In February, the Metropolitan Museum of Art quietly returned a Roman bust to Turkey. It was originally purchased from Phoenix Ancient Art gallery in Geneva, whose founder, Ali Aboutaam, was convicted by a Swiss court of illegally importing antiquities. Why do dozens of other museums still hold the objects they bought from the gallery? Art crime scholar Erin L. Thompson investigates.
Also today, artists demand justice for the family of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a Houston resident misidentified and murdered by ICE during a traffic stop. Staff Writer Rhea Nayyar writes about the most moving tributes and artworks.
When I went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art a few weeks ago in search of a marble portrait bust of an imperious-looking Roman man, both the sculpture and its pedestal had vanished. Only the label dating the piece to the 2nd century CE remained, marooned on the gallery wall. The sculpture had been purchased from Phoenix Ancient Art, a gallery purporting to follow “the antiquities trade’s most vigorous and stringent procedures of due diligence.” The gallery touted the effort it put into finding evidence that its artifacts had left their countries of origin long before the enactment of export bans. Equipped with these good provenances, or ownership histories, Phoenix boasted that its antiquities could be “collected in full compliance with all legal and ethical rules.” | Erin L. Thompson
Women figurative realist painters can enter to win $75,000 and a traveling solo exhibition. Applications are open through September 19.
Holly EJ Black deftly weaves a narrative that integrates varied geographical and cultural perspectives, centering figures who may not have been artists themselves. | Bridget Quinn
The artist’s quasi-vessels incorporate folds, indentations, apertures, and coverts, which hint at bodily, biomorphic, and natural forms. | Gregory Volk
“My batik process is done in stages: from drawing, to waxing, to color staining, to boiling, and finally to oil painting.”
Stéphane Breitwieser stole several billion dollars worth of art from more than 150 museums before he was caught in 2001. | Erin L. Thompson
Hyundai Motor Group – The 7th VH AwardA global award for emerging media artists engaging with the context of Asia, featuring grants, a residency with Ars Electronica, and global exhibitions. Read more on Hyperallergic.Deadline: July 21, 2026 | vhaward.com
See more in this month’s list of opportunities for artists, writers, and art workers!
