The 18-foot-tall bronze monument to women and justice was beheaded in the early morning on July 8 while the campus was experiencing harsh weather and power outages due to Hurricane Beryl.

Footage of the vandalism was obtained by campus police, according to the New York Times, which first reported the news.

“We were disappointed to learn the statue was damaged early Monday morning as Hurricane Beryl was hitting Houston,” Kevin Quinn, the university’s executive director of media relations, said in an email to ARTnews. “The damage is believed to be intentional. The University of Houston Police Department is currently investigating the matter.”

The female figure, whose braided hair forms a pair of horns, wears a lacy collar in allusion to similar ones worn by Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the late Supreme Court justice.

The sculpture was installed in a plaza at the University of Houston after five months of display to critical acclaim at Madison Square Park in New York City. But when it traveled to Houston, it drew criticism from the anti-abortion Christian group Texas Right to Life, which called for a campus-wide protest “to keep the Satanic abortion idol out of Texas.” The University of Houston responded by cancelling a planned opening and artist talk, as well as choosing not to show an accompanying video work also by Sikander.

It’s worth noting that Sikander’s artist statement about the work contains no mention of Satanism. “The rams’ horns are universal symbols of strength and wisdom,” Sikander told Art in America earlier this year. “There is nothing Satanic about them.”

“The calls to remove this proud symbol of female autonomy unintentionally underscored the reason Sikander had created it in the first place,” Eleanor Heartney wrote in that profile of Sikander.

Sikander described the vandalism of Witness as “a very violent act of hate” and told the New York Times that it should be investigated as a crime.

In addition to exhibitions at museums around the world, Sikander has been the recipient of a MacArthur “genius” grant. A survey of her work is being held as a collateral event in tandem with this year’s Venice Biennale.

Quinn told ARTnews that conservators have been called in to advise on the necessary repairs to Witness, and taht the university had been in contact with Sikander about repairing the artwork “as quickly as possible.”

But Sikander has other plans. “I don’t want to ‘repair’ or conceal,” Sikander told the New York Times. “I want to ‘expose,’ leave it damaged. Make a new piece, and many more.”

Sikander did not respond to a request for comment from ARTnews.

Per the report, the bill introduced by Israeli politician Amit Halevi seeks to redistribute power over the West Bank archaeology’s sector, which currently resides with a unit in the Civil Administration, an Israeli governing body managed by the military. The bill states, according to the Times of Israel, that it is based on the premise that historical artifacts discovered there “have no historical or other connection to the Palestinian Authority.” The Palestinian Authority (PA) maintains civilian control in the West Bank.

“The discussion of the political status of the regions of Judea and Samaria has no relevance to Israel’s responsibility for the archaeological findings belonging to its people,” states the bill, referring to the West Bank by its biblical names. 

In July 2023, the Palestinian Authority (PA) accused Israel of plans to expand its powers over archaeological sites in Palestinian territory, citing multiple raids by Israeli military and settler militias on the Roman-era archaeological village of Sebastia in the northern city of Nablus. The PA called on UNESCO, the cultural arm of the United Nations, to intervene, given the UNESCO-supervised renovation project underway in Sebastia’s public plaza.

“This is an attack that falls within a plan to take over Palestinian archaeological sites throughout the West Bank and to impose Israeli control over them and annex them,” the PA’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement to the Middle East Monitor.

Archaeology in the occupied West Bank is frequently politicized as part of territorial disputes between Palestinians and Israeli settlers. In September of 2023, UNESCO added Tell es-Sultan—a prehistoric site in Jericho—to its World Heritage List, drawing ire from some right-wing Israeli politicians and organizations. The two parties protested the designation at a meeting at Hasmonean Palaces, one of several archaeological sites near Jericho under Israeli control and a new “touristic settlement” formed for the purported defense of world history.

ARTnews has reached out to the Palestinian Authority and the Israel Antiquities Authority for comment.

The decorated guns are inlaid with gold and silver, as well as engraved images of Napoleon, and carried an estimate from the Osenat auction house of €1.2 million to €1.5 million. The auction took place on July 7 in the city of Fontainbleau, south of Paris.

According to auction house president Jean-Pierre Osenat, the weapons were nearly used to end the French ruler’s life in 1814 after his army was defeated by foreign forces.

