The Headlines
RECKONING WITH RESTITUTION. French senators adopted a long-awaited bill to facilitate the restitution of art looted during the colonial era, reports the Agence France-Presse. If passed by the National Assembly, the lower house of French Parliament, the legislation will move closer to fulfilling a promise made in Burkina Faso by Emmanuel Macron in 2017 to return African cultural heritage to the continent. “The idea is not to empty French museums, but to achieve authenticity in France’s response, without denial or repentance, but in recognition of our history,” said French senator Catherine Morin-Desailly. Meanwhile, the Swiss government has appointed its former president, Simonetta Sommaruga, to head a new, independent panel dedicated to examining claims related to artworks looted during the Nazi era and the colonial period, reports the Art Newspaper. “After more than 25 years of debate and delay, we have moved beyond words and into action,” said Andrea Raschèr, a consultant who was formerly in the department of legal and international affairs at the Swiss culture ministry.
LIVING WITH FRIDA. A set of luxury condos branded with Frida Kahlo’s name have hit the market in Miami, though the project itself hasn’t broken ground yet, writes George Nelson for ARTnews. Renderings of the Frida Kahlo Wynwood Residences depict a giant image of the artist on one side of the 14-story tower designed by Carlos Ott , while a second, eight-story tower is also expected on the site. The project, due to be completed in 2028, has the blessing of the Frida Kahlo Corporation, founded by members of the artist’s family and Venezuelan businessman Carlos Dorado. According to Mansion Global, the firm will also oversee a curated art collection on the property. “Frida Kahlo was never meant to live only on walls; she was meant to be lived,” said Bea Alvarado, chief operating officer of the Frida Kahlo Corporation, speaking to the Art Newspaper.
The Digest
Esther Bell is the new director of the Clark Art Institute, in Williamstown, Massachusetts, making her the first woman to lead the jewel-box museum in its 70-year history. She is currently the museum’s deputy director and chief curator. [The Berkshire Edge]
Who deserves the rights to the remains of shipwrecks? A recent discovery of 17th- and 18th-century Spanish treasure worth some $1 million, off the coast of Florida, by a private, for-profit salvage company legally entitled to 80 percent of their findings, has renewed the debate. [The Art Newspaper]
Lahore-born, London-based artist Faiza Butt will represent Pakistan at the forthcoming Venice Biennale. The subject of her exhibition, curated by Beatriz Cifuentes Feliciano, is the Punjab region, which was split during the 1947 Partition of India. [ArtAsiaPacific]
Houston’s FotoFest Biennial has announced its artist commissions for its 2026 exhibition. Visitors can look forward to new work by Lola Flash, as well as local artists Shavon Aja Morris and André Ramos-Woodard, whose work will be presented at Project Row Houses. [Glasstire]
The Kicker
THE LIFE OF THE PARTY. Though New York’s streets remain treacherous, with corners piled about a foot high with snow after a storm last weekend, few seemed to worry about slipping on the way tothis week’s Art Party held by New York’s Whitney Museum. The New York Times visited the festivities and reports that among the attendees was none other than Rama Duwaji, the First Lady of New York City. She’s pictured here chatting with Scott Rothkopf, the museum’s director; one wonders if they discussed “Sixties Surreal,” the museum’s recent blockbuster about oddball art of the 1960s. Also in attendance was Martha Stewart and the Dare.
