Vasari Art Codex

museum exhibitions schedule Jul 4, 2025 visibility 3 link 5 artists

fra angelico fresco restored 2629896

A long-forgotten fresco by the early Renaissance master Fra Angelico, believed to be his earliest known work, has been restored in the chapter house of San Domenico in Fiesole, Tuscany. The painting, a Crucifixion dating to around 1420, was hidden under whitewash for centuries and rediscovered by Bottega Belacqua, a group of Renaissance art enthusiasts. Funding from Friends of Florence enabled conservators Alessandra Popple and Cristiana Conti to revive the work, just in time for a landmark exhibition in Florence.

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gavel restitution schedule Jun 30, 2025 visibility 3 link 6 artists

parthenon marbles update 2662028

Greece is building a cultural coalition with Italy to strengthen its campaign for the return of the Parthenon Marbles from the British Museum. Italy's culture minister Alessandro Giuli pledged support during a visit to Athens and announced the repatriation of 145 ancient coins. Greek culture minister Lina Mendoni is leading efforts to build international backing, and the two countries have devised joint cultural initiatives, including an exhibition of modern Greco-Italian metaphysical painters. Meanwhile, the U.K.'s Labour government has taken a neutral stance on the issue, departing from the previous Conservative government's opposition, and negotiations between Greece and the U.K. are described as "ongoing and constructive."

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museum exhibitions schedule Jun 27, 2025 visibility 3 link 4 artists

jo van gogh bonger exhibition 2661552

The Van Gogh Museum will host an exhibition titled "Captivated by Vincent. The Intimate Friendship of Jo van Gogh-Bonger and Isaac Israëls" from September 12, 2025 to January 25, 2026, marking the centenary of Jo van Gogh-Bonger's death. The show features works by Dutch painter Isaac Israëls, who was a close friend of Van Gogh-Bonger and frequently incorporated copies of Vincent van Gogh's paintings into his own compositions. It includes 10 Israëls works inspired by Van Gogh, his portrait of Van Gogh-Bonger (recently restored), and excerpts from her diary, alongside over 100 letters between the two being published in a digital edition.

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museum exhibitions schedule Jun 25, 2025 visibility 2 link 4 artists

john singer sargent madame x three things 2633448

John Singer Sargent's iconic portrait *Madame X* (1883–84), depicting American-born socialite Virginie Amélie Avegno Gautreau, caused a scandal when it debuted at the 1884 Paris Salon. Critics were outraged by the fallen shoulder strap on Gautreau's gown, which implied an illicit rendezvous, and by the public exposure of a recognizable high-society woman in such a provocative pose. Sargent repainted the strap after the Salon, but the damage was done: Gautreau's reputation suffered, and Sargent fled Paris for London to restart his career. The painting now belongs to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and will be featured in its upcoming exhibition "Sargent and Paris."

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article news schedule Jun 25, 2025 visibility 5 link 10 artists, 1 gallery

vito schnabel 190 bowery 298730

Vito Schnabel's curated exhibition 'First Show/Last Show' at 190 Bowery, a landmark building recently acquired by Aby Rosen, was abruptly closed to the public just before its scheduled opening on May 16. The show, which would have been the first public access to the graffiti-laden former bank since 1966, was initially announced with a three-hour public opening, but organizers cited 'unprecedented demand' and switched to an appointment-only format from May 18 to 29. The exhibition features works by seven male artists: Joe Bradley, Dan Colen, Jeff Elrod, Ron Gorchov, Mark Grotjahn, Harmony Korine, and Julian Schnabel.

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trending_up market schedule Jun 25, 2025 visibility 2 link 4 artists

aby rosen pays 55 million for gilded age building artist jay maisel bought for 102000 around 1966 246924

Art collector and real estate financier Aby Rosen paid $55 million for the Gilded Age landmark building at 190 Bowery in New York, which had been owned for decades by photographer Jay Maisel. Maisel bought the property—the former Germania Bank building—around 1966 for a reported $102,000, making the sale a dramatic example of New York real estate appreciation. The building, located near the New Museum, was listed on Rosen's company RFR Holdings before he entered a contract to purchase it in August, and was subsequently re-listed for sale through Cushman & Wakefield.

