Almost two years ago, the University of Iowa Museum of Art sent Jackson Pollock’s Mural (1943) — a large 8 x 20 foot canvas — to the Getty for technical study and conservation. This extensive study has yielded “much new and significant information about the painting and its role in a transitional moment in Pollock’s…
We’ve reported here on Detroit’s financial woes and subsequent argument centered on the Detroit Institute of Art (DIA)’s collection-as-liquid-asset. Two updates to this story include the judicial ruling on the city’s ability to file for bankruptcy and the “value” of the collection after an extensive evaluation by Christie’s. The latest DIA reports indicate wide support…
In a recent paper published in Creativity Research Journal, economist P. H. Franses (Erasmus School of Economics, The Netherlands) studied “189 highest-priced works by as many modern art painters, comparing the moment of creation with their life span of these artists.” He concluded that this comparison shows each artist’s “optimal point in their lives” is…
The Catacombs of Priscilla in Rome have been closed for a five-year restoration, but it was worth the wait. Most articles announcing the unveiling include a photo gallery/slide show showing details of the restoration. Better still: visit Catacombe di Priscilla in Google Maps, where you experience the site courtesy of Street View. The most discussed…
In a story over 70 years in the making, over 1,500 works of art — some known to have been confiscated by the Nazis and in total now worth about $1.3 billion — have been found in the apartment of Cornelius Gurlitt, the 80-year-old son of a well-known Nazi-era art dealer. What has compounded the…
One year ago this month we reported about an enthusiastic parishioner from the Sanctuary of Mercy Church, in Borja, Spain, who “helped” restore a deteriorating church fresco depicting Christ as Ecce Homo. As it turned out, the restoration was so popular it became a tourist attraction, raising over $66,000 for the church and inspiring a…