In Brief
Thomas Kinkade and the Jesus of Zionsville, a Christmas Tale
’Twas a few weeks before Christmas, and all through Zionsville, Indiana's Thomas Kinkade Gallery, Many creatures were stirring, shoppers out for Small Business Saturday...
Art Crime
Opinion
Lobbyist Misleads on Islamic State Antiquities Trafficking
When Hyperallergic debunked antiquities trade representative Ursula Kampmann's supposed debunking of intelligence on Islamic State antiquities trafficking, Cultural Property Observer (CPO) (dealer and lobbyist) Peter Tompa tried to debunk Hyperallergic in turn.
News
German Media May Corroborate $36M Islamic State Antiquities Trafficking
There is significant evidence that illicit antiquities trading contributes to paramilitary funding. It does not happen everywhere, all the time, but it does happen.
News
New Bill Could Keep Looted Syrian Antiquities Out of US
A new bipartisan bill aims to sharpen the United States' response to looting in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, and other countries impacted by war, political instability, or natural disaster.
News
Museum Insiders Behind Massive $250M Turkish Art Heist
A new report in the newspaper Hurriyet has revealed that museum staff participated in a $250 million art heist of 302 works in their own institution between 2005 and 2009.
Art
A New Documentary for the Forger Who Infiltrated America's Art Museums
For three decades, Mark Landis quietly infiltrated art museums across the United States with donated forgeries, works he carefully copied himself from the whole of art history.
Art
The Art Trophies from When the White House Went Up in Flames
The 200th anniversary of the burning of the White House passed without much hullabaloo last week, aside from the British Embassy in Washington, DC, having to apologize for their tweet that in questionable taste joked they'd only be lighting the President's home with sparklers on a cake this time.
News
Cultural Destruction by Islamic State Continues with No End in Sight
Since our last report in early July, the destruction by the Islamic State has not stopped.
In Brief
Baroque Masterpiece by Guercino Stolen from Italian Church
This week, a large 17th-century Baroque painting by Italian artist Guercino went missing in the northern Italian city of Modena.
In Brief
Criminals Love Weapons, Drugs, and … Art
Art theft is the third-highest grossing criminal trade in the world, preceded only by drugs and weapons. This claim comes from a smart, extensive Newsweek article covering a three-day conference held at New York University Law School last month called "Art Crime and Cultural Heritage: Fakes, Forgeri
In Brief
Stolen Matisse Returned to Venezuela
A Matisse painting valued at $3 million was returned to Venezuela yesterday, after disappearing from an art museum there at least a decade prior, Reuters reported.
In Brief
Instagram Brags Land Artist in Jail
Graffiti writer Peter Podsiadlo, aka SEMP or @semp516 on Instagram, was arraigned on 23 felony counts of vandalism in Queens Criminal Court yesterday.