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trending_up market schedule Jun 24, 2025 visibility 4 link 3 artists, 2 galleries

work of the week elizabeth peytons liam noel 2659187

Elizabeth Peyton's double portrait of Oasis brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher sold for £1,992,000 ($2.7 million) at Sotheby’s Modern and Contemporary Evening Auction in London, just above its low estimate of £1.5 million. The work, depicting the band in 1996, was backed by a house guarantee and irrevocable bid. The consignor had purchased it in 2011 for $511,640, yielding a positive return. The sale coincided with Oasis's upcoming reunion tour starting July 4.

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article news schedule Jun 24, 2025 visibility 3 link 4 artists

selfie taking tourist damages painting uffizi gallery 2659795

A tourist at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence damaged an 18th-century portrait of Ferdinando de’ Medici by Anton Domenico Gabbiani while taking a selfie on June 21. The man tripped backward onto the canvas, causing a small tear near the subject's right foot. Museum staff quickly removed the painting for assessment, and the work is expected to return to display soon in the exhibition “Florence and Europe: Arts of the Eighteenth Century.” The perpetrator was apprehended and reported to authorities; director Simone Verde vowed to prosecute and implement “anti-selfie measures.”

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candle obituary schedule Jun 24, 2025 visibility 3 link 9 artists

civil rights photographer bob adelman obituary 455654

Photographer Bob Adelman was found dead in his Miami home at age 85, with head injuries likely from a fall. Adelman began his career photographing New York jazz clubs, studied under Harper’s Bazaar art director Alexey Brodovitch, and became a protégé of presidential photographer Jacques Lowe. He earned a master’s degree in philosophy from Columbia and was a member of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), using his camera to document the Civil Rights movement—including sit-ins, the Selma-to-Montgomery march, and Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech. He also photographed cultural figures such as Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Samuel Beckett, and Jim Morrison.

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museum exhibitions schedule Jun 24, 2025 visibility 3 link 3 artists

tamara de lempicka us retrospective de young museum 2425747

The de Young Museum in San Francisco will host the first major retrospective of Polish Art Deco painter Tamara de Lempicka in North America this fall, organized by curator Furio Rinaldi with Gioia Mori. The exhibition, titled “Tamara de Lempicka,” brings together her ultramodern masterpieces—including loans from the Centre Pompidou—and explores her lesser-known design process, biography, and evolving identities. It will travel to the Museum of Fine Arts Houston in spring 2025.

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museum exhibitions schedule Jun 18, 2025 visibility 4 link 8 artists, 2 galleries

hamad butt whitechapel damien hirst 2657288

Hamad Butt, a Young British Artist (YBA) whose career was cut short by AIDS in 1994, is finally receiving a retrospective at Whitechapel Gallery in London, titled “Apprehensions,” on view until September 7. The exhibition highlights Butt’s bio-art installation *Transmission* (1990), which features live flies feeding on sugar paper texts about contagion, alongside glass books lit by ultraviolet lamps. The show reassesses Butt’s subtle, layered work in contrast to the more famous YBAs like Damien Hirst, who debuted a strikingly similar fly piece, *A Thousand Years* (1990), shortly after Butt’s work was first exhibited.

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article news schedule Jun 17, 2025 visibility 2 link 6 artists

donald judd marfa national register of historic places 2655819

The National Park Service has added the Donald Judd Historic District in Marfa, Texas, to the National Register of Historic Places. The designation covers 15 buildings transformed by artist Donald Judd, including structures on the decommissioned Fort D.A. Russell army base, as well as his outdoor work *15 Untitled Works in Concrete* (1980–84). Judd began acquiring property in Marfa in 1971, creating an artist-centered environment that now draws around 50,000 visitors annually.

