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The spreading fires in Los Angeles continue to wreak havoc, including ravaging artists and cultural centers. Karen K. Ho has written about museum and gallery closures in the region for ARTnews, including the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, which is reportedly safe. Many artists have already lost their homes, with reports of destruction at the Zorthian Ranch in Altadena, an artist colony founded by Jirayr Zorthian. While some places like the Eames House remain undamaged, others like the Will Rogers State Historic Park have been destroyed. The situation is dire, with many cultural gems lost to fires or in imminent danger.
Mario R. Rossero has been named the director of Pittsburgh’s Andy Warhol Museum, replacing Patrick Moore. Rossero has a background in education and art, with previous roles at the Kennedy Center and the National Art Education Association. He started his career as an artist educator at The Warhol.
A Chinese appeals court has upheld a ruling requiring artist Ye Yongqing to pay damages for plagiarizing the work of Belgian artist Christian Silvain. This marks a significant victory for foreign artists in Chinese courts. Austrian dealer Thaddaeus Ropac is set to open a new gallery in Milan, while a wax sculpture of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was destroyed in Mexico City.
The German government has approved reforms to its process for returning Nazi-looted art, and artist Glenn Ligon has a new project at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge. Finally, a heartwarming story about a security guard at the Metropolitan Museum of Art who was included in a current exhibit after striking up a conversation with a curator. Nun hat seine hölzerne Büste einer weiblichen Figur mit einem Skarabäuskäfer auf dem Kopf – ein Symbol der Hoffnung für die alten Ägypter – einen Ehrenplatz in der Ausstellung des Mets, die in einem Abschnitt über moderne ägyptische Perspektiven gezeigt wird. „Es ist eine meisterhafte Skulptur, die in der Ausstellung zu Hause ist“, sagte Tommasino.