Looted Paintings by Nazis to be Handed over to Owner's Heir
The French government agreed to hand back three looted paintings to the heirs of a Jewish collector who died in a German concentration camp.
The canvases by Fauvist Andre Derain were once owned by the renowned Parisian gallery owner Rene Gimpel, who was denounced by a rival dealer after joining the Resistance to fight against Nazi occupation and France's collaborationist Vichy government.
The decision comes after an appeals court in Paris overturned a lower court's decision not to hand back the works.
They are housed at the Modern Art Museum in Troyes and the Cantini Museum in Marseille.
The works, painted between 1907 and 1910, were taken as spoils when Gimpel was arrested.
Oct 03, 2020
Ancient Aboriginal Art 'Unlike Anything Seen Before'
A new style of ancient Aboriginal rock art in Australia has been documented for the first time.
The 572 paintings known as the Maliwawa Figures offer a glimpse into life more than 6,000 years ago.
The findings include the earliest depiction of a dugong and some rare bibly-like figures.
From history there is no evidence that bibly ever lived in Arnhem Land.
The whole manner of depiction for Maliwawa Figures is different from anything.
Sep 28, 2020
Fossilised Leaves from Jurassic Period Found in Jharkhand
Geologists have found fossilised leaves, estimated to be around 150-200 million years old, in Jharkhand's Sahibganj district.
A couple of 20 cm by 5 cm fossilised leaves of genus Ptilophyllum have been found in Dudhkol mountain in Taljhari area and further excavation is underway.
The excavation is being conducted in association with National Botanical Research Institute, Lucknow under a project of the Department of Science and Technology of the Union government.
Such leaves were consumed by herbivorous dinosaurs. Smaller fossils from Upper Jurassic to Cretaceous period were earlier found in the region.
Several fossils were earlier found in Maharajpur, Tarpahad, Garmi Pahad and Barharwa areas in Sahibganj and Sonajhari in neighbouring Pakur district.
Sep 26, 2020
Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik Seeks Classical Status for Odissi Music
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has urged the Centre to accord classical status to Odissi music as it has at least 2,000-years old tradition and is based on 'Shastra' having its own 'Raga'.
Patnaik in a letter to Union Minister of State for Culture and Tourism, Prahlad Singh Patel. It (Odissi music) has a distinctive rendition style based on codified grammar, the characteristic giti system of classical texts and having its own tala, different from Hindustani and Carnatic music.
Sep 25, 2020
Tiny Teapot Found in Derbyshire Garage Sells for £390k
A tiny teapot found during a lockdown clear-out has sold for £390,000 at auction.
The object, a Chinese wine ewer that may have belonged to an emperor, was found in Derbyshire by the 51-year-old as he went through boxes in a garage.
It was expected to fetch between £20,000 and £40,000 but instead sold for more than the average house.
The 8.5cm-high ewer was brought back from China by his grandfather, who was stationed there during World War Two.
It spent many years in his mother's display cabinet but eventually ended up in a box in a relative's garage in Church Gresley.