“After the defeat of the French campaign, he was totally depressed and wanted to commit suicide with these weapons but his grand squire removed the powder,” Osenat told AFP, which first reported the sale.

As that failed suicide, Napoleon ingested poison but survived that attempt after vomiting. The French emperor later gave the two pistols to his squire General Armand de Caulaincourt, whose descendants consigned them to the auction house.

Other sales of Napoleon memorabilia that have garnered seven-figures include one of the famous “bicorne” hats, which sold for $2.1 million at another Osenat auction in November. Its original estimate was $650,000 to $870,000.

The French Ministry of Culture announced it designation of the two pistols as national treasures on July 6, shortly before the auction took place.

The designation and issuance of the export ban certificate meant the beginning of a 30-month period where the French government can make an offer to purchase the two pistols from their unidentified new owner, who also has the right to refuse.

Any cultural property deemed a national treasure, regardless of its value or age, can only leave France on a temporary basis.

“Being classified as a national treasure gives an incredible value to the object,” a representative of the Osenat auction house told the AFP, asking not to be named.

The Brera Modern will hold Modern art from Pinacoteca di Brera gallery, which is located down the street. On opening day, officials confirmed, there will be an annual gala premier of La Scala’s opera season.

Angelo Crespi helms the museum, having succeeded British-Canadian historian James Bradburne in February. Despite his efforts to have the Brera Modern open within his tenure, Bradburne had completed two four-year terms and was no longer eligible to continue his post.

This change was implemented by the hard-right Italian government, which has been appointing Italian citizens to lead notable cultural institutions.

Founded in 1809, the Brera is home to works by such masters as Canova, Caravaggio, and Raphael. A number of works in its collection, particularly its Modern art, however, have long been in storage.

Reasons for delays have included issues with asbestos and the air conditioning system.

As part of this new addition to the Brera, the institution is expected to total more than 500,000 visitors this year—an increase from last year’s 466,709 people.

The museum, one of two institutions run by Plattner in Potsdam, opened in 2017 and is now well known for its Impressionist art collection, with paintings on view by Monet, Renoir, and others of note. Plattner, who has previously appeared on the ARTnews Top 200 Collectors list, has distanced himself from the corruption proceedings, according to the German press agency dpa.

The Museum Barberini did not respond to ARTnews’s request for comment.

The court’s decision rested on events that allegedly took place during 2014 and 2015, before the museum opened to the public.

One of the defendants, a technical adviser on the museum’s building, received a suspended sentence of one year and two months in prison. The other, a subcontractor, must pay 216,000 euros, or around $22,700.

According to the court, the technical adviser, a 57-year-old referred to only as Karsten D., got a friend to work on the project, allegedly with the aim of sharing proceeds with him. D. was accused of having sent competitor construction companies insider information about the project and of having made attempts to cover up having done so.

D. must now forfeit 113,000 euros ($122,000) and pay 20,000 euros ($21,600) to a Potsdam children’s charity.

The subcontractor, a 61-year-old named Andreas L., is accused of having conspired in D.’s alleged scheme. He must pay his fee of 216,000 euros in 120 daily installments of 180 euros each.

The bronze work, located next to the Round Pond in Kensington Gardens, is titled Pumpkin and stands at 19.5 feet tall and has a diameter of 18 feet. It is painted yellow with black polka dots in the artist’s signature style.

Kusama is known for her immersive installations, intricate paintings, and large-scale sculptures. Since 1946, pumpkins (known as kabocha in the artist’s native Japan) have featured regularly in her practice, and the new artwork is her tallest pumpkin sculpture to date.

“I am sending to London with love my giant pumpkin,” she said. “Since my childhood, pumpkins have been a great comfort to me, they are such tender things to touch, so appealing in color and form. They are humble and amusing at the same time and speak to me of the joy of living.”

Hans Ulrich Obrist, the Serpentine’s artistic director, said it was an “honor” to present Kusama’s sculpture. “Her signature pumpkins have become a landmark motif for the artist, and this project is a reunion for Kusama and Serpentine.”

Kusama’s first retrospective in the UK was at the Serpentine in 2000. It explored her fascinations with polka dots, nets, food, and sex.

SPK is the largest cultural employer in Germany, with approximately 2,000 employees and 4.7 million objects across 15 museums in Berlin, as well as libraries, research institutes, and archive facilities. Current president Hermann Parzinger will retire at the end of next May after 17 years in the position.

