimate. The painting depicts a pair of gorals in a rocky landscape and is inscribed with a poem by the emperor symbolizing his military conquests.

eu sanctions russian museum crimea

The European Union has sanctioned the “Tauric Chersonese” State Museum-Preserve in Crimea, marking the first time the EU has targeted a Russian museum. The museum and its director, Elena Morozova, were included in the latest round of sanctions for allegedly undermining Ukrainian cultural heritage by promoting pro-Russian narratives and supporting Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The site, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has been accused of transforming into a historical park under Russian control since Crimea's annexation in 2014.

monumental relief last assyrian ruler unearthed nineveh

A team of German archaeologists from Heidelberg University has uncovered a monumental stone relief in the throne room of the North Palace of King Ashurbanipal at Nineveh, near Mosul, Iraq. The slab, measuring 5.5 meters long and 3 meters high and weighing 12 tons, depicts the last great Assyrian ruler alongside the deities Ashur and Ishtar, as well as a mythological fish genius. The discovery was announced by Professor Aaron Schmitt, who noted that no other known Assyrian palace reliefs feature major deities, making this find exceptional. The excavation is part of the Heidelberg Nineveh project, ongoing since 2018.

open restitution africa research organization profile

Open Restitution Africa (ORA), an African-led research organization, has compiled case studies including the Ngadji drum, a sacred instrument confiscated from Kenya's Pokomo people by British colonial officers in 1902 and now held by the British Museum. With a $600,000 grant from the Mellon Foundation, ORA provided microgrants to scholars like William Mutta Tsaka of the National Museums of Kenya, who documented the drum's cultural significance and the community's ongoing struggle for repatriation. The project aims to fund independent researchers and community activists across Africa, covering fieldwork costs often neglected by larger provenance grants.

sfmoma cuts nearly 40 staffers amid labor talks

The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) has cut 29 positions, nearly 8 percent of its workforce, with 26 of those affected being members of the Office and Professional Employees International Union Local 29. The layoffs, which include 20 full-time and 9 part-time roles, were announced abruptly with less than a day's warning, drawing criticism from union officials who say they were not given a chance to discuss alternatives or negotiate severance. Museum director Christopher Bedford stated the cuts were necessary due to financial challenges, and that enhanced severance packages were provided to union members. The affected staff reportedly hold public-facing or visitor service roles, and it remains unclear if curatorial or senior-level positions were included.

ronen zien tel aviv museum of art

Ronen Zien, an artist born in the Arab city of Shefa Amr in northern Israel, presents a solo exhibition titled "Walking Into" at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art. The show features works that explore memory, time, and borders, including a life-size video piece where Zien walks into a faded family photograph from the 1990s. Using chroma key technology, he inserts himself into images from his childhood and historic photographs, such as a 19th-century print by Félix Bonfils. The exhibition draws on Zien's family history within the Druze community, which is divided by the Israel–Syria border, and includes works created in the six months before its February 2025 opening, amid ongoing war tensions.

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.

Arts of the Earth

ARTES DE LA TIERRA

The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao has inaugurated "Artes de la Tierra" (Arts of the Earth), a multidisciplinary exhibition curated by Manuel Cirauqui that examines the relationship between contemporary art and the soil. Spanning from the mid-20th century to the present, the show integrates visual arts, architecture, and ancestral Basque knowledge to explore themes of composting, terraforming, and ecological repair. Featured artists include pioneers of Land Art and Arte Povera such as Ana Mendieta, Fina Miralles, and Meg Webster, whose works are presented alongside archival materials and architectural models.