A lot went down last week in the weird and wild world of Art. Some things were more scandalous than others, some were just plain wacky—but all of them are worth knowing about. Without further ado: + Last week, rumors spread that president-elect Donald Trump was considering actor Sylvester Stallone for the position of chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts. An editor at BuzzFeed News, however, now reports that the Rocky and Rambo actor was flattered by the offer, but will not be taking the job. [Twitter]
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+ An employee at the Museum of Natural History in Orleans, France was convicted this week of stealing 666 fossils that he was then selling on eBay to help pay for an ugly divorce. [The Local]+ The first teaser for Blade Runner 2049 is out. Sorry Motherboard, it looks adequate at best. [Motherboard]
+ A Swedish and Greek archeologist from the University of Gothenburg discovered an unknown ancient city around the Strongilovouni hill on the great Thessalian plains in central Greece. [The University of Gothenburg]+ Picasso’s electrician, Pierre Le Guennec, lost an appeal against he and his wife's two-year suspended prison sentence for stashing 271 works by the artist. [RFI]
+ As thousands flee the war torn city of Aleppo, Syrian officials are beginning to assess the damage and formulate a plan to restore historic buildings and cultural landmarks. [Sputnik News]+ A close friend of the late Pat Trivigno was arrested on Thursday after being accused of stealing $1.4 million worth of artworks by the painter. [The New Orleans Advocate]
+ Kimberley Motely, the American attorney representing recently imprisoned art activist Danilo ‘El Sexto’ Maldonado, was arrested in Havana this week for attempting to hold a press conference outside the National Capital Building. [The Human Rights Foundation]+ Ai Weiwei might be heading to Syria. [The Los Angeles]+ Bern’s Kunstmuseum is set to receive 1500 artworks from German art collector Cornelius Gurlitt after a Munich court discharged a challenge to his will by Gurlitt’s cousin. [The Art Newspaper]
+ The Vatican acknowledged the plight of refugees in their annual nativity scene by incorporating a traditional Maltese fishing boat into the 55-foot-wide display. [The Huffington Post]+ Johnnetta B. Cole, the Director of the National Museum of African Art for the last 8 years, is retiring at the age of 80. [The Washington Post]+ English property mogul Harry Hyams left nearly $600 million in his will to Britain in hopes that the nation might preserve and share his extensive collection of fine art and antique cars. [The Telegraph]+ A new report from Arts Council England shows a lack of diversity in leadership roles at an alarming amount of arts institutions throughout the country. [BBC]
+ An art space in Los Angeles has been converted into a movie rental store with nothing but 14,000 copies of Jerry Maguire on VHS. [The New York Times]+ On the opening day of India’s Kochi-Muziris Biennale, Pinarayi Vijayan, the chief minister of Kerala pledged $1.1 million to create a permanent location for the annual exhibition. [The Times of India]+ The Art Matters foundation announced its 2016 grant recipients. [artforum]+ The senate passed a bill that will help protect artworks on loan to the US from being confiscated. [The Art Newspaper]+ The Academy of Art University in San Francisco has agreed to pay the city a $60 million settlement after 33 of the school 40 buildings were deemed out of compliance with zoning codes, signage laws, or historic preservation rules. [The San Francisco Chronicle]
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