ARTnews: "Activist Mwazulu Diyabanza Arrested After Attempting to Take Artifact from Louvre" - Oct 26, 2020
Congolese activist Mwazulu Diyabanza went to court today after being arrested for attempting to take an artifact from the Louvre in Paris. A representative for the Louvre told ARTnews that the object involved in the incident was an 18th-century sculpture from Flores, an island off the coast of Indonesia that was once a colony of Portugal. See also Artnet: "Three activists who tried to remove a 19th-century African artwork from the Quai Branly museum in Paris have been convicted" - Oct 14, 2020
Art Newspaper: "Sale of more than 250 works from Jerusalem's Islamic art museum raises ethical questions" - Oct 23, 2020
The Museum for Islamic Art in Jerusalem is due to sell 190 Islamic art objects and 68 rare timepieces from its collection in two Sotheby’s London auctions on 27 and 28 October. The first sale includes illuminated manuscripts, textiles, ceramics and metalwork dating from the 7th to 19th centuries. The second consisted of rare clocks, including three watches crafted by the leading 18th-century horologist Abraham-Louis Breguet.
CBS Miami: "Ancient African Stone Sculptures Intercepted At Miami International Airport" - Oct 20, 2020
An air cargo shipment containing ancient stone carvings from Cameroon, known as “Ikom Monoliths,” was intercepted at Miami International Airport. Investigators determined that the stone sculptures had been imported to the US using fraudulent documents and said the items will be repatriated to country of origin.
North Africa Post: "Morocco recovers 25,500 rare archaeological pieces seized in France in 2005 – 2006" - Oct 16, 2020
Nearly 25,500 rare archaeological pieces relating mainly to the prehistorical and paleontology era, which were seized by French Customs in 2005 and 2006, were returned to Morocco last Thursday.
Art Newspaper: "Germany to create central digital platform for museum objects acquired in colonial context" - Oct 15, 2020
Germany’s 16 states, the federal government and local municipalities have agreed on a joint digital strategy to list and publish online objects in museum collections that were acquired in a colonial context.