ST. LOUIS (REUTERS).- A fight between the U.S. government and the St. Louis Art Museum over a death mask from ancient Egypt intensified on Wednesday as the government formally demanded the museum hand over the disputed object. The 3,200-year-old mask o…
Bejeweled Indian "Pearl Canopy of Baroda" to Be Auctioned at Sotheby’s in New York
NEW YORK (REUTERS).- A stunning, rarely seen bejeweled, nearly 150-year-old canopy from India is expected to sell for as much as $5 million when it is auctioned next month, according to Sotheby’s. The Pearl Canopy of Baroda will go under the hammer on …
Graphic Novelists Shake Up World of Indian Comics
By: Atish Patel
NEW DELHI (REUTERS).- Characters from centuries-old myths and folktales have adorned the covers of children’s comic books in India for decades, but a new wave of graphic novelists has emerged to shake up the art form. Their quest for ul…
Iran Auctions Leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s Peugeot for $2.5 Million in Charity Auction
TEHRAN (REUTERS).- A 1977 Peugeot sedan belonging to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was sold for $2.5 million on Tuesday in a charity auction, Iranian media reported. Ahmadinejad announced last year he would put up the vehicle for auction and do…
Libya’s Roman Sites Unscathed During the Popular Unrest Against Leader Muammar Gaddafi
RABAT (REUTERS).- Libyans appear determined to safeguard their rich cultural heritage during the popular unrest against leader Muammar Gaddafi, protecting it from the looting seen in neighboring Egypt’s revolution just weeks ago. Conquered by most of t…
People Flock to See Lost Letter from Martha Washington at History Museum in Concordia
KANSAS CITY (REUTERS).- Nearly 209 years after her death Martha Washington, the wife of the first U.S. president, is all the talk in Concordia, Kansas. People are flocking to a history museum in Concordia to see an apparently authentic Washington-writt…
Blind Sculptor Recreates Untouchable Masterpiece
By Barbara Cornell
SALA BOLOGNESE, ITALY (REUTERS).- When blind sculptor Felice Tagliaferri was forbidden to touch one of Italy’s most famous statues, he decided revenge was best served not just cold but stone cold. Tagliaferri, 41, spent much of two y…
Irish Artist Jim Fitzpatrick Bids to Copyright Revolutionary Che Guevara Image
DUBLIN (REUTERS).- The Irish artist whose poster of Latin American revolutionary Che Guevara became one of the most reproduced images of the 20th century, said he has decided to copyright the image to block “crass commercial” use. Jim Fitzpatrick produ…
Street Artist Banksy’s Graffiti Lands in Los Angeles Ahead of Oscars Ceremony
LOS ANGELES (REUTERS).- Street artist Banksy’s first film “Exit Through the Gift Shop” is up for an Oscar — and it seems the subversive Briton may be waging an unorthodox awards campaign on the walls and billboards of Los Angeles. Several examples of …
Egyptian Antiquities Authorities Say They Found Fourth Stolen Pharaonic Treasure
CAIRO (REUTERS).- Egyptian antiquities authorities have recovered a statue of the renegade Pharaoh Akhenaten that was stolen along with eight other items during protests that brought down President Hosni Mubarak. Minister of State for Antiquities Zahi …