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The Headlines
HUMAN REMAINS. A new report has found that the University of Tasmania’s RA Rodda Museum kept, and in some cases displayed, 177 human remains without the knowledge of the families, reports the Australian Associated Press. From 1966 to 1991, the remains of coronial autopsies were collected for teaching and research purposes without the consent of the coroner or families involved, according to a final report published last week. In the wake of these findings, the University of Tasmania apologized and met with families. It also removed the remains from public display in 2018, following an initial probe launched due to concerns raised by a curator in 2016. “The belated discovery that human remains were removed from autopsy and not returned to the body has been a source of pain for many families,” said coroner Simon Cooper.
Related Articles
KLIMT FLEX. Leonard Lauder, the art patron who died in June at age 92, amassed a collection of early 20th-century German and Austrian art in addition to his better-known Cubist art collection, which he donated to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. We’ve now learned that, among other treasures, his trove includes a Gustav Klimt painting titled Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer (1914) worth well over $100 million, and expected to be the top of the lot this coming auction season at one of two vying auction houses, Sotheby’s or Christie’s. Could the painting’s sale “break the art market malaise?” asks Artnet News’s Katya Kazakina.
The Digest
Spain’s minister of culture, Ernest Urtasun, stated today on public radio that Israel should not participate in the next Eurovision song contest, and if it does, Spain should boycott the event. Urtasun added that other countries, such as Ireland have taken similar positions. [Le Monde]
Archaeologists in Egypt have unearthed a rare, complete stone hieroglyphic copy of the famous Decree of Canopus, originally issued by King Ptolemy III in 283 BC in Tell al-Faraun, Sharqiya. The Decree of Canopus is a trilingual record of a major meeting of priests held in Canopus, Egypt, honoring Pharaoh Ptolemy III, his wife Berenice, and their daughter. [Art Dependence]
Tiffany & Co is partnering with Frieze London for the fair’s Artist-to-Artist program, which features emerging artist solo presentations at the fair, nominated by their more established peers. From October 15 to 19, the Artist-to-Artist initiative will display six artist presentations, including displays by Ilana Harris-Babou, selected by Camille Henrot; Katherine Hubbard, selected by Nicole Eisenman; René Treviño, selected by Amy Sherald; Neal Tait, selected by Chris Ofili; T. Venkanna, selected by Bharti Kher, and Ana Segovia, selected by Abraham Cruzvillegas. [press release]
The Singapore Biennale has announced the over 80 regional and international artists participating in its forthcoming edition titled “Pure Intention,” held October 31 to March 29, 2026. The exhibit organized by the Singapore Art Museum (SAM) and commissioned by Singapore’s National Arts Council, will include work by Apichatpong Weerasethakul and Guo-Liang Tan, Emily Floyd, Tuan Andrew Nguyen, and Pierre Huyghe. [ArtAsiaPacific]
Cultural workers in Tel Aviv continue to protest against the ongoing war in Gaza, and last week occupied the city’s “hostage square,” near the Tel Aviv Museum of Art. As part of their action, a group of musicians played a single note intended to mimic the sound of drones above Gaza, while others sang a single high note in a tribute to the Palestinian musician Ahmed Muin Abu Amsha. [The Art Newspaper]
Experts are concerned that Los Angeles is falling behind on planning and fundraising for the “Cultural Olympiad” arts programming that is supposed to be part of the 2028 Olympic Games. “Things should be further along,” said Laura Zucker, who served as executive director of the Los Angeles Arts Commission. [The New York Times]
The Kicker
SHARED HISTORY. The descendants of slaves and their owners at a Maryland plantation are working together with archaeologists and volunteers to sift through historic remains on the 300-year-old Sotterley Plantation, reports the Washington Post. The plantation is located near one of the old ports on the Atlantic coast where slaves first landed on the Middle Passage. As a result, the site was designated a National Historic Landmark, and it is also listed by the Unesco Site of Memory for the Routes of Enslaved Peoples. “This is a shared experience,” said Gwen Bankins, 61, whose great-great-grandfather, Hilry Kane, was sold as a slave to the plantation owners for $600. Bankins spoke alongside John Briscoe Jr., 64, whose great-great-grandfather owned the Sotterley plantation and the slaves who lived on it. “We are both here because our ancestors survived. We have to learn it and share it,” added Bankins. “It was a site of American history, of resilience and pain.”
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