A woman holds up a paddle with the likeness of Leonardo da Vinci's "Salvator Mundi" at Christie's. (Photo credit should read TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images)
The auction house has refuted the opinion of the Oxford academic who claims Salvator Mundi wasn’t painted by Leonardo da Vinci but by an assistant, pointing to the “broad consensus” of scholarly opinion that says otherwise. Another Oxford scholar, the famed Leonardo expert Martin Kemp, promises a book he’s publishing in 2019 will present “a conclusive body of evidence that the Salvator Mundi is a masterpiece by Leonardo.” Meanwhile, the Russian oligarch who sold the painting has drawn scrutiny for non-art-historical reasons. (Antiques Trade Gazette)
Anti-Trump Pothole Removed by New York City – The Chicago-based artist Jim Bachor is known for beautifying potholes with flowery mosaics, but his newest series in New York is titled “Vermin of New York” and features mosaic depictions of rats, cockroaches, pigeons… and Donald Trump.
Where back home Bachor is celebrated for his work, New York’s Department of Transportation isn’t a fan, calling the art a danger to road users, and promising to pave over the works wherever it finds them.
Cheers,
Errol