Artnews

A picture shows the newly renovated baldachin, a large Baroque sculpted bronze canopy over the high altar of St. Peter’s Basilica, 2024. Photo Tiziana FABI/AFP via Getty Images A Romanian man who jumped onto the main altar at Saint Peter’s Basilica was apprehended by security staff at the Vatican on February 7. A video capturing …

Romanian Man Defaces Vatican Altar, Damaging Objects Worth Thousands of Dollars Read More »

Hilaire Le Dru, Indigence and Honor, 1804. Horvitz Collection A wealth of Neoclassicist art has joined the holdings of the Art Institute of Chicago via collectors Jeffrey and Carol Horvitz, who have gifted the museum around 2,250 works of French art made between the 16th and 19th centuries. The gift comes after held two shows …

Art Institute of Chicago Gains a Neoclassicist Trove with Sizable Gift of French Art Read More »

The sale of the home also includes multiple pieces of furniture designed by Paul Rudolph. Photo Michael Berrio/Courtesy of the Paul Rudolph Institute for Modern Architecture The Walker Guesthouse, a mid-century structure designed by architect Paul Rudolph, is now on the market for a cool $2 million, if the right buyer has the space for …

Architect Paul Rudolph’s Walker Guesthouse for Sale for $2 M. Read More »

The sale generated $17.3 million, with Islamic art selling well. Getty Images for Sotheby’s Sotheby’s laid down a marker in the Middle East on Saturday evening by hosting Saudi Arabia’s first major art auction. The results were like the two-part evening sale’s lineup: a mixed bag. The house took in $17.3 million (estimate: $14 million–$20 million) …

Sotheby’s Establishes a Foothold in Saudi Arabia After Hosting the Kingdom’s First Major Auction Read More »

Brent Sikkema, 2007. Photo Will Ragozzino/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images A little over a year after Brent Sikkema was discovered dead in Brazil, the late New York gallerist’s husband has been charged with hiring someone to kill him. Sikkema was the founder of the gallery formerly known as Sikkema Jenkins & Co., whose roster includes …

Brent Sikkema’s Husband Charged with Hiring His Killer Read More »

An employee works at an excavation site by Israel Antiquities Authority containing the remains of a Byzantine monastery which was uncovered north of the Israeli city of Qiryat Gat, on January 6, 2025. AFP via Getty Images The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), a body of the Israeli government that oversees national artifacts and sites, rejected …

Israeli Bill on West Bank Antiquities Oversight Faces Opposition from Government Body Read More »

Chinese-born crypto founder Justin Sun seems to be enjoying the publicity that comes with buying a $6.2 million banana. AFP via Getty Images The Super Bowl is this Sunday. It’s the one day of the year that even people who care nothing about the NFL will gather together in living rooms and at pubs to …

Meta asks ‘Who Eats Art?’ in Upcoming Super Bowl Commercial, Featuring Maurizio Cattelan’s World-Famous Banana Read More »

The Everhart Museum in Scranton, Pennsylvania, where two of the thefts took place. Courtesy Wikimedia Commons The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania recently announced the conviction of three members of a multi-heist art theft ring that stole sports memorabilia, art, and other valuable items from 20 museums and stores over …

Three Suspects in Heist of Jackson Pollock and Andy Warhol Artworks Found Guilty Read More »

Brent Sikkema’s husband hired a killer to assassinate him in Brazil Courtesy Sikkema Jenkins & Co. To receive Morning Links in your inbox every weekday, sign up for our Breakfast with ARTnews newsletter. The Headlines MURDER-FOR-HIRE CHARGE IN SIKKEMA CASE. Daniel Sikkema has been charged with hiring someone to kill his husband, New York dealer Brent Sikkema, reports Alex Greenberger for ARTnews. Brent Sikkema …

Daniel Sikkema Charged for Hiring His Husband’s Killer, Trump’s Stronghold on Culture to Have ‘Disastrous Effects’? Jeff Koons’ Muse Writes a Book: Morning Links for February 12, 2025 Read More »

Alberto Giacommetti, Le Nez, 1947. Sotheby’s In the latest blue-chip art world lawsuit, Hong Kong–based cryptocurrency mogul Justin Sun is suing billionaire collector David Geffen for the return of an Alberto Giacometti sculpture, Le Nez, claiming it was sold out from under him by a rogue art adviser in an elaborate scheme of forged signatures and …

Crypto Tycoon Sues David Geffen over Alleged Art Fraud Involving $78 M. Giacometti Read More »