Ackermann, who is currently director general of the Dresden State Museums, will be managing a “major overhaul” of the state-funded organization after a two-year, 278-page study published in 2020 said that the SPK was “too large to function effectively.”

She was unanimously chosen by a search committee that included Germany’s culture minister, Claudia Roth, and will officially start in the position on June 1 next year. She had also served on the foundation’s advisory board for several years.

In a press statement released by the organization, Roth called Ackermann “an excellent museum manager, art expert and strategist who is well connected both nationally and internationally.”

“One of the important factors in her appointment was her proven track record in successfully shaping transformation processes,” Roth said. “I am sure that she will bring the comprehensive reform of the SPK to an excellent conclusion and take the foundation into a sustainable and successful future with extraordinary expertise, new ideas and much energy.”

Ackermann’s previous work experience includes taking over the management of the Stuttgart Art Museum in 2003 at the age of 38, making her the youngest director of a major museum in the country at that time. In 2009, Ackermann became the director of the Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen in Düsseldorf. In 2016, she was appointed the general director of the Dresden State Museums. Dresden State Museums, whose 15 institutions receive more than 2 million visitors annually.

In addition to working as a curator and museum director, Ackermann was co-chair of the Bizot Group until 2023 and also served on the executive board of the Goethe Institute until earlier this year. Ackermann is also jury chairman of the Kaiserring Goslar art prize for international artists in modern and contemporary art.

The SPK was first established in 1957 to oversee the world-class art collections in West Berlin. After the Berlin Wall separating East and West Germany fell in 1989, the organization’s focus has been combining the collections and overseeing major projects, such as the multi-decade renovation of the Pergamonmuseum.

The independent report released in 2020 prompted the directors of individual museums in Berlin to write an open letter criticizing the SPK for its bureaucracy, hierarchy, lack of funding, and ability to make decisions and as hindering their ability to give “a quick response to topical questions and desires of the public.” The report also identified several staffing shortages in multiple departments.

In April, the SPK announced that several of its museums would close on Mondays and Tuesdays to help save money in response to ongoing funding issues and growing operating expenses.

Standing nearly 7 feet tall, the well-preserved statue was found during excavation work at the former city of Heraclea Sintica. Despite its size, Bulgarian archaeologists believe it was carefully buried.

Located near the Greek boarder, Heraclea Sintica was founded by Philip II of Macedon between 356 BCE and 339 BCE. The city was later destroyed by an earthquake in 388 CE. Not long after, Heraclea Sintica rapidly declined before it was abandoned altogether in 500 CE.

Hermes was a known as a messenger to the gods in the Ancient Greek pantheon. Around the time of the earthquake, the statue may have been placed in the sewer, experts believe. It is unclear, however, if this was done in an effort to preserve the ancient deity or as a symbolic rejection of pagan practices, which had fallen out of favor due to the rise of Christianity.

“Its head is preserved,” Lyudmil Vagalinski, who led a team of archaeologists from Bulgaria’s National Archaeological Museum, told CNN. Vagalinski described the statue, a Roman copy of a Greek original, as being in “very good condition. There are a few fractures on the hands.”

“Everything pagan was forbidden, and they have joined the new ideology, but apparently they took care of their old deities,” he said.

Kim was initially hired by Artsy in 2017 as vice president of galleries, fairs, and institutions. In her new role, she will continue to oversee all revenue lines while leading business and operations to support the company’s CEO, Jeffrey Yin, who was promoted from chief financial officer and general council earlier this month.

Artsy says that under Kim’s leadership, the platform has grown to support over 4,000 galleries, auctions houses, art fairs, and institutions in more than 100 countries. “She has been at the helm of strengthening Artsy’s secondary market offering, developing multiple new selling options for our collectors,” the company said in a statement. “Kim has also been integral to building the company’s reputation as the most trusted and secure online art marketplace.”

Kim told ARTnews, “I remain deeply committed to supporting our gallery, art fair, and auction partners—helping them increase their success on Artsy with new and expanded ways to develop collector relationships and drive sales. At the same time, you’ll see an increased focus from Artsy on making the collector experience of discovering, purchasing, and selling art even easier and more joyful.”

