Stories of the week:

  • Flying Fortress and Nychos’ mural Bristol Rodeo Riders for the See No Evil festival.
  • Sad news for Los Angeles – Margo Leavin Gallery (reps Baldessari, Leavitt, Vallance, among others) to close.
  • Los Angeles Magazine on understanding MOCA’s future by examining its past.
  • Greg.org gives the story behind Transmission LA: AV Club  (held at MOCA) and puts it all into context.
  • Why artists (such as MOCA’s Baldessari, Kruger, Opie, and Ruscha) are on museum boards.
  • Art thief receives reduced two-year good behavior bond by claiming he had no memory of stealing paintings.
  • Man on trial for stealing Banksy’s street piece Sperm Alarm from a hotel’s wall and putting it for sale on eBay.
  • Madison art dealer accused of fraud in 12-count indictment charging him with selling fake Picassos & Chagalls.
  • Collectors sue after not getting paid for Norman Rockwell paintings put on consignment seventeen years ago.
  • Matthew Taylor convicted on federal charges involving selling stolen artwork and income tax evasion.
  • Art.sy may be be violating U.S. sanctions due to its Syrian domain name.
  • Preservationists & archaeologists warn that fighting in Syria threatens damage to architectural & cultural legacy.
  • Chapman brothers’ piece featuring Hitler in Grundy Art Gallery exhibition is considered tasteless.
  • Sculpture looted by Nazis for Adolf Hitler’s planned “Fuehrermuseum” returned to heirs of the original owner.
  • A fire broke out at construction site of new National Museum of Contemporary Art in Korea, killing four people.
  • Fire in Rio de Janeiro apartment destroys artwork from one of the largest and best private collections in Brazil.
  • Paul Signac’s great-granddaughter fighting to have vandalised work moved from town hall to Musée d’Orsay.
  • Frieze completed by Edvard Munch is due to be listed, after cafeteria containing the work was put up for sale.
  • Evansville Museum finds stored artwork is a Picasso worth millions and plans to put it up for auction.
  • Culture Minister places temporary export bar on sold Picasso, hoping money can be raised to buy it back.
  • Attendance at the Detroit Institute of Arts triples after it opened its doors for free to residents in certain cities.
  • Tate Museum seeks new sponsor for Turbine Hall commissions after its agreement with Unilever ends.
  • L.A. Mobile Arts Festival in Los Angeles may be the largest ever of its kind.
  • ARTINFO breaks down how 6 major American artist foundations spend their money.
  • The story of how a NY cleanup man came into possession of a artwork treasure trove.
  • Why Boston artists seem to be leaving the city.
  • China’s art market appears to suffer from massive corruption and fraud.
  • Former Detroit jail cells have been renovated as artist studios.
  • MuralsDC hoping to make a difference in the community by training young artists to paint murals over graffiti.
  • Jorge Pérez now collecting work by living artists & says that he could interact with them as a major factor.
  • Futura hangs out in Richmond, Virginia with RVA Mag.
  • Meleko Mokgosi wins $100,000 Mohn Award, based on public voting online and at Hammer Museum.
  • The Avant/Garde Diaries makes a feature on Curtis Kulig.
  • Damien Hirst in the tabloids for his new girlfriend who is 25 years younger than him.
  • James Tarmy interviews Ellsworth Kelley for Bloomberg.
  • A look at Brandi Milne’s opening night at Corey Helford.
  • Phlegm making progress on a new book of drawings.
  • Another work in progress shot from Tran Nguyen.
  • New prints featuring the likenesses of Aurel Schmidt and Terence Koh available at Exhibition A.
  • Amy Sol has two new prints Moth’s Poem & Penny’s Game available here.