57 years later, stolen German art unearthed; artists who sued Tate speak out; special sculpture dedicated to Alan Turing

A SUMMARY OF THE MOST EXCITING ART NEWS FROM AROUND THE GLOBE

While we focus on Indian art, we can’t obviously function in a vacuum. It’s a small world and everything is connected, especially on the web. So, let’s train our spotlight across the world map to see what’s going on — from art trends to socio-political issues to everything that affects the great aesthetic global consciousness. Or, let’s just travel the world and have some fun!

German art stolen almost 60 years ago found by a curator\’s diligence  

After nearly 60 years, a resolution has come about to a theft first discovered in 1965 in Munich. When a year-end donation to the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts last winter included a rare Baroque drawing by Italian artist Giovanni Battista Salvi — better known as Sassoferatto — the museum staff was thrilled. The drawing, \”Madonna and Child (c. 1650),\” was part of a collection donated to the museum, purchased from a French collector in 1970. Once the acquisition was made, when museum officials researched the piece, they were surprised. The museum contacted the FBI for procedural guidance and contacted the museum in Germany from where the piece had been stolen as well. And, at some point soon, the piece will be returned. Herald Mail Media narrates the dramatic episode. 

 

Artists who sued Tate speak out 

Three artists who sued the Tate for victimisation, alleging breach of contract and race discrimination, have told of their experiences after it agreed to pay them a six-figure settlement. The action was taken after the institution told one of the women, who had been commissioned to lead a major year-long programme, that she could not work with Jade Montserrat, an artist who has made allegations of sexual abuse and inappropriate behaviour against the art dealer Anthony d’Offay. D’Offay, who denies all accusations against him, was one of the most powerful figures in the contemporary British art world and a major donor to the Tate, which suspended contact with him in 2018 amid allegations of sexual harassment and inappropriate behaviour from three women. The Guardian reports. 

 

Sculpture honouring Alan Turing approved in Cambridge 

A sculpture to honour wartime codebreaker Alan Turing at King’s College in Cambridge has been approved. Cambridge City Council has granted planning permission for the college to install the sculpture commemorating its former student. The 12ft sculpture, designed by Sir Antony Gormley, will be an abstract figure made with 19 corten steel blocks, with the intention they will turn a “warm rust colour” over time. Turing, a codebreaker, mathematician, and “pioneer in computing”, studied at King’s College. He famously cracked the Enigma Code during the Second World War, with a team at Bletchley Park, and was made an OBE for his contribution to the war effort. Turing took his own life in 1954, aged 41, after being prosecuted for homosexual acts, which were still considered criminal in the UK at the time. He was given a posthumous royal pardon in 2013. MSN tells you more.