YES OR NO? In The Guardian, Dalya Alberge wrote about Bonhams clarifying how it conducts its charity auctions, after complaints that it was taking a “buyer’s premium”—the charge added to the hammer price—from a good cause. At a sale in support of the Teenage Cancer Trust charity, that took place last month, art dealer John Bradley asked if the auction house included the buyer’s premium in “all [the] proceeds” mentioned in its catalogue. Bonhams’ sale coordinator replied “Buyer’s premium will be payable and 20% VAT.” On Friday, the auction house announced the opposite: “We will donate the buyer’s premium to the Teenage Cancer Trust”. Brandler said he was “thrilled” that the charity would receive all the money paid for the charity lots. He added: “Will other salesrooms follow suit and be more [transparent] in their descriptions?”

SAY CHEESE! The photography festival Les Rencontres d’Arles is doing well, despite the hectic context of France’s parliamentary elections, reports Le Quotidien de l’art. It’s 55th edition, titled “Beneath the Surface”, consists of 30 exhibitions (10 certified by the artistic direction). The event is always presented as an opportunity to discover Arles’s heritage in a new light, as well as unusual spaces, such as the second floor of the city’s Monoprix (the French equivalent of Target), which currently features the seven finalists of Fondation Roederer’s Découverte prize. The Henri-Comte gallery, adjacent to the town hall, is home to still lifes by Ishiuchi Miyako (winner of Kering’s 2024 Women in Motion prize) depicting objects that belonged to her late mother. The Chapelle de la Charité houses a spectacular cabinet of curiosities by Michel Medinger. Sophie Calle took over a damp underground space, called Cryptoportiques, to showcase a series of decomposing photographs. The idea is to speed up the decomposition process and help them disappear “on a high note”. The festival runs through September 29.

THE DIGEST

Tanzanian portrait artist Shadrack Chaula was arrested for recording a viral video, showing him burning a photo of President Samia Suluhu Hassan while verbally insulting her. The 24-year-old painter has been sentenced to two years in prison or a fine of $2,000 (£1,600) after being found guilty of cybercrimes. Some social media users have started an online drive to raise money to pay Chaula’s fine so he can be freed from jail. [BBC]

In an interview with The Asia Pivot, Artnet Pro’s biweekly members-only newsletter about Asia’s art markets, Alice Lung, who overseeing the Perrotin gallery’s operations in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Tokyo, Seoul, and Los Angeles stated: “From what I observed at the recently concluded Hong Kong auction sales, the Chinese contemporary art market appears particularly weak. Buyers in mainland China are not as active right now. […] When the market was strong, each artwork generated more interest. That has declined, but overall business activity remains similar. […] Meanwhile, collectors are becoming more careful, discerning, and selective about their purchases.” [Artnet Pro]

Worried that they would not have enough space to keep collecting, the Los Angeles-based couple Candace and Charles Nelson found a two-fold solution to their problem. One, learn to appreciate smaller, more intimate works. Two, team up with interior designer Sara Story to complete their modernist Beverly Hills home. Their walls boast works by contemporary artists with ties to California, including Ed Ruscha, Jonas Wood, and Brenna Youngblood. [Cultured]

The Lourdes Bishop Jean-Marc Micas has put off any decision on whether to remove mosaics by Reverend Marko Rupnik, who is accused of abusing women. The shrine will remain intact until a satisfying solution can be found for the victims. The art work was created while some abuses were going on. The ex-Jesuit artist was expelled last year, and the Vatican has been looking into him since last October.[Abc]

French lawyer and politician Roland Dumas has died at age 101. He was France’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, the President of the Constitutional Council, but also accused of defrauding the Giacometti estate. Lastly, he was known for playing a central role in the handover of Guernica to Spain after Franco‘s death. [Le Quotidien de l’Art]

THE KICKER

OLYMPIC SNEAK PEEK. The Olympics and Paralympics are right around the corner. One of the host city’s selling points was that it would primarily rely on existing or temporary structures for sporting competitions, such as the Grand Palais for fencing and taekwondo, the Stade Roland-Garros for tennis and boxing, and the Stade de France, the country’s national stadium, for athletics, rugby, and closing ceremonies. Only the Aquatics Center in the suburb of Saint-Denis has been built specifically for the Games. The new permanent sports facility has been co-designed by the Amsterdam-based firm VenhoevenCS and the French architects Ateliers 2/3/4. Here is a glimpse of it.  [AD]