– Guggenheim Gets a Frown in Helsinki: A survey published in the Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat has revealed that a whopping 75 percent of Helsinki's inhabitants are against the construction of a new Guggenheim in their city. The project, which would cost an estimated €140 million ($184 million) to build and require more than €14.5 million ($19 million) running costs per year, is seen as inappropriate by the practical Finns, considering the city's economic situation. Helsinki has until the end of April to announce an official decision. [Journal des Arts]
– "He Who Seeks, Finds": The ongoing search for Leonardo da Vinci's lost fresco "The Battle of Anghiari," supposedly hidden beneath Giorgio Vasari's "The Battle of Marciano in Val di Chiana" in Florence's Palazzo Vecchio, has intensified. Drilling holes in the later wall painting, researchers have identified pigments similar to those used by Leonardo for the "Mona Lisa." Researchers are now seeking permission to drill more holes into the center of Vasari's work. Teasing the scientists' curiosity, Vasari included in his piece the image of a soldier holding a banner stating, "He who seeks, finds." [Guardian]
– Cunningham Could Dance On in France: Though the Merce Cunningham Dance Company disbanded on December 31 following its founder's death in 2009, it may re-emerge in France if company veteran Robert Swinston's application to be the director of the Centre National de Danse is accepted. He plans to bring on two more Cunningham vets and enter a partnership with the legendary choreographer's trust to continue teaching his method and adapting his work. [NYT]
– Huguette Clark's Jewels Go to Auction: When the reclusive heiress died last spring at 104, she revealed to the world an extensive collection of Renoirs and Monets. Though those artworks are to be displayed publically, according to her will, her jewelry collection will be auctioned off at Christie's New York on April 17. The diamond rings and emerald bracelets were reportedly locked away in Clark's bank vault for more than 80 years. [MSNBC]
– Is Spiral Jetty Supposed to be Dirty?: Some Utah residents believe that Robert Smithson's work of land art, which has been threatened by past and potential oil experimentation as well as the accumulation of trash, may have been intended to get a bit dirty. "He [Smithson] wanted to show that art could end up healing the Earth that's already been pulverized," said a local art historian. [Salt Lake Tribune via A1]
– The Case of the Wildensteins and Missing Impressionist Works: A major painting by Berthe Morisot is missing from her exhibition at the Marmottan Monet museum because it is currently in police custody after being seized last year from a vault owned by the embattled Wildenstein art-dealing family. Morisot's great-grandson has high hopes that the Wildensteins might lead him to four other missing works by Manet, his great-great uncle, and Jean-Baptiste Corot, Morisot's teacher, worth a total of €45 million. [Bloomberg]
– First Women of Brooklyn: Next month, the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art at the Brooklyn Museum will give out its inaugural First Awards — in the form of a glass sculpture by Judy Chicago — to 15 women who are leaders in their respective fields, including Toni Morrison, Connie Chung, and Sandra Day O'Connor. [NYT]
– Florida Forger in California Court: Alleged art forger Matthew Taylor — who stands accused of defrauding $2 million from a Los Angeles art collector by touching up works by unknown artists and passing them off as masterpieces by Claude Monet, Vincent van Gogh, and Jackson Pollock — pleaded not guilty in California federal court yesterday. The Florida resident is said to have created false labeling to convince the collector that his wares were once in the collection of major museums, including the Guggenheim. [HuffPo]
– Art Dubai Reboots: The art fair has been repackaged as the central event in an ambitious and multi-pronged initiative called Art Week, which encompasses a broad program of cultural events in the Gulf this month. Among these offerings is a new fair, Design Days Dubai, that seeks to tap into Middle Eastern tastes for limited-edition furniture. [FT via AMM]
– British Artists Rally Against Homelessness: Antony Gormley, Tracey Emin, Gillian Wearing, Sir Anthony Caro, and Jonathan Yeo have all given new works to be sold at Christie's on May 3, with proceeds going to the charity for Crisis, a charity that fights homelessness. "I believe that sculpture can powerfully evoke the nameless, the voiceless and the placeless," said Gormley. [Guardian]
– Little Shop of Lotuses: A space in San Francisco's Civic Center plaza vacated last month by Chinese artist Zhang Huan's enormous Buddha sculpture will sprout another large-scale public artwork this spring. Korean artist Choi Jeon Hwa's "Breathing Flower," a monumental red lotus flower with motorized petals, will take root on May 18, coinciding with the artist's exhibition at the Asian Art Museum. [HuffPo]
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