MET RETURNS LOOTED BRONZE GRIFFIN HEAD TO GREECE
On February 24, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, returned an ancient bronze griffin head that was thought to have been taken from a museum in Olympia in the 1930s. The artifact was first unearthed in a riverbed in the Peloponnese region in Greece in 1914 by a curator at the Archaeological Museum of Olympia, the piece dating back to seventh century BCE. Having been stolen from the museum, the artifact was later acquired by financier and Met trustee Walter C. Baker in 1948 from a New York dealer, The work has been welcoming visitors to the Greek and Roman galleries since 1999, having joined the museum’s collection in 1972. Provenance has become more of a focus for the Met in recent years, with the bronze griffin being the first artifact to be repatriated under the inaugural provenance research chief, Lucian Simmons. The museum has shared in a statement that, “The Met and the Greek ministry agreed to the return of the Griffin after careful review of records and letters determining that it could not have legitimately left the Archaeological Museum of Olympia.” However, the griffin head will be loaned back to the Met for an exhibition next year. Max Hollein, CEO and Met director, has said that “the Met is honoured to collaborate with the Hellenic Republic on the return of this extraordinary object,” and that the museum is grateful for the “long-standing partnership with the Greek government and look forward to continued engagement and opportunities for cultural exchange.”
Bronze Head of a Griffin, 7th century BCE
LUBAINA HIMID WILL REPRESENT THE UNITED KINGDOM AT THE 2026 VENICE BIENNALE
Lubaina Himid will represent the United Kingdom at the 61st Venice Biennale in 2026, with the British Council announcing that the Zanzibar-born British artist will present a major solo show in the British pavilion next year. Himid studied theatre design at the Wimbledon College of Art in London before receiving a master’s degree in cultural history from the Royal College of Art in 1984. Often focusing on themes of colonialism, racism, and gender inequality, the artist first gained prominence through staged works like A Fashionable Marriage (1986); drawing on Marriage à la Mode (1743-45), a series of engravings by William Hogarth, the piece critiques the politics of Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan. Himid is also renowned for her curatorial work, through which she encourages Black voices in the arts. The ICA London will be presenting her exhibition “Connecting Thin Black Lines 1985–2025,” in June, a show that was previously held in 1985 at the museum. Himid has shared in a press statement, “It is such a great honour and at the same time a brilliant and exciting opportunity to make something particularly special, which resonates with multiple audiences, communicates with complex histories and looks to a more collaborative future.”
Lubaina Himid (b. 1954)
RELIEF SPREADS THROUGH FRIEZE LA AS DEALERS REPORT SOLD-OUT BOOTHS AND FIVE WORKS SOLD FOR OVER $1 M.
By the end of the VIP Day at Frieze Los Angeles, the fair had reported “strong sales” and an “energetic opening day,” alongside a list of sold-out booths and major sales. Galleries like Mariane Ibrahim, David Kordansky, Casey Kaplan, and Carlye Packer sold out, with works ranging from $13,500-$60,000, $8,000-$80,000, $30,000, and $16,000-$54,000 respectively. In addition, Hauser and Wirth sold out of Ambera Wellman works, priced between $150,000 - $210,000. There was an overall sense of optimism and relief surrounding the fair, particularly after the fires that impacted LA earlier this year. David Zwirner saw a number of major sales surpassing $1 million, including an Elizabeth Peyton painting for $2.8 million, a Noah Davis work for $2.5 million, and an Alice Neel painting for $1.8 million. The Frieze Arts Alliance also brought in institutions looking to acquire pieces, resulting in sales such as the California African American Museum’s purchase of Darrel Ellis’ two works Untitled (Bathing Beauty), 1987-1989 and Untitled (Bathing Beauty), 1988-1991, from Hannah Hoffman Gallery. As for attendees, this year saw prominent guests from the top 200 collectors, including Larry and Allison Berg, Lauren Taschen, and Ric Whitney. Moreover, significant institutional figures were in attendance, such as Serpentine Galleries’ Hans Ulrich Obrist and Thelma Golden of the Studio Museum in Harlem. This year also saw the Galleries Together initiative, with Victoria Miro opening up their booth for galleries who wanted to donate works to benefit the LA Arts Community Fire Relief Fund.
