ART CRIME:

Picasso Seized in Iraq Appears to Be Fake: “Authorities in the art world cast doubt Thursday on the authenticity of an alleged Picasso painting that was seized by Iraqi police south of Baghdad.  A painting called “The Naked Woman” that police claimed was painted by Picasso was seized near the southern city of Hillah on Tuesday after the man allegedly tried to sell it for $450,000.” Read Associated Press article.

Forthcoming Frida Kahlo Book Denounced as Fake: “A collection of Frida Kahlo oil paintings, diaries and archival material that is the subject of a book to be published by Princeton Architectural Press on 1 November has been denounced by scholars as a cache of fakes.” Read Art Newspaper article.

Woman Attacks Mona Lisa: “A Russian tourist sparked a security alert when she threw a mug at the Mona Lisa, the world’s best-known painting…Screams erupted from the 40-odd tourists jostling for position around Leonardo da Vinci’s enigmatic painted lady when the empty terracotta mug flew over their heads and smashed into the portrait.” Read Telegraph article

ART MARKET:

Michael Jackson Portrait by Warhol Fetches $1 Million: “A portrait of Michael Jackson that sold for $278,500 on May 13 at Sotheby’s has found a new owner, who this time around paid over $1 million dollars for the piece. The 1984 portrait by Andy Warhol was offered for auction by Vered Gallery in New York’s East Hampton.” Read Bloomberg article.

Aboriginal Busts Withdrawn From Auction: “Two artworks depicting the busts of 19th-century Aboriginal leaders Truganini and Woureddy have been pulled from an auction at Sotheby’s in Australia. The proposed sale was protested by aboriginal leaders who implored the sellers to return the works to the Indigenous community, which they say is hurt by the use of the images and the intent to use them to make money.”  Read ABC News article.

ARTISTS:

New Technique Reveals Van Gogh Portrait Of A Women Behind Another Painting: “Vincent van Gogh often painted over his older works. Experts estimate that about one third of his early paintings conceal other compositions under them. A new technique, based on synchrotron radiation induced X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, reveals this type of hidden painting.”  Read Science Daily article.

Daniel Richter Leads Massive Artist Protest in Hamburg: “Almost 200 artists, under the leadership of prominent German artist Daniel Richter, occupied a dozen long-empty, deteriorating buildings in Hamburg’s historic Gängeviertel district that have been marked for demolition, setting up artist studios and galleries. The protest… was meant to call attention to the lack of subsidized workspaces for artists in Hamburg.” Read Art Info article.

MISCELLANEOUS:

Obama “Joker” Image Has Short Life on Flickr: “After a Chicago student gained national fame for editing a picture of President Obama in the image of the Joker villain from “The Dark Knight” and posting it to Flickr, some of the focus, especially among the tech community, quickly shifted to Flickr for removing the image.” Read LA Times Article.

Chaos and censorship at Beijing’s inaugural 798 Biennale: “Opening days mired by repression of Chinese artists, but international contributions unscathed The inaugural Beijing 798 Biennale, held in the sprawling 798 art district in China’s capital, saw a chaotic opening on 15 August, with major works by Chinese artists widely censored by authorities.” Read Art Newspaper article.

PASSINGS:

Hyman Bloom: August 26, 2009 – “Boston painter considered a maverick but key figure in the art world, died Wednesday in Nashua. He was 96 – old enough, and independent enough, that his art had already gone in and out of fashion several times.” Read Boston.com article.