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museum exhibitions schedule Jun 10, 2025 visibility 6 link 4 artists

christo and jeanne claude arc de triomphe wrapped 2010173

Christo and Jeanne-Claude's posthumous project to wrap the Arc de Triomphe in Paris has been completed and inaugurated by French President Emmanuel Macron. The monument is covered in 25,000 square meters of silvery blue polypropylene fabric and 3,000 meters of red rope, with the installation open to the public from September 18 to October 3, 2021. The €14 million project was entirely funded by the sale of Christo's artworks and overseen by the couple's nephew, Vladimir Yavachev, along with the Center of Monuments Nationaux.

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museum exhibitions schedule Jun 10, 2025 visibility 3 link 4 artists

marlene dumas pushes the limits of portraiture at tate modern 242725

Marlene Dumas's largest retrospective to date, "The Image as Burden," has opened at Tate Modern, showcasing her uncompromising approach to portraiture. The exhibition features over 200 works, including early ink drawings like "Rejects" (1994-ongoing), political pieces such as "Osama" (2010), and the "Magdalenas" series from the 1995 Venice Biennale. Dumas, a South African painter based in Amsterdam, explores themes of identity, politics, and the female body through her fluid, often dark palette and responses to mass media images.

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museum exhibitions schedule Jun 10, 2025 visibility 5 link 12 artists

see 100 years of presidential portraits leading up to barack obamas vibrant 1227110

The article presents a curated selection of presidential portraits from the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery's permanent exhibition "America's Presidents," spanning the last century from Woodrow Wilson to Barack Obama. It highlights the evolution of the form, from traditional depictions of Harding and Hoover to Norman Rockwell's beaming Nixon, Elaine de Kooning's artful Kennedy, and culminating in Kehinde Wiley's vibrant, almost-surrealist 2018 portrait of Barack Obama, which generated significant public excitement.

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museum exhibitions schedule Jun 10, 2025 visibility 3 link 5 artists

james francos terrible nude paintings of seth rogen get gallery show updated 12640

James Franco has created a series of nude paintings of his friend and fellow actor Seth Rogen, based on a 2011 book of fan art by Christopher Schulz. The works, rendered in acrylic over graphite illustrations, include sexually provocative phrases and are slated for exhibition at OHWOW gallery in Los Angeles, despite earlier confusion about a show at Pace Gallery. The paintings have drawn criticism online for alleged homophobia and plagiarism, adding to Franco's recent legal troubles.

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article policy schedule Jun 10, 2025 visibility 4 link 4 artists

french museums hike ticket prices non european visitors 2654566

Several major French cultural institutions, including the Louvre, the Château de Versailles, and potentially the Arc de Triomphe, have implemented a "differential tariff" that raises ticket prices for non-European Union visitors. Starting January 1, 2026, non-E.U. tourists will pay €30 ($35) to enter the Louvre, up from €22 ($25). The policy, first reported by Le Monde, is expected to generate up to €20 million annually for the Louvre alone, helping to fund urgent renovations estimated at €400 million over 15 years. The move follows a leaked letter from Louvre director Laurence des Cars to culture minister Rachida Dati warning of severe building deterioration, including temperature fluctuations endangering artworks and water damage. French president Emmanuel Macron has announced a sweeping restoration, but state funding will cover only a fraction of the cost.

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article news schedule Jun 5, 2025 visibility 2 link 5 artists

fight rages in norway over sale of barbara hepworth sculpture 46334

A legal and public battle has erupted in Norway over Kunsthall Stavanger's decision to sell Barbara Hepworth's sculpture *Figure for Landscape* (1960) at Christie's London, with an estimate of £1-2 million. The sale is intended to fund the institution's operating and exhibition budget, as the Kunsthall faces potential closure without the proceeds. Local group Stavanger Byselskap filed a lawsuit to block the sale, which was settled in the Kunsthall's favor, but over 260 community members have signed a petition against the deaccession. The Hepworth estate has also condemned the sale as unethical, noting the work was sold to the institution at a reduced price due to Hepworth's wish to have her work in a Norwegian public collection.

