1/28/2010

Leonardo da Vinci's bones to be dug up by Italian scientists

“Scientists seeking permission to exhume the remains of Leonardo da Vinci plan to reconstruct his face to discover whether his masterpiece, the Mona Lisa, is a disguised self-portrait.

Talks about the exhumation with French cultural officials and the owners of the chateau have resulted in an agreement in principle, according to the Italian team, and the project could receive formal permission this summer.” – UK Times Online

Art Museum Directors Make Superbowl Trash-Talking Bet with Art Loan for the Winner

"Indianapolis Museum of Art Director Max Anderson is putting a lot on the line when it comes to the Indianapolis Colts. He's betting John Bullard, director of the New Orleans Museum of Art, that the Colts will color the Saints blue come February 7th.

The winner gets to borrow a masterpiece from the loser's collection for three months, starting in July." - NBC

Recovery after annus horribilis

“Despite the recovery in US museums’ endowments as the stock markets rose towards the end of 2009, museum directors are continuing to cut or freeze their budgets, The Art Newspaper has established in a survey of 25 leading institutions.” – The Art Newspaper

Also: Check out a quick analysis of the balance sheets here. Very Cool.

Shepard Fairey to face criminal investigation in Associated Press case

“Alvin K. Hellerstein, a federal district judge, reportedly made the revelation today as part of a hearing where lawyers for Fairey and the AP were present. A spokesman for the AP said in a statement issued this evening that the news organization has received a grand jury subpoena related to Fairey's misconduct during the case.” – LA Times Culture Monster Blog

When a Grecian Urn Takes a Step Onto the Cosmic Banana Peel

A great article on the accidental destruction of art…

“On Friday, a woman taking a class at the Metropolitan Museum of Art stumbled into ‘The Actor,’ a work by Picasso dating to 1904 or 1905. The canvas was ripped in the lower right-hand corner.” - NY Times

Hitler’s Vermeer, Pride of Vienna Museum, Faces Nazi-Era Claim

“Hermann Goering coveted it. Adolf Hitler purchased it. Now the heirs of the man who sold it to him want the Vermeer painting back from a museum in Vienna.” – Bloomberg

01/11/2010

Behind the smile Mona Lisa may have been suffering from high cholesterol

“An Italian medical expert says he has found evidence of a range of afflictions in some of the world’s greatest works of art. Vito Franco, Professor of Pathological Anatomy at the University of Palermo, claims that there are clear signs of diseases, from bone malformations to kidney stones, that cast certain icons of perfection in a very different light.” – UK Times Online

Art Clokey, Animator Who Created Gumby, Dies at 88

“Art Clokey, the animator who half a century ago created Gumby, that most pliant of pop-cultural figures, died on Friday at his home in Los Osos, Calif. He was 88.” – NY Times

Here's the first episode of Gumby, in memorium:

William Blake etchings secured by Tate

“Eight etchings by William Blake have been acquired for the nation after the Tate gallery raised £441,000. The ‘powerful’ etchings, depicting the artist and writer's bleak visions, were discovered in the 1970s inside a train timetable at a secondhand book sale…” - BBC

Check out a slideshow of the etchings HERE

Computer method 'spots art fakes'

“A simple method to distinguish artistic fakes and imitations has been demonstrated by researchers. The approach, known as "sparse coding", builds a virtual library of an artist's works and breaks them down into the simplest possible visual elements.” – BBC

Director of J. Paul Getty Museum Abruptly resigns

“Michael Brand, who has served four years as the director of the J. Paul Getty Museum, will step down from his role at the end of the month. The news was announced today by James N. Wood, president and chief executive of the J. Paul Getty Trust.” - LA Times