RADICAL SOFTWARE, KUNSTHALLE WIEN
Kunsthalle Wien in Vienna is presenting Radical Software Women, Art & Computing 1960–1991, an exhibition celebrating the pioneering role of women in digital art. The exhibition is in collaboration with Mudam Luxembourg-Musée d’Art Moderne Grand-Duc Jean and will showcase over a hundred works by fifty artists, spanning across a range of mediums including painting, sculpture, installation, film, performance and many computer-generated drawings and texts. The exhibition itself is principally analogue and focuses on the decades prior to the rise of the World Wide Web, the title of the exhibition inspired by the magazine that was started by Beryl Korot with fellow artists Phyllis (Gershuny) Segura and Ira Schneider in 1970. The show starts with works from the first years of integrated circuit computing and ends with the “microcomputer revolution,” which led to the rise of personal computing in the 1980s. The exhibition highlights the evolution of the computer from the laboratory into the domestic sphere, with this period also contextualised through the presence of second-wave feminism. In addition, the narratives surrounding post-internet discourse of cyberfeminism are explored within the show, encouraging the viewer to critically engage with the intricacies between technology and power structures.
Dara Birnbaum, Pop-Pop Video: Kojak/Wang, 1980.
SOUTH KOREA’S ‘FLOATING MUSEUM’ TO SET SAIL IN MAY
South Korea’s first floating museum is opening its doors in May, showcasing the maritime history of Shinan County. Designed by Japanese artist Yukinori Yanagi, the building is intended to mirror the landscape of the coastal Shinan County. The space consists of seven cube-shaped structures with five exhibition halls, Yanagi has said that the mirrored surfaces are designed to create “dreamlike quality, disorienting place and time through their multiple reflections.” The museum is part of a multi-island spanning initiative to bring publicly funded art to Shinan County. Development has been noted in the region following the 2019 opening of the 1004 Bridge, which significantly increased accessibility to the area, previously only reachable by boat. The aim is to attract tourism and improve the economy, despite the declining local population. The museum is set to include works that explore the history and cultural narratives of the Korean Peninsula.
ARTE POVERA ICON MICHELANGELO PISTOLETTO NOMINATED FOR NOBEL PEACE PRIZE
The Citadellearte-Pistoletto Foundation has announced that Italian artist Michelangelo Pistoletto has been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize. On February 21, the Gorbachev Foundation Association announced the nomination at an event at the Alberoni Gallery in Piacenza, Italy. The foundation has shared that the nomination was supported by Nobel Italia and has been accepted by the Norwegian Nobel Committee. Pistoletto rose to prominence in the 1960s through his Mirror paintings, emerging as a central figure in the post-war art movement, Arte Povera. The movement rejected the commercialism, economic structures, and materialism that existed in fascist Italy. Pistoletto would often use discarded fabrics, metal, and wood to create installations and performances that blurred the boundaries between art and life, inviting the viewer to become a participant in the work. However, his most direct initiative for peace was the manifesto he penned in 2003, titled Third Paradise. The concept aimed to encourage balance between nature, humanity, and technology, in order to reach a more sustainable society. Since its publication, the manifesto has inspired public performances, installations, and political demonstrations. Pistoletto has said, “Art must take on a propulsive role for radical change, bringing about a shared, responsible concept of humanity and a peaceful self-certification of intelligence… I don’t know if we will reach peace, but just working towards it makes me feel better.”
AICHI TRIENNALE 2025 PRESENTS FULL ARTIST LIST
Aichi Triennale is set to open its 2025 edition in September 2025, titled A Time Between Ashes and Roses (1970) and directed by Hoor Al Qasimi (President and Director of the Sharjah Art Foundation.) The list of 60 artists set to present at the Triennale includes Robert Zhao Renhui, Sugimoto Hiroshi, Simone Leigh, Priyageetha Dia, Adrián Villar Rojas, and John Akomfrah. Al Qasimi has stated that, “through the exhibition, we will delve into the complex issues emerging between humans and the environment, exploring them from a myriad perspectives through diverse artistic practices.” She has also shared about her research visits to Nagoya and Seto City, the host cities for Aichi Triennale 2025, “I was inspired by Seto City’s background which holds abundant natural resources, such as clay, that are deeply embedded in the daily lives of its residents. This has served as the foundation for the exhibition’s theme.” The Triennale will be on view from 13 September through to 20 November 2025.
Priyageetha Dia, LAMENT H.E.A.T, 2023
Jordan Tan holds an MA in History of Art from the prestigious Courtauld Institute of Art. With a passion for fine art and the art market, Jordan plays a key role at Art Works by researching and interpreting trends across the primary and secondary markets, delivering valuable insights and business intelligence for the fine art department.
