A bidding war between reality-star Kim Kardashian and retired American football player Tom Brady broke out at a charity auction over a $2 million (£1.6 million) painting by George Condo. The high-stakes auction and celebrity blackjack tournament raised a total of $24 million (£19.8 million) for Reform Alliance, an organisation that advocates for criminal-justice reform in the US.
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A bronze statue of the Buddha, valued at $1.5 million (£1.24 million), has been stolen from the Barakat Gallery in Los Angeles. Authorities believe the heist was pulled off by a single thief, who managed to transport the 250-pound sculpture through the gallery’s garden before escaping.
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The Metropolitan Museum in New York has announced that the ownership of two objects in their collection is being transferred to the Republic of Yemen. In what has been described as a “custodial agreement”, the objects will remain on loan to the Met, given the civil war in Yemen.
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US authorities have returned seven artworks by Austrian Expressionist Egon Schiele (1890-1918) to the heirs of Fritz Grünbaum (1880-1941), a Jewish cabaret performer and art collector who was murdered by the Nazis. Seized from collections throughout the US, the works are collectively valued at nearly $10 million (£8.2 million).
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UNESCO has reiterated its request for the UK government “not to proceed” with a controversial redevelopment of Stonhenge in Wiltshire. The recently approved scheme will build a dual-carriageway tunnel close to the prehistoric monument, which was constructed between 3000 BC and 2000 BC.
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The much-anticipated sale of the collection of the lead vocalist and pianist of Queen, Freddie Mercury, had a hugely exciting first night, with the ‘white-glove’ sale bringing in a total of £12.2 million against a presale estimate of £4.8-7.2 million. The collection comes from Mercury’s Kensington home, Garden Lodge, which he left to his ex-partner and long-term friend Mary Austin after his death in 1991. Over the next few days, there will be a total of 6 sales of Mercury’s personal effects.
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A painting by the celebrated Dutch artist Vincent Van Gogh, which was stolen in 2020 from the Singer Laren Museum in Amsterdam, was returned last week in an Ikea bag. Art detective Arthur Brand – dubbed the “Indiana Jones of the art world” – played an instrumental role in its return.
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It has been nearly four years since an 18-carat gold toilet worth nearly £5 million was stolen in an early morning heist at Blenheim Palace. While hopes of recovering the toilet are small with many believing it has likely been melted down, Thames Valley police have just announced that they have made a major breakthrough in bringing the culprits to justice.
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Painted in 1821, The Hay Wain is not only widely regarded as John Constable’s (1776-1837) finest work but one of the most famous paintings in English history. Now, a long-lost oil sketch by Constable of the rural scene has been discovered in a private collection in Guernsey and could fetch up to £120,000 at auction.
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Archaeologists at the pre-Hispanic site of Palenque in the southern Mexican city have discovered a 1,100 year old Maya nose ornament made of human bone. This is the first nose ornament of its kind that archaeologists have found in Palenque.
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