Galerie’s Weekly Art and Design Industry News Brief

Here are this week’s must-read news stories in the fields of art and design.

1. Amsterdam removes “I amsterdam” sign after it becomes a tourist destination

The “I amsterdam” letters have been removed from outside the Rijksmuseum in the Dutch capital, after they were accused of promoting mass tourism. The popular red and white letters were taken down by Dutch authorities on December 3.

2. Knight Foundation gives $37  million to Miami Arts Organizations

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation will distribute $37 million in grants to 22 Miami-based arts organizations, including Pérez Art Museum Miami, Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami, Bass Museum, and Locust Projects.

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3. Brooklyn is slated to erect two statues in honor of Shirley Chisholm

Mayor Bill de Blasio’s office and New York City Council Member Robert E. Cornegy, Jr., (D-36) have announced separate efforts to erect public artworks in Brooklyn memorializing the legacy of Chisholm, the first black woman elected to Congress.

Victorious Youth; Unknown; Greece; 300–100 B.C. Photo: The J. Paul Getty Museum

4. The Getty Museum has been ordered to return its prized bronze by Italy’s supreme court

Italy’s highest court has ruled that one of the J. Paul Getty Museum’s most prized antiquities—the 2,000-plus-year-old Greek artwork known as “Statue of a Victorious Youth,” or the Getty bronze—should be repatriated back to Italy. The museum plans to challenge the decision.

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5. Anish Kapoor declares ‘victory’ over National Rifle Association in copyright feud

The British artist Anish Kapoor released a statement on Thursday declaring “victory over the NRA,” in reference to his months-long battle with the National Rifle Association over the organization’s unauthorized use of an image of his bean-shaped reflective sculpture Cloud Gate (2006) in Chicago’s Millennium Park.