On 23 March, Europe’s first NFT advisory service and physical gallery – Quantus Gallery – will open its doors to the public. The gallery, which will display its collection for sale on Samsung TV screens, aims to guide collectors through the tricky process of identifying good investments in the NFT art world.
Continue readingLooking “history straight in the eye”: Belgium takes significant step in the restitution of Congolese objects
Last week, Belgium handed over a list of 84,000 artifacts of Congolese origin to the Democratic Republic of Congo, the first step in the process of restitution of objects from the colonial period. The items are held in the AfricaMuseum in Tervuren, an institution with one of the largest collections of African objects in the world which was established at the end of the nineteenth century.
Continue readingLondon archaeologists floored by largest Roman mosaic found in 50 years
Archaeologists from the Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA) have unearthed the largest Roman mosaic to be found in the city in more than half a century. The discovery was made around a month ago on the building site for a new development in Southwark, just in view of the iconic Shard.
Continue readingSpanish police track down lost tapestry stolen 42 years ago
In the early hours of 7 November 1980, the notorious art thief ‘Erik the Belgian’ stole six Flemish tapestries from a church in northern Spain. Whilst most were recovered later by Interpol, a fragment of one of the tapestries was feared lost until recently.
Continue reading‘Eternalizing Art History’: NFTs of six Italian masterpieces exhibited in London
Last week, Unit Gallery in London opened a pioneering new exhibition titled ‘Eternalizing Art History: From Da Vinci to Modigliani’, featuring six NFTs from major Italian museums. The objects exhibited are authorized digital copies shown on screens and mounted in handmade replicas of the original frames. The buyer of the works receives both the physical components (the screen, a built-in drive that generates the image, the replica frame and a certificate of authenticity) as well as the digital elements (the NFT and a unique login to the app).
Continue readingLove is in the metaverse! Gustav Klimt’s ‘The Kiss’ digitised as NFTs
On Valentine’s Day, Gustav Klimt’s (1862-1918) world-famous ‘The Kiss’ joined the metaverse – a network of 3D virtual worlds. Österreichische Galerie Belvedere in Vienna celebrated the day of love by giving art fans the chance to own a non-fungible token (NFT) of the romantic painting.
Continue readingLovis Corinth still life restituted to its rightful owners after 80 years
A handover ceremony took place last week in an exhibition room dedicated to works of art with uncertain provenance which had been given to the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium in 1951.
Continue readingWorld-wide hunt for lost Veronese painting travels to Scotland’s Peterhead
Australian experts and Scottish authorities have launched an international hunt for a long-lost Renaissance masterpiece, which could be worth up to £13 million. The oil painting was last recorded in an Aberdeenshire town more than 100 years ago, but at the time nobody was truly aware of its importance.
Continue readingPicasso family feud over NFTs
The last few weeks have witnessed a series of mixed messages emanating from the family of Pablo Picasso, following the initial announcement by his granddaughter Marina and great-grandson Florian that 1,010 NFTs of a never-before-seen ceramic bowl would be released.
Continue readingRoyal mail launches new digitally barcoded stamp
Royal Mail takes a major step into the digital world with a barcoded video of Shaun the Sheep. Established in 1516, the United Kingdom’s postal service has added barcodes to stamps that let people send videos and virtual messages through the post.
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