1800s

“One of Van Gogh’s Last Paintings Unveiled”

by Mary Alice Parks via “ABC News“

“A spectacularly vibrant Vincent van Gogh painting was unveiled today at the National Gallery of Art in Washington after going private nearly 50 years ago.

The work, “Green Wheat Fields, Auvers,” is particularly exciting for art historians because the famous Dutch painter completed it just weeks before he died in France in 1890 at age . . . .”

I actually adore this painting; the blues and greens combined into an excellent group of harmonious colors. And I’m amazed at the way the change in style from small raked lines in the grass to larger swirls in the sky is an excellent contrast. This is probably one of my favorites of Van Gogh’s works.

New Caledonia Returns Solomon Islands Red Feather Money

“New Caledonia Returns Solomon Islands Red Feather Money”

via “Island Business“

“The Museum of New Caledonia (MNC) and Solomon Islands National Museum (SINM) are participating in a cultural exchange – the return of the traditional red feather money (te vau). Red feather money is considered a national treasure by the people of the Solomon Islands. . . . “

Tug-of-War Erupts Over Planned Return of Jewish Archives to Iraq

“Tug-of-War Erupts Over Planned Return of Jewish Archives to Iraq”

by **Sylvia Westall and Jonathan Saul via “Reuters“**

“Jewish books and documents found by U.S. soldiers in the flooded headquarters of ousted Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein and sent to the United States for restoration have touched off a dispute between Baghdad and Iraqi Jews who fled the country.

After a $3 million restoration, the collection has been put on display at the Washington-based National Archives. But bowing to demands from Iraq’s . . . “

“Popular, New Museum of Art Exhibition Now Open to the Public”

Via “BYU“

“The Brigham Young University Museum of Art is expecting record attendance for its newest exhibition, Sacred Gifts: The Religious Art of Carl Bloch, Heinrich Hofmann and Frans Schwartz. The museum now houses nearly two dozen paintings of Christ from these master painters, secured from museums and donors in New York City, Denmark, Germany and Sweden. Some of the paintings are displayed outside of their home locations for the very first, and possibly last, time.” Read More.

Lost Art Internet Database

With the seemingly constant discovery of new artwork looted by the Nazis and lost to time, it is important for the original owners to keep their eyes out for their pieces. As such, the German government, via the Koordinierungsstelle Magdeburg – Germany’s main office for recording lost/stolen cultural resources, has just set up a new website to record these losses. (And can I just say I love a language that has 20 letters in a word). The Lost Art Internet Database was set up to carefully record/photograph/register all the pieces of cultural property that were looted during WWII.

The are two parts to the database: the “Search Requests” and the “Found-Objects Report.” The Search Requests is a place where “public institutions or private individuals or institutions” who lost their cultural property because of the “National Socialist rule” or WWII can post a search request on the website. The website will publish this as a world-wide request that people keep an eye out for your property. The Found-Objects Report is where cultural art/artifacts are listed when it is verified (or where the lack of knowledge about their history suggests) that they are stolen property. You can go here and skim through the lists to see if your art/cultural piece is on the list.

Apparently the website was so popular, it’s actually crashed a couple of times due to the vast numbers trying to get on. (1) Do you remember the cultural pieces discovered in Munich recently? Well that’s what triggered the new interest in the site, as the government is posting photos and details of the works in hopes that people who recognize and claim them. As of the 11th, 25 paintings were listed, and as many as 590 more could be added from that collection over time. Apparently the US State Department (why them, I’m not sure) is urging Germany to “publish the list of works, eliminate the country’s 30-year statute of limitations on stolen art and establish a formal claims process for victims to recover their works.” (2) At least the first part is done; now we’ll see what happens to the second half of that request. Germany has said that it will arrange a task force with “at least six researchers specializing in [sic] tracing the ownership of artworks.” (3) Hopefully, careful organization will ensure that these works find their way into the right hands.

Theodore Rousseau’s “Vue de la Vallee de la Seine” (Undated)

Henri Matisse’s “Sitting Woman/Woman Sitting in a Chair” (1924)

Max Liebermann’s “Two Riders on a Beach” (1901)

Erich Fraass’ “Mother and Child” (1922)

Otto Dix’s “Dame in der Loge” (1922)

Hans Christoph’s “Couple” (1924)

Please note that it seems that the website has undergone quite a bit of change recently. A lot of stuff that used to be there isn’t anymore (they might be re-adding it over time). If you are interested, you can plug in the URL to the WayBack Machine” and find earlier versions of the site. Note-worthy is the lack of “Publications” on the new site, as well as a more complex layout. Luckily, there’s been an English version of the site for a while! So if you are interested in more than the recent publication of the Munich items, then the older version might be worth checking out.