Leonardo da Vinci’s Grotesque Head of an Old Woman acquired by National Gallery of art

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!

Banksy encourages fans to steal from Guess clothing store

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Banksy appeared to encourage his fans on Instagram to steal items from a Guess clothing store, alleging the company used his images without permission. “They’ve helped myself to my artwork without asking, how can it be wrong for you to do the same to their clothes?” the famous graffiti artist wrote to his 11.5 million followers in a post Friday on the social media platform. The photo Banksy posted was of the window display of a Guess store on Regent Street in London showcasing several items from a capsule collection with the word “Brandalised” and featuring several Banksy graffiti images. The artworks referenced include “Flower Thrower”, “Queen Ziggy”, the “Living the Dream” Mickey billboard in Los Angeles, the “Thug for Life Bunny”, and “Flying Balloon Girl”. Read more on The Indian Express.

Protestors target sculptures in three different European cities

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Climate activists in Europe targeted artworks in three locations on Friday, but these protests were a departure from past actions as these works were not protected by glass. The three protests were also for the first time staged to take place on the same day as part of a concerted effort. On Friday in Paris, Milan, and Oslo, climate activists from local organizations under the umbrella group A22 Network doused sculptures with orange paint or flour, as U.N. climate talks were taking place in Egypt. This time, the works were hit directly, and lacked protective covering. Two instances involved outdoor sculptures. Nevertheless, none of the art pieces were reportedly damaged, though some are still being monitored for possible further cleaning. Details on Artnews.

Leonardo da Vinci\’s drawing acquired by National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC

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The National Gallery of Art (NGA) in Washington, DC revealed today that it has acquired Leonardo da Vinci’s Grotesque Head of an Old Woman, a drawing made by the Renaissance Master between 1489 and 1490. The work is one of Leonardo’s famed studies of human physiognomy—or the ways in which psychological or spiritual characteristics can translate into facial and bodily expressions—and it was donated to the museum by Dian Woodner, daughter of the late real estate developer and mega-collector Ian Woodner. As the title suggests, Grotesque Head of an Old Woman depicts an exaggeratedly homely subject, rendered in profile. Economically drawn in pen, the female subject sports shriveled skin, a hook nose, a receding hairline, a hunched back and other unflattering details, all amplified to a surreal extent. She wears a small tiara and a carnation pokes out from between her wrinkled breasts. These physiognomy studies that Leonardo created went on to have a major influence in European art throughout the following centuries, laying the groundwork for what we now know as caricature art. More on Art Newspaper.