Art News. Vasari Codex

article news schedule May 5, 2026 visibility 16 link 2 artists

1,000-year-old archaeological site bulldozed during construction of Mexico-US border wall

On 24 April, a Department of Homeland Security contractor bulldozed a 1,000-year-old intaglio—a 280ft by 50ft etching in the desert sand—during construction of the US-Mexico border wall in Arizona's Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge. The site, sacred to local Indigenous communities including the Hia-Ced O’odham, was part of a UNESCO biosphere and contained over 3,000 petroglyphs. Despite warnings from tribal members and refuge staff, the contractor destroyed a 70ft stretch of the fish-shaped intaglio, which elders and archaeologists describe as an irreplaceable cultural and archaeological treasure.

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article news schedule Dec 3, 2025 visibility 11 link 1 artist

lower pecos cave paintings radiocarbon date

Three Texas-based researchers have successfully radiocarbon dated ancient cave paintings in the Lower Pecos Canyonlands along the Rio Grande border between Mexico and West Texas, using a novel combination of technologies. By dating the deer bone marrow used as a paint binder—rather than the mineral pigments themselves—and employing plasma oxidation to extract carbon, the team analyzed 53 figures across 12 sites. Their findings, published in *Science Advances*, reveal that individual murals were created in single painting events, not accumulated over centuries, and that the paintings span four millennia, from about 5,760 to 1,035 years ago.

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article policy schedule Mar 31, 2026 visibility 19

Plan to build border wall along the Rio Grande in Texas threatens prehistoric rock art, locals warn

Plans to extend the US-Mexico border wall through Val Verde County, Texas, threaten to damage or destroy hundreds of prehistoric rock art murals in the Lower Pecos region. Archaeologists and local landowners warn that construction vibrations could destabilize the rock surfaces housing these ancient paintings, some of which are over 5,700 years old and span up to 100 feet in length.

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museum exhibitions schedule May 19, 2026 visibility 6

National Museum opens 'Pioneers of Omani Art' exhibition in Russia

The National Museum of Oman has opened an exhibition titled "Pioneers of Omani Art" at the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow, Russia. Running until 16 August, the show features 23 works by 17 Omani artists, highlighting how they draw inspiration from their culture, heritage, history, and environment. The exhibition traces the journey of fine art in Oman, from prehistoric rock art to the modern art movement, shaped by historical commercial and cultural exchanges with European artists.

newspaper Times of Oman open_in_new Read original