Canada: The Canadian War Museum in Ottawa was forced to cancel its History Costume Ball because of a staff strike and the economic downturn, with only 240 tickets sold for last month's bash. Proceeds from the gala have previously gone to the National Collection Fund to help acquire artefacts for the war museum and the Canadian Museum of Civilisation.
Egypt: The Louvre in Paris has agreed to return four "stolen" reliefs from the tomb of Tetaki to Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities. The council had said it would no longer cooperate with the Louvre if the disputed items were not returned. A scientific committee at the museum decided to return the pieces last month. The Louvre said it acquired the works in good faith in 2000 and 2003.
Iran: State-run television has reported on its website that Iran's Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organisation would cut links with the British Museum if it refused to loan the Cyrus Cylinder (539-530 BC) to the Tehran-based National Museum of Iran. Iranian official Hamid Baqaei said all joint research projects would cease if the cylinder was not sent to Iran. The British Museum said it intended to loan the artefact, but was monitoring the country's political situation.
Philippines: Staff at the Marikina Shoe Museum saved about 750 pairs of shoes donated to the museum by Imelda Marcos, wife of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, when floods swamped the gallery in September following Typhoon Ketsana. About 100 shoes ended up in the water.
US: Seattle Art Museum faces a financial crisis following the collapse of Washington Mutual Inc last year. The bank agreed to lease 23,300 sq metres of the museum's $86m extension which opened in January 2007, thereby offsetting the expansion costs. But since the company went bankrupt, the museum has lost $5.8m in annual rent. The museum is seeking a tenant to help cover costs.
US: More than 50 drawings and paintings by US illustrator Norman Rockwell, taken from the collections of film directors Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, will go on show next July at the Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC. The show will explore the links between Rockwell's art and film-making.
Compiled by Gareth Harris. Seen in the Guardian, Ottawa Citizen, Washington Post, New York Times and Bloomberg
Egypt: The Louvre in Paris has agreed to return four "stolen" reliefs from the tomb of Tetaki to Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities. The council had said it would no longer cooperate with the Louvre if the disputed items were not returned. A scientific committee at the museum decided to return the pieces last month. The Louvre said it acquired the works in good faith in 2000 and 2003.
Iran: State-run television has reported on its website that Iran's Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organisation would cut links with the British Museum if it refused to loan the Cyrus Cylinder (539-530 BC) to the Tehran-based National Museum of Iran. Iranian official Hamid Baqaei said all joint research projects would cease if the cylinder was not sent to Iran. The British Museum said it intended to loan the artefact, but was monitoring the country's political situation.
Philippines: Staff at the Marikina Shoe Museum saved about 750 pairs of shoes donated to the museum by Imelda Marcos, wife of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, when floods swamped the gallery in September following Typhoon Ketsana. About 100 shoes ended up in the water.
US: Seattle Art Museum faces a financial crisis following the collapse of Washington Mutual Inc last year. The bank agreed to lease 23,300 sq metres of the museum's $86m extension which opened in January 2007, thereby offsetting the expansion costs. But since the company went bankrupt, the museum has lost $5.8m in annual rent. The museum is seeking a tenant to help cover costs.
US: More than 50 drawings and paintings by US illustrator Norman Rockwell, taken from the collections of film directors Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, will go on show next July at the Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC. The show will explore the links between Rockwell's art and film-making.
Compiled by Gareth Harris. Seen in the Guardian, Ottawa Citizen, Washington Post, New York Times and Bloomberg
