Rijksmuseum’s director to leave for private museum
1 March
Wim Pijbes, the director of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, announced that he will leave his post after eight years to lead a private museum nearing completion on the Dutch coast. Pijbes oversaw the completion of the Rijksmuseum’s celebrated €375m renovation, which opened in 2013. He will start work in July at the Museum Voorlinden, which will show the collection of the industrialist Joop van Caldenborgh.
Report reveals global art market slump in 2015
9 March
The annual art market report for Tefaf produced by Clare McAndrew found that art market sales fell by 7% to $63.8bn in 2015. With sales in China falling particularly heavily, by 23% to $11.8bn, the UK resumed its second-place ranking. Bright spots included the US—the biggest geographical market—where sales grew by 4% during 2015, and online sales, estimated to have grown by 7% to $4.7bn.
Venus is an ‘authentic Cranach’, dealer says
11 March
Konrad Bernheimer, the owner of Colnaghi in London, told The Art Newspaper at the opening of Tefaf Maastricht that he is convinced that a painting of the goddess Venus, which his gallery sold to the Prince of Liechtenstein for €7m in 2013, is an authentic work by Cranach. “The painting is correct and we have no other comment,” he said. A week earlier, a Paris judge ordered its seizure from a show in Aix-en-Provence so that experts could examine it after doubts were raised over its authenticity.
Russia’s deputy culture minister arrested
15 March
The deputy culture minister of Russia, Grigory Pirumov, was detained for allegedly embezzling state funds allocated to the restoration of cultural heritage sites. Several culture ministry officials are also under investigation over the restoration of two convents in Moscow, one of which is a Unesco World Heritage site.
Thirteen detained over Italian Old Master thefts
15 March
Italian police arrested 13 people linked to the theft of Old Master paintings worth €15m from the Museo di Castelvecchio in Verona. Last November, three armed men stole 17 works, including canvases by Rubens and Tintoretto, using a security guard’s car as a getaway vehicle. The paintings have not been found.
Officials seize objects from Asia Week dealers
17 March
Federal officials in New York seized seven works of art that were due to go on view during Asia Week in New York. Two sandstone sculptures linked to the disgraced dealer Subhash Kapoor were taken from Christie’s, a Bodhisattva head was seized en route to an unidentified auction house and an eighth-century Afghan sculpture was taken from the Milan-based dealer Leonardo Vigorelli, who was showing it at an Upper East Side gallery. Three items valued at $1m were taken from the Nancy Wiener gallery.
Chinese cave reopens to public after 60 years
18 March
The Longmen Grottoes, a Unesco World Heritage Site of ancient Buddhist art in China’s Henan Province, opened its Kanjing Temple to the public for the first time in almost 63 years. Kanjing is believed to have been carved as a shrine to Wu Zetian, China’s sole empress. The Longmen Grottoes Institute announced that environmental monitoring equipment would be upgraded.
France rejects call to return Joan of Arc’s ring
20 March
Puy du Fou, a historical theme park in France, has rejected a request from the British government for the return of a ring that once belonged to Joan of Arc. The ring was bought by Puy du Fou for nearly £300,000 at the London/Harwich-based TimeLine Auctions in February and was then taken to France without an export licence.
UK culture minister aims to widen access to arts
23 March
Ed Vaizey, the UK’s culture minister, published his White Paper on government policy. Widening access to the arts is a key element of his proposals. Vaizey is also setting up separate reviews of regional and national museums, Arts Council England and the Heritage Lottery Fund. Meanwhile, the £30m Cultural Protection Fund for heritage in global conflict zones will be launched this spring, with the first grants to be awarded later this year.