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museum exhibitions schedule Jun 4, 2025 visibility 1 link 6 artists

manet paintings reunited 2608628

Two halves of an Édouard Manet painting, originally a single canvas that the artist split in 1874, have been temporarily reunited at London’s National Gallery for the first time in over a century. The works, *Au café* (1878) and *Corner of a Café-Concert* (probably 1878-80), depict different sides of the same bar at the Brasserie Reichshoffen in Montmartre. They were separated after the death of collector Étienne Barroil in 1887, with *Corner of a Café-Concert* entering the National Gallery in 1924 and *Au café* acquired by Swiss collector Oskar Reinhart in 1953. The reunion, on view through December 15, includes a display of Manet’s original sketch and explores his evolving creative process.

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article news schedule Jun 3, 2025 visibility 5 link 34 artists

whitney museum paused independent study program censorship 2651955

The Whitney Museum of American Art has suspended its storied Independent Study Program (ISP) for the 2025–2026 academic year, following widespread outcry over the censorship of a performance titled "No Aesthetic Outside My Freedom: Mourning, Militancy, and Performance" by artists Fadl Fakhouri, Noel Maghathe, and Fargo Tbakhi. The performance, scheduled for May 14, was canceled by museum leadership after reviewing a video in which Tbakhi made demands that supporters of Israel or America leave the venue. Director Scott Rothkopf informed the ISP community of the pause in an email, citing the need to search for a new director. The museum also confirmed that Sara Nadal-Melsió, hired in 2024 as the ISP's first associate director, will not retain her position. The cancellation drew condemnation from free speech advocates, including the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC), which likened the museum's actions to an authoritarian approach.

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article culture schedule Jun 2, 2025 visibility 2 link 10 artists

art bites why tilda swinton napped moma 2618812

In 2013, visitors to New York's Museum of Modern Art encountered actress Tilda Swinton sleeping in a raised glass box in the lobby, a performance piece titled *The Maybe*. Swinton first performed the work at London's Serpentine Gallery in 1995, developed with Joanna Scanlan, and has reprised it only twice: at Rome's Museo Baracco in 1996 and at MoMA in 2013. The MoMA iteration, curated by Klaus Biesenbach, featured Swinton alone in the glass case for eight hours a day over seven days, without the historical curiosities that accompanied the original Serpentine installation. Swinton has stated in a 2024 interview that she intends to perform *The Maybe* again "when least expected."

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person people schedule May 30, 2025 visibility 2 link 6 artists

art institute of chicago director on leave airline incident 2640021

James Rondeau, the director and president of the Art Institute of Chicago, will return to work on June 2, 2025, after taking voluntary leave following an incident on a United Airlines flight from Chicago to Munich on April 18. Rondeau was met by police upon landing after reports that he became intoxicated and removed his clothes mid-flight. The museum conducted an independent investigation and expressed confidence in his leadership, with Rondeau stating he regrets the incident and is grateful to continue furthering the museum's mission.

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museum exhibitions schedule May 29, 2025 visibility 1 link 12 artists

rolling stone artechouse amplified immersive 2650523

Artechouse has partnered with Rolling Stone to launch "Rolling Stone Presents: Amplified, The Immersive Rock Experience," a 50-minute, 270-degree immersive journey through rock history. The showcase draws on Rolling Stone's vast photography archive, featuring over 1,000 images, 200 videos, and 1,300 magazine covers, with a soundtrack of classic rock songs. The experience is divided into thematic chapters such as "Backstage," "Fans," "Studio," and "Hair," and includes narration by actor Kevin Bacon. The creative team, led by former Rolling Stone creative director Jodi Peckman and music director Joe Levy, spent two years curating the archival material, which includes work by renowned photographers like Lynn Goldsmith, Bob Gruen, and Anton Corbijn.

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article culture schedule May 28, 2025 visibility 1 link 5 artists

frank lloyd wright news 2637348

More than sixty years after his death, Frank Lloyd Wright remains a highly influential architect, and in 2025 his legacy continues to generate news. This article from Artnet News compiles eight recent stories about Wright's buildings, including Marc Jacobs' restoration of the Max Hoffman House, Loyola University's acquisition of the Emil Bach House, the contested sale of Oklahoma's Price Tower, and the deteriorating condition of the J.J. Walser Jr. House in Chicago. It also notes a fictional Wright-inspired building appearing in the Apple TV+ series *The Studio*, starring Seth Rogen.

