— Marilyn's Lips Lead Online Warhol Auction: A 1964 lithograph of Marilyn Monroe's lips titled "I Love Your Kiss Forever Forever" proved to be the top lot in Christie's first online auction of works from the collection of the Andy Warhol Foundation, fetching $90,000 — or a whopping 16 times its pre-sale high estimate of $5,000. The sale, the first of several drawing on the Warhol Foundation's holdings, brought in a total of $17 million. Warhol himself was the sale's biggest star, though, with 12 self-portraits selling for a combined total of $116,200. [LAT]
— JR's Street Art Hits the Pavement: The famed French photo-muralist and TED Prize-winning street artist JR has launched a new limited-edition collaboration with trendy footwear brand Bagua. And we say limited edition, we really mean it! The arty new shoes are so exclusive, only close friends of the artist and the company will be able to get their hands — and feet — on them. The black-and-white loafers feature one of JR's trademark closeups on an eye, rendered in Lichtensteinian Ben-Day dots. [Hypebeast]
— Man Finds Art Treasure Trove in Garage: The new owner of a cottage in Bellport on Long Island found thousands of works by little-known — though recently rediscovered — painter, bookmaker, and comics artist Arthur Pinajian in his garage. Some of the artworks have already sold for $500,000, while the rest have been appraised at a total of more than $30 million by Warhol appraiser William Hastings Falk. Pinajian, 50 of whose landscape paintings are currently the subject of an exhibition at the Fuller Building in Midtown Manhattan, lived in Bellport with his sister until his death in 1999 at at 85. [AP]
— Bar Lions Have Royal Provenance: A pair of snarling leopards that are front and center in the current “Treasures of the Royal Courts” show at London’s V&A have a surprising history behind them. Until recently, they were decorations in a French bar, run by retired Englishman Andy Delahunty, who salvaged them from a pub in Surrey. Turns out, they may have been carved as a monument to Anne Boleyn at the behest of Henry VIII. The most telling detail? The leopards had lion tails, which happens to be one of the emblems of Boleyn. [Guardian]
— Spoils of Oakland Museum Double Robbery Recovered: Police in Oakland have arrested Andre Taray Franklin and recovered a Gold Rush-era jewelry box he is accused of having stolen from the Oakland Museum of California during a January 9 break-in, and he is also a suspect in an investigation into a similar burglary that took place at the museum last November, when pistols from the same period were lifted. "It is a happy day for Oakland and the state of California," said museum director Lori Fogarty. "We have our beautiful and historic jewelry box back in the museum and a suspect in custody." [CBS San Francisco]
— Tacoma Museum Settles Squabble With Donors: Washington state's Tacoma Art Museum (TAM) has reached an agreement with the Young family over a collection of ancient Chinese robes and gems that they donated to the institution in the 1970s with the understanding that they would remain in its permanent colleciton, but which the TAM recently opted to auction. Under the terms of the agreement, the museum will continue to sell off the collection, but use a portion of the revenue to acquire works by Chinese American artists, crediting the Young family for the donation. "We are pleased that this all has been resolved," said museum director Stephanie A. Stebich, "and are happy that the Young family will continue to be a part of the Tacoma Art Museum." [Seattle Times]
— Milwaukee Museum Makes Peace With War Memorial: As part of a $25-million expansion project unveiled last year, the Milwaukee Art Museum proposed to take over control of the nearby War Memorial Center, but that plan engendered a dispute — over, among other things, who should pay for the monument's renovations and maintenance, and profit from its parking lot — that appears to finally have been defused. Former state Supreme Court justice Janine Geske has brokered an agreement betweent the museum and the county, which owns the building and its grounds, though the resolution still needs the approval of the museum and War Memorial, the County Board, and the County Executive. [Journal Sentinel]
— Philly Museum Goes Underground: The Philadelphia Museum of Art is nearing completion on an $81-million, two-year expansion project that it has nothing to show for: The entire complex, which includes education spaces, conservation labs, storage areas, and other backstage facilities, is housed underground beneath the museum's iconic building. The museum's objective was to "respect the architectural integrity of the original building," said museum president Gail Harrity. "What they’ve done is so impressive." [CBS Philadelphia]
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