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The Headlines
THE GENUINE ARTICLE? On Friday, the Vatican Museums opened a tantalizing show with a lengthy title: “Saints Peter and Paul by Raphael and Fra Bartolomeo: An Homage to the Patrons of Rome.” It unites two paintings of the Apostles that Fra Bartolomeo conceived, held by the Vatican, and his preparatory sketches, held by the Uffizi in Florence. It is a first-of-its kind collaboration between the two institutions, the AP reports, and restoration and research for the show confirmed that Raphael finished St. Paul, as many had believed. Meanwhile, AI technology that compared a Rubens at the National Gallery in London, Samson and Delilah (1609–10) with some 150 other paintings by the artist determined that it was not painted him, the Guardian reports. The work was purchased by the museum in 1980 for a then-record £2.5 million, and some have questioned its attribution. A museum spokesperson said it will wait for publication of the research so that it “can be properly assessed.” Last but not least, also per the Guardian: The estate of Francis Bacon suggests in a new book that a friend of the artist may have made some of the work included in a Bacon donation he made to Tate in 2004. That friend, Barry Joule, said he is “fuming” and considering legal action.
BRANCHING OUT: The powerhouse Design Miami fair will stage a selling exhibition in Doha, Qatar, next spring as part of a three-year partnership with a local real-estate concern, the Art Newspaper reports. The fair has a similar show on tap for Shanghai in November. Meanwhile, Miami’s Rubell Museum is aiming to open its long-awaited Washington, D.C., branch by the end of next year , Artnet News reports. Collectors Don and Mera Rubell acquired the forthcoming branch’s home (a former junior high school) in 2010 from the Corcoran College of Art + Design. The real-estate firm Lowe is developing the project, which includes a 12-story apartment building. Details about the new venue’s exhibition program have not yet been announced.
The Digest
Billionaire philanthropist Walter Scott, a longtime business associate of Warren Buffett who served as chairman of the Joslyn Art Museum in Omaha, Nebraska, for a decade, died on Saturday at 90. [Georgia Public Broadcasting]
After being closed throughout the pandemic, the Leeum, a major Seoul museum operated by the Samsung Foundation of Culture, will reopen next month. The museum said it undertook renovations during its long hibernation. [The Korea Herald]
The Bible-thumping craft chain Hobby Lobby has sued Dirk Obbink, a MacArthur “Genius” winner and former University of Oxford professor, claiming that he sold it artifacts stolen from a university collection for its Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C. Obbink has denied such allegations. [The New York Times]
More artifact-ownership news: Mexico said that, with the aid of U.S. authorities, it has recovered 16th-century manuscripts that it says were stolen from the National Archives in Mexico City. [The Art Newspaper]
Want to spend some time with artists? It is a good day for that.
- Tom Sachs took Designboom through his latest space-themed show at the Deichtorhallen Hamburg in Germany.
- Shazia Sikander spoke with PBS NewsHour about her current exhibition at the Morgan Library & Museum in New York.
- Korakrit Arunanondchai did an interview with the Art Newspaper about his just-opened exhibition at the Migros Museum in Zurich.
- And Amalia Ulman chatted with Vogue about her debut as a film director, El Planeta, which is now screening in New York; a wider release on the way.
The Kicker
THE COLORS KEEP COMING: Artist Anish Kapoor is wielding what is said to be the world’s blackest black. His arch-nemesis, of sorts, Stuart Semple, has developed a pink that he has deemed the pinkest in existence. Now a mechanical engineering professor at Purdue University, Xiulin Ruan, has developed a super-white white—apparently the whitest there is—and it may be able to help cool surfaces, potentially combating global warming, Architectural Digest reports. Sounds great, but how does it look? One interior designer told the magazine, “It’s a super chic shade with a modern vibe. It’s definitely going to make your space feel larger and almost reflects light.” Sounds like the sort of thing Daniel Arsham might enjoy? [Architectural Digest]
