ViaA lot went down this week in the weird and wild world of Art. Some things were more scandalous than others, some were just plain wacky—but all of them are worth knowing about. Without further ado: + Shia LaBeouf slapped a student during his latest LaBeouf, Rönkkö & Turner project, #ELEVATE in which he spent 24-hours inside an elevator at Oxford University. The student apparently invited the violence, telling LaBeouf, "I'm a performance artist. Can you help me with completion of my next piece by punching me in the face?" [Komo News]
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+ Just under one billion dollars worth of liquid methamphetamine, smuggled inside art supplies and gel bra inserts, was found by Australian authorities on Monday. [USA Today]+ Under criticism for censorship, Russia has canceled the visual arts category for their most prestigious art prize, the Innovatsiya Prize, after officials removed dissident performance artist Pyotr Pavlensky from the category’s shortlist of nominees. [Smithsonian Magazine]
Via+ People hate The Met’s new logo. [The Wall Street Journal]+ The house from the cult classic The Big Lebowski is now a part of LACMA. [The Creators Project]+ George Lucas’ controversial museum is considering other cities after continued legal troubles in Chicago. [Chicago Tribune]+ The Melbourne art fair was canceled after three major galleries withdrew from the event. [The Guardian]+ Last year, a Lucio Fontana sculpture was damaged en route from Paris to the New York Armory Show. Now, American Airlines and seven art handling companies are being held culpable under a federal complaint. [The Art Newspaper]
Via+ The arts initiative that gifted St. Louis its colorful crosswalks is being put to an end by a new, city-wide ban on crosswalk art. [Artnet]+ The trial is over, but the drama continues: Jesus Angel Bergantinos Diaz, who allegedly took part in the Knoedler & Company forgery ring, may be extradited from his home country of Spain to the U.S. to face charges. [AP]
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+ Using a technology called X-ray fluorescence spectrometry, conservators have revealed subtle colors and shading in two of van Gogh’s later paintings. [Discovery News]
Via+ Censors at Facebook removed Evelyne Axell’s painting Ice Cream—a portrait of a woman enjoying said desert—from the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s page for being overly suggestive. Now, the image is back online and the museum has taken the incident as a chance to spark a discussion about the polemical depiction of women in Pop art. [Observer]+ A new lawsuit claims that Larry Gagosian’s violation of safety regulations resulted in the death of an iron worker last year while he worked on renovations at Gagosian’s house. [New York Daily News] + An amendment to retract government funding from any arts organization “not loyal to the state” of Israel has been proposed by the country’s minister of culture and sport Miri Regev. [Artsy]+ Ken Griffin forked over $500 million for two pieces last week, one Jackson Pollock and one Willem de Kooning, in one of the largest private art deals ever made. [Bloomberg]+ Elizabeth Peyton is being accused of copyright infringement for her 1994 work, John Lydon, Destroyed by the photographer who originally shot the image of the Sex Pistols' lead singer back in 1977. [Artlyst]
Via+ An influx of Chinese bidders seems to be buying art in order to move large sums of money across the country's borders. [Art Market Monitor]
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+ Italy and UNESCO are joining forces to protect ancient artifacts and archeological sites from cultural terrorism. [The Guardian]+ The release of The Life of Pablo prompts a comparison between the lives of Pablo Picasso and Kanye West. [The New York Times]
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Via+ The arts initiative that gifted St. Louis its colorful crosswalks is being put to an end by a new, city-wide ban on crosswalk art. [Artnet]+ The trial is over, but the drama continues: Jesus Angel Bergantinos Diaz, who allegedly took part in the Knoedler & Company forgery ring, may be extradited from his home country of Spain to the U.S. to face charges. [AP]+ Using a technology called X-ray fluorescence spectrometry, conservators have revealed subtle colors and shading in two of van Gogh’s later paintings. [Discovery News]
Via+ An influx of Chinese bidders seems to be buying art in order to move large sums of money across the country's borders. [Art Market Monitor]+ Italy and UNESCO are joining forces to protect ancient artifacts and archeological sites from cultural terrorism. [The Guardian]+ The release of The Life of Pablo prompts a comparison between the lives of Pablo Picasso and Kanye West. [The New York Times]
Via+ A 20-foot statue by the Scottish artist Sophie Ryder had to be relocated less than a week after its installation because multiple people walked right into it while texting, bumped their heads, and complained. [The Telegraph]Did we miss any pressing art world stories? Let us know in the comments below!Related:Valentine's Day Hangover? Try Hoverboard Porn: Last Week in ArtRainbow Bagels and Death-By-Selfie Statistics: Last Week in ArtAi Weiwei's Refugee Moment: Last Week in ArtDavid Bowery Lives!: Last Week in ArtGoodnight, Sweet Prince: Last Week in ArtSelfie Monkey Gets His Day in Court: Last Week in Art Nicolas Cage's T-Rex Skull Is Stolen Property: Last Week in ArtScience Gives Jesus a New Face: Last Week in Art
