~theguardian-world | Bookmarks (19)

Woman Begging With Two Children, by an unknown artist, shows what appears to be a denim skirt in 17th-century ItalyThe origin of the world’s most enduringly popular fabric is in ­dispute, as a new exhibition spotlights a claim that firmly links denim with 17th-­century Italy and takes its history back 200 years.Blue denim, that all-American ­symbol of informality and a life lived on the open...

Climbable sculpture in Hudson Yards in Manhattan closed in 2021 after four people died by suicideThe Vessel, the huge climbable centerpiece of New York’s upmarket Hudson Yards development that saw a number of suicides, is set to reopen later this year with new safety features, according to developers.The 150ft sculpture, designed by Thomas Heatherwick and built at a cost of $260m, was closed three...

Technician, who hung his own picture in an exhibition about art world glitches, has been sacked and given a three-year banThe first picture that greeted visitors to the first-floor exhibition space in Munich’s Pinakothek der Moderne gallery on 23 February may not have immediately grabbed their attention.The 60cm by 120cm artwork was a retro-looking photograph of a family of four, with the background and...

Le Violon d’Ingres print produced under artist’s supervision was among friend’s collection auctioned in ParisIt is one of the most recognisable images of the surrealist movement: a black and white photograph by Man Ray of Kiki de Montparnasse with f-shaped sound holes painted on her back representing a violin.Le Violon d’Ingres, which was produced in 1924 and signed by the US artist, set a...

Alex Lidagovsky was forced to leave Ukraine with his family when his studio was bombed during the Russian invasionA Ukrainian sculptor who fled to the UK when his studio was destroyed has been accepted into the Royal Society of British Artists.Alex Lidagovsky was forced to leave Kyiv with his wife, Dasha Nepochatova, and 16-year-old stepdaughter after the Russian invasion began on 24 February 2022....

Sitter for William Lindsay Windus’s painting is rumoured to have stowed away on ship, possibly to escape slavery in USThe subject of the painting gazes at the viewer, alone and barefoot in loose and torn clothing. Known only as The Black Boy, his identity has been a mystery for nearly 200 years.A museum is appealing for information about the mysterious sitter, who is rumoured...

Investigation of items that were stolen during the Okinawa battle began after family discovered them in late father’s belongingsThe FBI has returned 22 centuries-old artifacts to Okinawa, Japan, after a family discovered them in their late father’s attic in Massachusetts.Agents with the FBI’s Boston division on Friday announced that the return of the looted items followed a lengthy investigation that began when they received...

London mayor’s office hopes works for Trafalgar Square will continue tradition of fostering debate over artA bronze sculpture paying homage to a woman of colour; and a hollow, lifesized person on a horse cast in a slime-green resin will be the next two artworks installed on Trafalgar Square’s fourth plinth.The works by Tschabalala Self and Andra Ursuța were selected from a shortlist which included...

Keith Piper says engaging with offensive and traumatic imagery can be important in keeping a clear sense of historyAn artist commissioned to respond to a mural in Tate Britain that has been sealed off from the public since 2020 because of its depictions of black and Chinese people, says viewing traumatic and racist images is crucial for us to truly grapple with our history.Keith...

Analysis across four exam boards in England reveals white artists comprise 91.6% of all mentionsLess than 3% of artists named in GCSE art exam papers are from Black or south Asian backgrounds, research has found.Analysis of GCSE assessment materials from four big exam boards in England – AQA, Eduqas, OCR and Edexcel – showed only 8.4% of artists referenced across the 27 art exam...

From the Tate Britain to New York’s Met, some of the world’s mightiest galleries have signed up for my audio guides, which shift the spotlight onto female artists like Rosa Bonheur – who required a permit to wear trousers‘Do women have to be naked to get into the Met Museum?” asked a 1989 artwork by the Guerrilla Girls, the all-female-identifying activist artist collective. A...

Florence museum boss compares process to cleaning a bathroom as media are granted privileged accessMichelangelo’s David is recognised as one of the most sublime works in the history of sculpture, but according to the director of Florence’s Accademia Gallery, dusting it is much like cleaning a bathroom.“You know when you clean a bathroom, you clean and clean and think you’ve done a great job...

Public encouraged to comment on seven artists’ proposals for ephemeral pedestal in Trafalgar SquareA sweet potato island; a hollow, lifesized person on a horse cast in slime-green resin; and a golden bronze sculpture of a woman whose features have been amalgamated are among the shortlisted ideas for the next fourth plinth commission in Trafalgar Square.Organisers of the contemporary art installation announced on Monday seven...

Price says the number of exhibitions focused on black artists has ‘set a new standard’ for representation in the UKThe British art world can no longer ignore or marginalise black artists, according to the sculptor Thomas J Price, who believes black British culture is finally being absorbed into the mainstream.Price said the large number of exhibitions featuring black British artists – such as Entangled...

Parents in disbelief after students at Montreal’s Westwood junior high found their art for purchase on mugs, phone cases and clothesA Canadian teacher is under fire for allegedly using his personal website to sell nearly 100 pieces of art created by students, prompting disbelief and anger from parents.Students at Montreal’s Westwood junior high school made the chance discovery last night after searching out their...

Abstract painter hopes to inspire young people with fine art after government cuts made it the ‘preserve of the elite’Sir Frank Bowling, one of Britain’s most celebrated abstract painters, is selling prints of his work to help fund art supplies for 100 primary schools in England as part of a project that he hopes will be a “gamechanger” in art education by making state...

Julian Spalding says work by artists such as David Hockney could hang alongside old masters in bicentenary yearThe former director of three of Britain’s most important museums has called for the National Gallery to lift its longstanding cut-off date of about 1900 for its collection because it suggests “painting died then as a great art form”.Julian Spalding, who has headed public collections in Sheffield,...

Vittorio Sgarbi, who denies allegations over painting, cites separate antitrust investigation in resignationAn Italian art critic who was recently placed under investigation over allegations that a 17th-century painting in his possession was stolen from a castle more than a decade ago has resigned as a junior culture minister.“I am resigning with immediate effect as undersecretary of the government and will inform [the prime minister,...

Organisers of Brisbane Portrait Prize back artificial intelligence stating art is not stagnant and ‘traditionalists’ once opposed photographsFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastA prestigious portrait competition has defended allowing entrants to submit artwork generated by artificial intelligence, arguing art is not stagnant and should reflect societal change.The Brisbane Portrait...