\’Not next to Mona Lisa? Then no Mundi!\’ New report reveals fresh controversy

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!

Plot thickens around Salvator Mundi

Mystery surrounds why the Louvre didn’t include Salvator Mundi, the world’s most expensive painting, it in its blockbuster 2019 Leonardo da Vinci exhibition. New documentary film The Savior for Sale claims that as pert anonymous French officials, the museum refused to acquiesce to Saudi Arabian demands that the work be displayed as an autograph Leonardo after scientific testing determined that the artist merely contributed to the painting. But now, a New York Times story contradicts that, saying that as per a Louvre report they accessed, the real issue is that Saudi officials demanded it be shown next to the Mona Lisa, which curators refused to allow. Artnet News has the scoop.

Russian LGBT+ feminist artist faces jail

Artist Yulia Tsvetkova, an LGBT+ feminist activist, could be sentenced to up to six years of jail time as she stands trial in in far east Russia. She was charged with spreading porn after posting artwork of women’s bodies online, reportedly linked to her group on the popular social network VKontakte where colourful, stylised drawings of vaginas were posted. The outspoken Tsvetkova had founded an online group named Vagina Monologues encouraging fighting stigma and taboo surrounding the female body, and posted other people’s art in it. The first hearing comes eight months after Russian President Vladimir Putin signed constitutional amendments that outlawed same-sex marriage and tasked the government with “preserving traditional family values.” The Independent reports.

Now, remove graffiti with no damage to underlying art

Usually, when street art or murals have graffiti painted all over them, restoring them can be a challenge. But now, Michele Baglioni at the University of Florence in Italy and his colleagues have developed a system that allows cleaning agents to remove just the top layer of paint, which is only a few microns thick. The hydrogel can remove the layer within minutes or even seconds, without altering the work underneath — even if they use the same type of paint! New Scientist analyses the development.

Does AI create better art than you?

That’s right — machines are starting to take over the art world. An AI ‘painter’ engineered by Paris-based collective Obvious was fed a data set of 15,000 portraits painted between the 14th and 20th centuries. Their algorithm analyzed the human-made images and proceeded to create its own art based on what it had learned from the thousands of portraits. Called Generative Adversarial Networks or GAN, the AI presented a work at fine art auction house Christie’s in late October 2018: ‘Edmond de Belamy’. Though initial estimates had the portrait selling under $10,000, the painting would go on to sell for an incredible $432,500. Interesting Engineering has the details.