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museum exhibitions schedule May 21, 2025 link 5 artists

going beyond fashion with charles james at the met 12214

The Metropolitan Museum of Art's new Anna Wintour Costume Center opens with the exhibition "Charles James: Beyond Fashion," showcasing the work of the mid-century couturier often called "America's First Couturier." The show presents James's sculptural gowns—made of silk, tulle, and taffeta—on pedestals, accompanied by quotations that frame his designs as art. Highlights include the famous 10-pound "Clover Leaf Gown" and the "Taxi dress," a precursor to the wrap dress. The exhibition features animated video imaging by Diller Scofidio + Renfro that uses robotic cameras to reveal the architectural layers within the garments. The show runs from May 8 to August 10, 2014.

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article news schedule May 16, 2025 link 7 artists

kids damage art 2639206

A child under the age of five recently scratched a Mark Rothko painting at a museum in the Netherlands, forcing its removal for restoration. The article compiles several notorious incidents of children accidentally damaging artworks, including a 12-year-old boy punching a hole through a $1.5 million Baroque painting by Paolo Porpora in Taipei, a 4-year-old shattering a 3,500-year-old vase at the Hecht Museum in Israel, a girl climbing a Donald Judd sculpture at Tate Modern, and kids breaking a glass artwork by Shelley Xue at the Shanghai Museum of Glass. In most cases, the damage was accidental, driven by curiosity or misinterpretation, and often involved lapses in adult supervision.

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trending_up market schedule May 16, 2025 link 4 artists

len riggios mondrian christies auction 2641657

A 1922 painting by Piet Mondrian, *Composition with Large Red Plane, Bluish Gray, Yellow, Black and Blue*, sold at Christie’s New York for $47.6 million, falling short of its $50 million-plus estimate and the artist’s auction record of $51 million set in 2022. The work was the highlight of the “Leonard & Louise Riggio: Collected Works” sale, a 39-lot trove from the late Barnes & Noble founder and Dia Art Foundation chairman, estimated at up to $326 million. The painting sold to a single phone bidder, likely the guarantor, with no room action.

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trending_up market schedule May 15, 2025 visibility 1 link 11 artists, 5 galleries

pharrell williams joopiter marketplace 2644229

Pharrell Williams has launched a new buy-it-now extension called Joopiter Marketplace, an offshoot of his existing auction platform Joopiter. The marketplace offers collectibles from Williams's personal archive—including Vivienne Westwood hats, KAWS sneakers, Gucci and Levi's jackets, and items from his fashion labels ICECREAM and Billionaire Boys Club—alongside pieces from other cultural figures. Additional sellers include artist Tom Sachs, gallerist Easy Otabor, jewelry designer Lorraine Schwartz, and music executive Steven Victor, with proceeds from some sales benefiting nonprofits like the Anderson Ranch Arts Center, Rebuild Foundation, and the Virgil Abloh Foundation.

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article news schedule May 15, 2025 link 26 artists

here are the winners of the first art basel awards 2644602

Art Basel has announced the winners of its first-ever Art Basel Awards, a new global honors program recognizing excellence across the contemporary art world. The 36 medalists include artists such as David Hammons, Lubaina Himid, Joan Jonas, and Adrian Piper, as well as patrons, curators, museums, and other art-world figures. The awards were unveiled at a press event in New York, with CEO Noah Horowitz and director Vincenzo de Bellis outlining the structure: medalists will later select 12 gold medalists, with up to six artists receiving $50,000 each and a commission for the 2026 Art Basel fair. The jury includes prominent museum directors and curators from around the world.

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article culture schedule May 15, 2025 link 7 artists

michelangelo 550 birthday headlines 2639169

Artnet News rounds up recent headlines involving Renaissance master Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni as institutions prepare to celebrate his 550th birthday in 2025. The article highlights three stories: a scene in HBO's *The White Lotus* season three finale that echoes Michelangelo's *Pietà*; the ongoing scholarly debate over whether Michelangelo himself forged the ancient sculpture *Laocoön and His Sons*; and the restoration of Michelangelo's family tomb at the Basilica of Santa Croce in Florence ahead of his birthday.

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