A Massachusetts man whose wife was declared missing on January 4th is now under heightened scrutiny for selling fake Andy Warhol paintings on eBay. In 2016, Brian Walshe sold two paintings he claimed were Warhols to Revolver Gallery in Los Angeles for $80,000. After Revolver noticed the paintings were missing authentication stamps, the FBI concluded that Walshe had stolen two authentic Warhol paintings from his friend in South Korea, copied them, and given fakes to Revolver Gallery.
Sotheby’s finds itself in hot water again as a New Zealand Maori tribe request the return of two artifacts that are up for auction this week. The carved greenstone club was originally given to a British vice-admiral by a Maori chief in 1886, who requested the artifact stay in the admiral’s family—not go to auction.
Belgium’s Royal Museums of Fine Arts Director Michel Draguet is accused of making sexist and homophobic remarks against his staff. Draguet denies the allegations, which came to light in an open letter penned by RMFA employees in December.
Four artists nominated for the 23rd Marcel Duchamp art prize have been announced: they are Bertille Bak (born in 1983 in Arras), Bouchra Khalili (born in 1975 in Casablanca), Tarik Kiswanson (born in 1986 in Halmstad, Sweden), and Massinissa Selmani (b. born in 1980 in Algeria).
A monument titled “Embrace” dedicated to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his wife Coretta Scott King was unveiled in Boston. Designed by American artist Hank Willis Thomas, the monument memorializes a public hug between the Kings after the activist won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. However, people on Twitter interpreted the sculpture’s design in a different, very unintended way, with some saying that it resembles someone grabbing a thigh.