— Ryan Seacrest Joins LACMA Board: “American Idol” host Ryan Seacrest has been named as a new trustee of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, along with Ann Ziff, Nicole Avant, and Anne Emerich Palmer. According to LACMA, Seacrest collects postwar and contemporary art. [LAT]
— Hidden Picasso Painting Uncovered: Scientists using infrared imaging technology have revealed a hidden painting of a bow tie-clad man underneath Pablo Picasso’s early 1901 masterpiece “The Blue Room.” Official findings were revealed last week, but curators and conservators from the Phillips Collection, National Gallery of Art, Cornell University, and Delaware’s Winterthur Museum have been working for five years to unravel the mystery. Patricia Favero, the Phillips Collection conservator responsible for the best image of the hidden painting to date, said, “It’s really one of those moments that really makes what you do special.” She added, “The second reaction was, well, who is it? We’re still working on answering that question.” [Guardian]
— Bob & Roberta Smith Bring Art Party to Basel: The British artist known as Bob & Roberta Smith is staging an art party event in Basel to bring attention to art funding cuts in the UK. At the Volkshaus, the artist plans to hold informal discussions, “happenings,” and performances. “I’m as suspicious of the Labour Party as I am of the Conservative Party on some levels,” he said. “[But] I do think people ought to engage in politics.” [TAN]
— Israel and Germany Team Up to Find Nazi Loot: Art experts at museums in Israel and Germany will coordinate the formation of a joint database on art looted by the Nazis, following an agreement signed Sunday by both nations’ culture ministers. [Art Daily]
— Frida Kahlo’s First NY Solo Show in 25 Years: The New York Botanical Garden’s 2015 exhibition will focus on Frida Kahlo’s engagement with the natural environment of Mexico. It will be the first solo exhibition of the artist’s work in New York City in more than 25 years. [Press Release]
— Here’s Francis Bacon in Drag: An article in the Guardian revealed that a photograph by photographer John Deakin listed as “Unknown Woman, 1930s” was actually famous painter Francis Bacon in drag. [Guardian]
— “We’re really taking the dust off the place and making it an exciting destination for people.” Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum director Caroline Baumann gives the Times a sneak peak at the institution’s renovations. [NYT]
— A non-profit group in St. Petersburg, Florida is applying to build an arts and crafts museum in the city. [St. Petersburg Tribune]
— The Hood Museum of Art at Dartmouth has received a $10 million gift to build a museum learning center. [Artforum]
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