– NRA Sticks to its Guns Exhibition: The National Rifle Association has no plans to take down its exhibition of famous firearms from film history, "Hollywood Guns," which has been on view at Virginia's National Firearms Museum since 2010, and contains weapons including Javier Bardem's shotgun from "No Country For Old Men" and Robert DeNiro's pistol from "Machete" (as well as, randomly, the actual Maltese Falcon from "The Maltese Falcon"). This is despite the fact that the NRA itself has in part sought to turn the recent tragedy in Connecticut into a referendum on the media rather than on guns themselves. NRA VP Wayne LaPierre, for one, recently denounced the celebration of violence in Hollywood: "They all have the nerve to call it entertainment. But is that what it really is? Isn’t fantasizing about killing people as a way to get your kicks really the filthiest form of pornography?" (For a glimpse of "Hollywood Guns," see our VIDEO OF THE DAY, below. ) [Hollywood Reporter]
– Tim Noble and Sue Webster Split: After four years of marriage and 20 years as a couple before that, power artist duo Tim Noble and Sue Webster have filed for divorce. The pair, who were married by friend and fellow YBA Tracey Emin in 2008, have pledged to continue making artwork together. "It’s almost like we shouldn’t have got married," admitted Noble. "We said, '---- our relationship, let’s save the art.'" [Telegraph]
– Six New Otto Dix Murals Discovered: Workers renovating the former home of German painter Otto Dix near Lake Constance unearthed a surprising find on Wednesday: six original murals created by the artist himself. The house, which reopens in June as a museum dedicated to the painter, now finds itself one attraction richer. The murals, dated 1966, were hidden behind a massive bookshelf. They include a drawing of a monster whose appendages each play a different instrument in a jazz band. [Spiegel Online]
– Seaport Museum Gets Anonymous $500,000 Check: Just a few days before Christmas, the South Street Seaport Museum received an unexpected gift: a $500,000 check in the mail from an anonymous donor. The donation will contribute to ongoing repairs from Hurricane Sandy, which inundated the museum and destroyed its heating and electrical systems. The institution reopened on December 19, but is continuing to pick up the pieces. It has collected more than $750,000 in donations since the storm. [DNAinfo]
– New York Times Culture Editor Leaving: After 26 years at the New York Times and over three years as its culture editor, Jonathan Landman is accepting a buyout offer and will leave the paper. A replacement has yet to be named. "We all know that the newsroom has to reduce its costs," Landman wrote in a company email. "No less urgent is its responsibility to cultivate a new generation of leaders. My continued presence would help accomplish neither. So it’s time to go." [The Wrap]
– Charges Against Kunsthalle Wien Director Dropped: Austrian authorities have dropped charges against former Kunsthalle Wien director Gerald Matt and three of his former colleagues. Matt, who left the museum in January 2012, was accused of offering Austrian citizenship to foreigners in exchange for significant donations to the kunsthalle. After an investigation, prosecutors concluded they "could not find a conscious abuse of power based on an intent to harm." [Art Review]
– Petrit Halilaj to Rep Kosovo in Venice: The sculptor, known for large-scale works, has been chosen to represent Kosovo at the 2013 Venice Biennale. This year marks the first time the eastern European nation will participate in the international art event. The pavilion will be curated by Kathrin Rhomberg, who said, "The invitation comes with a high degree of responsibility, which I would have been more anxious about, were it not for the artist Petrit Halilaj." [ArtReview]
– Bloodstained Gourd May Contain Louis XVI's DNA: Immediately following his decapitation in 1793, former king Louis XVI's blood pooled at his feet and many dipped their handkerchiefs in it for a momento of the historical beheading. Now, traces of that blood have allegedly been found on an ornate souvenir gourd that now belongs to an Italian family. By cross-referencing the blood traces left on the artifact with DNA taken from the mummified corpse of Louis XVI's ancestor, Henri IV, researchers hope to confirm that the droplets were in fact taken from the French monarch's beheading. [Telegraph]
– Kanye to Create Lil Wayne's Next Album Cover: Rapper, producer, and daddy-to-be Kanye West has commissioned his share of high-art album covers, including several paintings each by George Condo and Takashi Murakami. Now, he's becoming an artist himself, taking over design duties for the next record from Lil Wayne, "I Am Not a Human Being II," which is currently due to be released next month. "It was his idea. I was just like 'OK, do whatever,' because I don’t do nothing but rapping," Wayne said. [FACT]
– San Francisco's Wattis Institute Expands: The California College of the Arts's Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts is starting the new year in an expansive new space — an existing building renovated by Mark Jensen, the architect of SFMOMA's rooftop sculpture garden — where its inaugural exhibitions will include an installation by Parisian collective Claire Fontaine and a projection of Werner Herzog's 2012 Whitney Biennial hit "Hearsay of the Soul." The Wattis is also looking for a new director following Jens Hoffmann's departure to take a curator gig at the Jewish Museum in November. [TAN]
VIDEO OF THE DAY
Trailer for the NRA-curated "Hollywood Guns" show
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