Abirpothi

India’s only daily art newspaper

Rijksmuseum’s groundbreaking slavery exhibition to open at UN headquarters

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!

Forth collaboration of Takashi Murakami with Hublot

Takashi Murakami at the February 2 launch event in New York
Courtesy- Menafn

It’s the watch that always tells you it’s time to be ecstatic. The latestHublot and Takashi Murakami collaboration has just been announced, and the collection is heavy on the Japanese icon’s signature radiantly-smiling, rainbow-hued flowers. The timepieces combine precision luxury watchmaking with digital art and will go on sale in April. This is the fourth pairing of the Swiss heritage brand and Murakami, and it was feted with a glam Manhattan blowout on February 4. The event was attended by various art and fashion world luminaries and the artist himself, who cut a dapper swath in a flower cap of his own design, with a grin to match his character’s. The collection encompasses 13 NFTs and watch styles that are inspired by 1970s Japanese video games and TV shows, with visual nods to the 2021 Classic Fusion Takashi Murakami All Black, the debut collaboration between the horlogerie and Murakami. Read it on Menafn.

New York to return 14 looted artefacts to Italy, including a black-figure hydria by the renowned Priam Painter

Detail of the black-figure hydria attributed to the Priam Painter
Courtesy- Art Newspaper

The Manhattan District Attorney’s office has returned 14 looted artefacts to Italy, marking its fourth repatriation of antiquities to the country since July 2022. The objects, collectively worth nearly $2.5m, were recovered during multiple criminal investigations, which authorities say are ongoing. They were presented yesterday (2 February) in a ceremony attended by the Consulate General of Italy and investigators from the Italian Carabinieri, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and US Customs and Border Protection. The artefacts include a fourth-century BCE silver coin known as the Sicily Naxos Coin, which features portraits of Dionysus and Silenus; a marble head of the Emperor Hadrian dating to 200 CE, until recently displayed at the San Antonio Museum of Art (SAMA); and a black-figure water jar known as the Priam Painter Hydria. The vessel, which dates to 510 BCE, belonged to the collector Shelby White and was, until its seizure, on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. “Italy’s rich history has long attracted looters and smugglers looking to profit from ancient artefacts without regard to the cultural history and the priceless value to the Italian people,” Ivan J. Arvelo, a special agent with HSI in New York, said in a statement. “These 2,600-year-old artefacts were part of life in the ancient world, especially the amphora which were viewed as lasting symbols of prowess and excellence.” Read more on Art Newspaper.

Rijksmuseum’s groundbreaking slavery exhibition to open at UNheadquarters
Anonymous, Enslaved men digging trenches, c. 1850

A major exhibition that explores the history of slavery during the Dutch colonial period will travel to the United Nations (U.N.) headquarters in New York this month for a four-week display. Originally conceived and staged at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam in 2021, “Slavery” spanned 250 years of the Dutch colonial history, from the 17th to the 19th century, considering personal and real-life stories from those who lived during the period. The showcase at the U.N. headquarters’s visitors lobby will run from February 27 to March 30 as an adapted version of the original show in the Netherlands, presented with a new title “Slavery. Ten True Stories of Dutch Colonial Slavery.” On March 29 and 30, there will be a series of talks reflecting on the issue, which still haunts the world today. An adapted form of the display will travel U.N. offices globally for the next two years. Details on Times Union.