In Brief
After French Cathedral Was Set on Fire, Church Volunteer Admits to Arson
In Nantes, a blaze shattered the city cathedral’s historic stained glass windows and likely destroyed its 17th-century organ.
France
Art
When Fire Becomes Another Word for Revolution
At the Palais de Tokyo, Our World is Burning allows 30 artists to express the dream and necessity of a sustainable future in an egalitarian world.
In Brief
A Son Gifted His Mother a Raffle Ticket, Winning Her a $1.1M Picasso Painting
The raffle for Pablo Picasso’s “Nature Morte” (1921) raised over $5.59 million, most of which will be used to provide clean drinking water and renovate facilities in Cameroon, Madagascar, and Morocco.
News
13% of Museums Worldwide May Close Permanently Due to COVID-19, Studies Say
Released jointly, two studies by UNESCO and the International Council of Museums (ICOM) also say that nearly 90% of the world’s 95,000 museums have temporarily closed during the pandemic.
News
A Training Program for Refugees to Work in the Arts
Sama for All, founded by Souad Nanaa, is a nonprofit that trains displaced people for employment in French museums and cultural organizations.
Opinion
A French Collective Looks to Create Solidarity Among Art Workers
ART ON STRIKE was created in early December as trade unions called for protests against the government’s new pension scheme and has since been consistent in organizing protests and demonstrations.
In Brief
Night at the Museum: Louvre Will Stay Open From Dusk ’Til Dawn for Last Days of Leonardo Blockbuster
The museum is offering visitors a last chance to view its massive survey of the Italian master's works, offering free admission from 9pm to 8:30am.
Art
Charlotte Perriand's Prescient Designs for Modern Living
While working with Le Corbusier and his cousin, Pierre Jeanneret, for 10 years, Perriand advanced her vision of modern living.
Art
Objects Returned to Benin by French Collectors Had Been Removed From a Contested Auction
The transaction illuminates the role individuals can play in rectifying Europe's history of colonial plunder, but it also reveals the inner workings of a system that allows such objects to land in private hands to begin with.
Opinion
Judy Chicago’s Collaboration With Dior Is Beautiful, but Its Feminist Ambitions Are Questionable
Judy Chicago’s collaboration with the fashion house, a runway-installation called The Female Divine, includes a woven catwalk carpet and 21 banners embroidered with questions including “What if Women Ruled the World?”
Art
What Giacometti Learned From de Sade
Prompted by his friend André Breton, Alberto Giacometti first read de Sade in 1933, and his studio notes ruminated on seduction, idolatry, and fetishism.
Art
The Quiet Dignity of Peter Hujar
Hujar wrote that his portrait subjects were “those who push themselves to any extreme” and those who “cling to the freedom to be themselves.”