– Hirst Unleashes Mickey Mouse Spot Painting: British artist and master spot painter Damien Hirst has created his first figurative spot painting, a minimalist rendering of Walt Disney character Mickey Mouse, which will be auctioned at Christie's in February to support the Kids Company charity. "Mickey Mouse represents happiness and the joy of being a kid and I have reduced his shape down to the basic elements of a few simple spots," Hirst said. "I hope people love it, because it is still instantly recognizable — Mickey Mouse is such a universal and powerful icon." [Independent]
– Proposed German Law to Ease Return of Nazi-Looted Art: In response to the discovery of the Cornelius Gurlitt art trove in Munich, Bavaria is drafting a new national law that would eliminate the 30-year statute of limitations to aid in the return of Nazi looted art. The law will be proposed at the Bundesrat, Germany’s upper house of parliament, on February 14. "This would also apply to cases of so-called 'degenerate art' or Nazi-looted art, when works were taken for example from Jewish owners in the context of their oppression or expulsion by the National Socialist reign of terror," Bavarian Justice MinisterWinfried Bausback said. [AFP]
– Madonna Picks Perry as Art Judge: Katy Perry will succeed illusionist David Blaine as the next guest curator for Madonna’s Art for Freedom project. Now in its fourth month, the project will give one winner a $10,000 grant that they can give to the charity of their choice. "I am so fortunate to have the freedom to express myself through music," said Perry. "Now I'm calling all of my incredibly creative KatyCats to use their talent to show Madonna and me how they express their freedom.” [Billboard]
– U.K. and Russia Start Culture-Swap: For 2014, Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the British Council have initiated an unprecedented program of cultural exchange, with exhibitions and programs from British institutions traveling east — including a Young British Artists show at the Ekaterina Foundation— while Russian culture takes a prominent place in Britain — including a Kazimir Malevich retrospective at Tate Modern. [FT]
– Satanists Demand Oklahoma Monument: A Satanic group is demanding that a seven-foot sculpture of Satan as a 16-horned goat on a throne be erected near the Oklahoma Capitol in Oklahoma City, which already features a statue of the Ten Commandments. [Hyperallergic, Courthouse News]
– Defeated Politician Claims Mural Cursed Her: New York City Council hopeful Gwen Goodwin is suing Melissa Mark-Viverito— the incumbent who defeated her in a September 2013 primary — because she claims that her opponent put a curse on her in the form of a giant mural of a decapitated bird on the exterior of her building, an art project that artist El Repuesto was commissioned to create by El Museo Del Barrio. [Courthouse News]
– Ginger Shulick Porcella has been appointed director of the San Diego Art Institute. [UTS San Diego]
– Artist Clinton de Menezes was murdered in South Africa after rescuing his wife, daughter, and friend from robbers. [Telegraph]
– Attendance at the Louvre in 2013 clocked in at 9.2 million, down from a record-breaking 9.7 million in 2012. [AFP]
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