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Achilles, the Hermitage Museum’s psychic cat, in all his glory.
COURTESY HERMITAGE MUSEUM
Animals
We are pleased to report that there is breaking news from Russia, and it has nothing to do with collusion: The Hermitage Museum has a deaf white cat named Achilles. He is predicting the outcome of the World Cup this year, thanks to his remarkable “capabilities for choice, analysis, and unusual behavior,” according to the museum. [Artnet News]
There’s a sculpture of three giant rhinos stacked on top of one another in New York’s Astor Place right now, and it’s not being well-received. Jerry Saltz has called it a “kitschy monstrosity.” [Vulture]
Museums
Could there be some connection among the recent resignations, firings, and dismissals of high-ranking museum officials like Olga Viso, María Inés Rodríguez, Laura Raicovich, and Helen Molesworth? There is a trend, Priscilla Frank notes: they’re all women, and institutionalized misogyny may, according to her, have been involved in each case. [HuffPo]
In solidarity with Molesworth, Raicovich, and Rodríguez’s departures, 4Columns has decided not to publish any of its normally scheduled reviews today. [4Columns]
Holland Cotter writes on the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Thomas Cole exhibition, which he calls “gorgeous, politically right for right now, and a lesson in the mutability of art history.” [The New York Times]
Losses
Here’s the peculiar story of how the sale of Quenchers Saloon, a beloved bar in Chicago, will result in the sale of works by the songwriter and artist Wesley Willis. “They should be someplace where people can see them,” the bar’s owner said. [Chicago Reader]
Crime?
The Israeli dealer Itzhak Zarug and his business partner Moez Ben Hazaz have been convicted of selling forged works by Russian avant-garde artists. In a statement, Zarug called the conviction a “witch hunt.” [The Art Newspaper]
National Geographic reports on the “biggest fake Native American art conspiracy,” which involves a network of people creating and peddling faux craft objects that extends far beyond North America. [National Geographic]
A French court has dismissed a case involving the censorship of Gustave Courbet’s NSFW painting L’Origine du monde on Facebook. According to the ruling, there wasn’t enough evidence to support the case that one teacher’s account was deactivated because they posted an image of the work. [France 24/AFP]
Film
The hip film distribution company A24 has acquired Rashid Johnson’s first film, an adaption of Richard Wright’s novel Native Son. Ashton Sanders, who first got noticed for his performance in Moonlight, is set to star. [Deadline]
Correction, 3/16/18, 11:45 a.m.: A previous version misstated details about Quenchers Saloon in Chicago. The bar is up for sale, but it has not closed.
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