Art & Collectibles A Montana Museum Employee Pleads Guilty to Stealing Native American Artifacts From the Institution Preston Jay Spotted Eagle has received five years-probation and is ordered to pay nearly $17,000 in restitution. By Daniel Cassidy for ARTnews
Art & Collectibles A Man Who “Drunkenly Stole” a 2,000-Year-Old Terra-Cotta Thumb From a Philadelphia Museum Accepts a Plea Deal The piece, broken off from a statue, was allegedly taken during a holiday party at the Franklin Museum. By Daniel Cassidy for ARTnews
Art & Collectibles A 26-Foot Marilyn Monroe Statue Is Causing an Uproar Among Palm Springs Elite Residents are infuriated by the sculpture’s “provocative” nature, specifically its lifted dress and unmentionables. By Daniel Cassidy for ARTnews
Art & Collectibles Ukraine Unveils a New Banksy Postage Stamp That Mocks Russian President Vladimir Putin The featured mural shows a young boy executing a judo throw against a man thought to be Russia’s president. By Daniel Cassidy for ARTnews
Art & Collectibles Looters Stole This Ancient Sarcophagus From Egypt 15 Years Ago. The US Just Gave It Back. The coffin was “trafficked by a well-organized network,” Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg said. By Daniel Cassidy for ARTnews
Art & Collectibles Sold! Christie’s Pulled in $8.4 Billion in 2022, a New All-Time High for an Auction House Its Paul Allen sale alone brought in $1.6 billion, with five works breaking the $100 million dollar mark. By Daniel Cassidy for ARTnews
Art & Collectibles 300-Year-Old Idols Looted From an Indian Temple a Decade Ago Were Just Discovered in a Collector’s Home The artifacts bought from Aparna Gallery came to the attention of the Idol Wing police after being registered. By Daniel Cassidy for ARTnews
Art & Collectibles UK Police Barged Into an Art Gallery to Save a Person in Distress. It Turned Out to Be a Sculpture. The work, Kristina (2022), features a life-sized woman who appears to be unconscious. By Daniel Cassidy for ARTnews
Art & Collectibles This New Experience at Art Basel Miami Beach Pairs Virtual Reality Art With a Michelin-Star Tasting Menu Diners will slip on a Meta Quest 2 VR headset before enjoying a special array of amuse-bouches by chef Chintan Pandya. By Daniel Cassidy for ARTnews
Art & Collectibles Led by Basquiat and Modigliani, Christie’s Contemporary Art Sales Rake in $422 Million The evening sales brought a whopping total of 104 works to the auction block on Thursday. By Daniel Cassidy for ARTnews
ArtNews Climate Activists Charged by Feds After Smearing Paint on Degas Work’s Case at National Gallery of Art