Statuary from the east pediment of the Parthenon on display at the British Museum. Amal Clooney joined a campaign advocating for the return of the Parthenon marbles to Greece (photo by Justin Norris/Flickr)
Art Movements is a weekly collection of news, developments, and stirrings in the art world.
Lawyers for Detroit have settled with one of the city’s major remaining creditors. The deal with the Financial Guaranty Insurance Company involves construction rights for new hotel, retail, and condominium complexes.
Lawyer Amal Clooney joined a campaign advocating for the return of the Parthenon marbles (also known as the “Elgin Marbles”) from Britain to Greece. At a press conference, Clooney described the Greek claim as a “just cause,” adding that “the UK’s intransigence has precluded the ability to reach a negotiated agreement.”
The Toledo Museum of Art will return a 1,000-year-old bronze sculpture to the Government of India. The sculpture, which depicts the Hindu god Ganesha, was sold by art dealer Subhash Kapoor. Kapoor is currently awaiting trial, having been charged with illegal exportation, criminal conspiracy, and forgery.
Foundry owner Brian Ramnarine was sentenced to two and a half years in prison for attempting to sell forgeries. The 60-year-old Queens resident had cast designs by a number of prominent artists, including Jasper Johns. It was revealed during the trial that Ramnarine had kept a mold of a work by Johns, from which he had cast copies.
The European Parliament’s Culture and Education Committee rejected the nomination of Hungarian Tibor Navracsics as education and culture commissioner. The vote is widely seen to disrupt the ambitions of incoming European Commission President, Jean-Claude Juncker, a member of the center-right European People’s Party.
Gaza’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities is compiling a list of artifacts destroyed by the Israel-Gaza conflict during 2014. The report will be presented to UNESCO and a number of human rights organizations.
Derek McLennan, a British metal-detecting enthusiast, discovered a Viking treasure trove in Scotland. The location will remain a secret until the site has been fully excavated.
27,000 petitioners have objected to a proposal by the Italian government to deep dredge a channel in Venice for the benefit of large cruise ships. Last June, UNESCO hinted that it would potentially place Venice on its World Heritage at Risk list.
Protestors are petitioning Downing Street to bar two Russian pop stars from performing at the Royal Albert Hall. Russia has previously banned a number of high profile U.S. acts, including Madonna, Lady Gaga, and the Bloodhound Gang.
(Left) Andy Warhol, “Triple Elvis” (1963), silkscreen ink and silver paint on linen, 82 x 69 inches. (Right) Andy Warhol, “Four Marlons” (1966), silkscreen ink on unprimed linen 81 x 65 inches (courtesy of Christie’s. © 2014 The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York)
Twenty-six museum directors have publicly opposed an upcoming sale of two Andy Warhol paintings owned by German casino conglomerate Westspiel. “Triple Elvis” (1963) and “Four Marlons” (1966) are expected to fetch over $128 million at Christie’s in November.
The Vancouver Art Gallery announced a new initiative to advance the scholarship and public appreciation for Asian art. Dubbed the Institute of Asian Art, the initiative also includes the creation of a new senior curatorial position.
A large number of Milwaukee galleries and arts spaces have closed over the last few months.
The Armenian Orphan Rug, created by Armenian orphans and presented to president Calvin Coolidge in 1925, is to go on display at the newly renovated White House Visitor Center. Philip Kennicott of the Washington Post opined that the rug will most likely add further strain to America’s relations with Turkey, since the gift was an acknowledgment of the assistance given to victims of the Armenian genocide.
Gary Nader, an art collector and gallery owner, announced plans to build a Latin American art museum in downtown Miami. To raise money for the project, Nader intends to also build a 300-unit residential tower on the same site.
The Orpheus Chamber Orchestra was awarded a $400,000 grant by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
Blick art materials donated $15,000 in gift certificates to 23 Philadelphia schools.
Volta NY 2015 will take place at Pier 90 in Hell’s Kitchen, a new location for the art fair.
Mark Frost, the co-creator of Twin Peaks, will publish a novel examining the lives of the show’s characters between season 2 and season 3. It was announced last week that the show’s third season will debut in 2016.
The Tate Modern revealed its latest Turbine Hall commission, a suspended 24m sculpture by Richard Tuttle. Tuttle, who likened parts of the sculpture to aeroplane parts, stated that the work “raise[s] the issue of genocide.”
