Stolen marble head of Rome’s first emperor returns to Italy

Here is the latest Art News from Reuters.

Stolen marble head of Rome’s first emperor returns to Italy
ROME (Reuters) – A marble sculpture of the head of Rome’s first emperor was welcomed back to the Italian capital on Tuesday, some 40 years after it was stolen and trafficked out of the country.

‘Hamilton’ effect expected to swell TV audience for 2016 Tony Awards
NEW YORK, (Reuters) – The 2016 Tony Awards are generating more buzz than usual ahead of Sunday’s ceremony, with all eyes on musical juggernaut “Hamilton,” a pop culture phenomenon that is expected to take the lion’s share of honors at Broadway’s annual salute to itself.

Non-profit for late caricaturist Al Hirschfeld sues NY gallery
NEW YORK (Reuters) – A non-profit that exhibits art by the late theater and screen caricaturist Al Hirschfeld has filed a lawsuit against a New York gallery that has long sold his work, court records on Wednesday showed.

New Harry Potter play enchants fans in first preview
LONDON (Reuters) – Dressed in Hogwarts robes and waving wands, eager fans got a first glimpse of the next installment in the Harry Potter saga, giving a new London stage production glowing reviews.

Italy helping Bosnia’s museum become national restoration center
SARAJEVO (Reuters) – Italian experts are helping Bosnian colleagues preserve the collections of the Sarajevo National Museum, providing equipment and know-how to set up a center for restoration of cultural heritage in the ethnically divided country.

London art gallery showcases Calais migrant stories
LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – When British art curator Sue McAlpine first visited makeshift migrant camps in Calais on Frances’s northern coast, the sight of families living in muddy tents and children wearing flip-flops in the middle of winter saddened and horrified her.

Eisenberg makes ‘nerve-racking’ UK stage debut with ‘The Spoils’
LONDON (Reuters) – Oscar-nominated actor Jesse Eisenberg brings his self-penned play “The Spoils” to London audiences, making “a nerve-racking” stage debut in Britain which he regards as a theater mecca.

A day in the life of Picasso: artist’s same-day works up for sale
LONDON (Reuters) – Two still life works by Pablo Picasso painted on the same day are among offerings at an upcoming London auction that also features works by Amedeo Modigliani, Claude Monet, Wassily Kandinsky and Paul Klee.

Bosnia pays tribute to David Bowie with vast mural
SARAJEVO (Reuters) – A group of artists unveiled a huge mural of David Bowie in Sarajevo on Saturday to commemorate the British musician’s humanitarian work during the Bosnian war.

Florence fines Uffizi Gallery director for ticket tout warning
FLORENCE, Italy (Reuters) – The city of Florence has fined the head of the Uffizi Gallery for broadcasting publicity without authorisation after he aired a recording warning visitors not to buy entry to one of the world’s most famous art museums from ticket touts.

Constable painting seen fetching to $23.5 million at auction
LONDON, May 26 (Reuters) – British painter John Constable’s six-foot artwork “View on the Stour near Dedham,” will go under the hammer next month where it is expected to fetch around 12 million to 16 million pounds ($17.6 million – $23.5 million), Christie’s said on Thursday.

Winnie-the-Pooh turns 90, meets Britain’s queen in new book
LONDON (Reuters) – Winnie-the-Pooh turns 90 this year and the much-loved children’s character returns for a new adventure in which he meets someone else celebrating the same significant birthday — Britain’s Queen Elizabeth.

Filipino painters used dirty-water pigments to highlight pollution in Manila
MANILA (Reuters) – Polluted Manila river water has inspired a team of Filipino artists to paint watercolors using dirty water pigments to promote awareness of environmental degradation.

Pro-EU group unveils Soviet-style mural of Trump kissing ex-Mayor Johnson
LONDON (Reuters) – A giant mural of Donald Trump locked in a kiss with former London mayor Boris Johnson in the style of a legendary Soviet-era image has been unveiled by a group campaigning for Britain to stay in the European Union.

Auctioneer Christie’s fined for putting undocumented ivory on sale
LONDON (Reuters) – Auctioneer Christie’s has been fined 3,250 pounds ($4,750) for selling elephant ivory without the correct documentation, London police said on Tuesday.

Private collectors display their Banksy art in Rome
ROME (Reuters) – The mysterious British street artist known as Banksy has stenciled on surfaces from London to Gaza, but now a large collection of his work is going on display in a much more conventional setting – a museum in Rome.

New York art students mold clay into faces of city’s nameless
NEW YORK (Reuters) – When Amy Pekal signed up for the New York Academy of Art to hone her skills as a sculptor, she never thought she would end up assisting in a police investigation.

South Korean novelist Han wins Man Booker International Prize
SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korean author Han Kang won the Man Booker International Prize for fiction on Monday for her novel “The Vegetarian”, a dark, surreal story about a woman who gives up eating meat and seeks to become a tree.

The man who paints cows
EAST SUSSEX, UK – British painter John Marshall has spent the last decade restricting himself to just one subject: the humble cow. The paintings are big, around 2 meters and, Marshall claims, each bovine has its unique characteristics.

Museum shines rare spotlight on China’s Cultural Revolution
CHENGDU, China (Reuters) – Tucked away in southwestern China’s Sichuan province, a private collector stands virtually alone in exhibiting relics from the 1966-1976 Cultural Revolution.

Christie’s’ Impressionst and modern art sales fail to make bright splash
NEW YORK (Reuters) – The spring art sales ended with a bit of a whimper in New York on Thursday at Christie’s’ muted auction of Impressionist and modern art.

Sotheby’s rebounds with a steady sale of contemporary art
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Cheers of relief rang out on Wednesday as the hammer fell on the last lot of Sotheby’s contemporary and post-war art auction, which met expectations and helped dim the memory of its shaky Impressionist and modern art sale just 48 hours earlier.

Rembrandt painting found in New Jersey basement now in museum
NEW YORK (Reuters) – A painting languishing in a New Jersey basement that turned out to be one of Dutch master Rembrandt’s earliest works goes on display on Wednesday at the J. Paul Getty Museum in California as a key part of an exhibit on the 17th century artist.

Ukraine recovers 17 paintings stolen from Verona museum
KIEV (Reuters) – Ukraine has recovered 17 paintings, including works by Peter Paul Rubens and Tintoretto, stolen by armed robbers from the Castelvecchio museum in Verona last year, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said on Wednesday.