Good Morning!
- Artist Henry Guimond, from Sagkeeng First Nation, designed a patch worn by Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen on the Artemis II mission to the Moon.
- The Uffizi Galleries were the target of a cyberattack in February, but deny reports of damage.
- New Louvre leader ousts painting department director Sébatien Allard.
The Headlines
SHOOTING ART STAR. Artists often dream of having their work shown in prestigious institutions, but what about in outer space? Anishinaabe artist Henry Guimond from Sagkeeng First Nation knows a bit about what that’s like. The Manitoba-based artist designed a patch to be worn by Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen , while he makes his way to the far side of the Moon with fellow NASA astronauts on the Artemis II mission, reports CBC News . Guimond’s painting for the patch depicts seven symbolic animals and the Seven Sacred Laws that link humans with the Earth, according to Anishinaabe custom. “It’s good for everyone to learn those teachings, the seven laws for all humanity, not just for Indigenous people, but for all people,” Guimond said earlier this week. As for his artwork blasting beyond the Earth’s orbit, “It’s out of this world,” he said.
HACKED BUT NOT RANSACKED. Florence’s Uffizi Galleries announced today they were targeted in a cyberattack on Feb. 1, but no data was stolen, reports Reuters . In a statement, the institution denied that any sensitive information had been lost, such as security maps, in response to a Corriere della Sera report that had claimed the Uffizi’s servers had been emptied by hackers. The museum only confirmed that the cyberattack had resulted in needing more time to restore backups. Additionally, the Uffizi said it had accelerated a security upgrade following the October Louvre jewelry heist, which included replacing surveillance cameras. “The cameras had been in the process of being replaced for a year. The situation was not at all like the Louvre’s. The Galleries did have cameras, but they were analogue and are now digital,” said the statement.
The Digest
Sébastien Allard, director of the Louvre’s painting department, who was known to be close to former Louvre president Laurence des Cars, is stepping down from his post, in a sign of changes under the museum’s new leader, Christophe Leribault. [ Le Quotidien de l’Art]
A Vincent van Gogh painting that was stolen in 2020 from a Dutch museum and then miraculously returned in an Ikea bag has gone back on view following its restoration, which revealed previously unknown overpainting. [Artnet News and RTV Noord]
Yesterday, a Moscow court sentenced German artist Jacques Trilly in absentia to eight and a half years in prison for mocking President Vladimir Putin with his Düsseldorf carnival displays. [Associated Press]
The UCCA Center for Contemporary Art is launching a new outpost titled UCCA OneM in Guangzhou, China, to foster exchanges with Hong Kong and the surrounding region, due to open by 2027. [ArtAsiaPacific]
Celebrities, led by Mark Ruffalo, are joining a fight to save the landmark, 1890-built West Park Presbyterian Church in Manhattan from demolition. [The Art Newspaper]
The Kicker
IN MEMORIAM. Josefina Aguilar Alcantara, a Mexican artist who made clay figurines depicting village life and continued her folk-art practice even after losing her eyesight, died Feb. 13 in Oaxaca City, Mexico, reports the New York Times . She was 80 years old. Her whimsical works, from red-clay-sculpted butchers selling tripe, prostitutes, and Nativity scenes, have been exhibited in museums, the subject of a children’s book, and championed by collector Nelson A. Rockefeller. She also taught an “extended family of artisans,” and was known as a local pioneer. “What was amazing about Josefina’s pieces is that they weren’t cute— they were really strong, independent pieces of folk art that your eye never got tired of,” said Hank Lee, owner of San Angel Folk Art gallery, San Antonio. “They were so full of personality.”
