“Irreplaceable” Artefacts Stolen from a UK Museum: Police Looking for Thieves.

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!

 

Conservators protest after Putin orders the return of a well-known Russian icon to the church

Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, has directed the State Tretyakov Gallery to give the Russian Orthodox Church back one of the nation’s most priceless holy artifacts, Andrei Rublev’s Trinity from the 15th century, despite warnings from art experts around the world that it is too fragile to travel with. Art historian Alexei Lidov was described in the Art Newspaper as saying, “All professional restorers unanimously say that the condition of the Trinity plaque is such that any movement of it, even for a short distance, is fraught with danger and the icon may simply [be destroyed].” The general director of the Tretyakov Gallery was changed earlier this year after the Russian Ministry of Culture demanded that the museum update its exhibitions to reflect the “spiritual and moral values” of the nation. Read more on ARTnews.

“Irreplaceable“ Artefacts Stolen from a UK Museum: Police Looking for Thieves.

Police are looking for 12 metalworking artifacts that were taken from the Kelham Island Museum in Sheffield, UK on May 14 following a “carefully planned” early-morning robbery. The theft occurred at 6:45 a.m. on May 14 when “unknown offenders forced entry to the museum and caused damage to display cases,” according to a statement from the South Yorkshire police. A range of decorative and multi-blade knives, four stainless steel cutlery animal sculptures, a sterling silver coffee pot from 1773, and other things were seized. A number of the objects were on loan from the Ken Hawley Collection Trust and the Sheffield Assay office. Kim Streets, CEO of Sheffield Museums Trust, expressed her sadness over the break-in at Kelham Island Museum over the weekend, which she believes to have been a well-planned burglary. The pieces were also referred to as “irreplaceable touchstones of Sheffield’s rich heritage” by Streets. Read more on ARTnews.

Social media outcry opposing a Dutch exhibition on Black culture and ancient Egypt

A Dutch museum has provoked social media anger that has spread as far as Egypt with an exhibition on how ancient Egyptian culture has been seen through the eyes of artists with African roots. The National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden, the Netherlands, opened the show Kemet: Egypt in hip hop, jazz, soul & funk (until 3 September), to link its collection with black artists’ explorations of ancient Africa—from notions of spirituality, pride and power to eye make-up and costume. But it has unintentionally provoked ire including, according to the Egypt Independent newspaper, questions to government from a member of Egypt’s House of Representatives for alleged cultural appropriation and showing artwork representing a Black man as an ancient Egyptian. Read more on The Art Newspaper.