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COMBATIVE KYRIAKOS. Greek prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis promised to “ramp up” efforts to get the Parthenon marbles back from the British Museum, reports The Guardian. “We will very clearly ramp up the intensity of our claims, not just with the British Museum, but also with the British government. I would also like to remind the audience that the new prime minister of the UK, unequivocally, was supportive of the return of the Parthenon sculptures before he became prime minister,” he said at a press conference in Athens, which also discussed his future role as president of the European Union, beginning in 2027. According to Le Figaro, he said that the UK’s desire for closer ties to Europe will in partly depend on the question of the marbles’ return. The Parthenon marbles “will be part of the debate. It is not simply a question for Greece, it’s a question for Europe,” he said, framing the Greek antiquities as part of Europe’s heritage more broadly. He also said that talk of “hybrid” arrangements for their return “have not progressed.” Related Articles Dali-Designed Bronze Book of Revelations Cover Stolen from French Museum, Sotheby's to Auction Nanotyrannus Fossil, and More: Morning Links for October 6, 2026 Jeff Koons Cashes in $100 M. Art Collection to Christie's, Damien Hirst Makes Case for Wearable Art Ahead of New Barrie Cashmere Collection, and More: Morning Links for October 5, 2026
QUIET CLOSING. In August, the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation quietly listed the former Manhattan home and studio of their namesake artist, who died in 2008, but many in the arts community are saddened and even alarmed at the prospect of losing what was a beloved part of New York history, not to mention an exhibition and research site, reports the New York Times. The news also comes following the sale of Rauschenberg’s studio compound on Captiva Island in Florida for $45 million and is being handled by the foundation in a somewhat secretive manner, per the Times. Sources told the media that foundation staff were only informed of the townhouse sale after it was listed, and reporter Deborah Solomon said she was accidentally copied on an email from the foundation’s spokesperson to the artist’s son, Christopher, asking him not to speak to her. This was after refusing to share a copy of Rauschenberg’s will, though that information is available publicly and does not mention what to do with the property.
The Trump administration is using a little-known budget mechanism to pressure the Smithsonian Institution to comply with its view of US history, as described in an executive order claiming the institution was spreading misinformation and “divisive narratives.” [The Atlantic]
A Gertrude Abercrombie painting of seashells bought at an estate sale for just $30 raked in $1.35 million at Freeman’s auction house on Thursday. [The New York Times]
Islamic art specialist Souraya Noujaim has been appointed the new director of the Louvre Abu Dhabi. [The National]
Activists protested for the removal of Leon Black from the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) board yesterday, in light of his ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. [Hyperallergic]
The Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in London is planning to launch a voluntary exit scheme for all staff, following a series of strikes over pay and working conditions amid rising financial concerns. [Arts Professional]
GOING DUTCH. Dutch collector Joop van Caldenborgh, who opened the Museum Voorlinden in Wassenaar, Netherlands a decade ago, talked to ARTnews about his journey as an art devotee. It all began collecting stamps and sugar packs as a child, with his first art purchase at age 16 using newspaper delivery money. With time, “I realized I had this disease of being a collector: somebody who buys although they have nowhere left to hang the art. That is the whole idea of collecting.” Now, the 100-acre Voorlinden Estate with its museum amply solves that problem. To mark its 10th anniversary, the museum has opened the exhibition “Celebrating the Icons of Art.” With works from the collection, plus loans by the likes of Claude Monet, Joan Miró, Francis Bacon, Louise Bourgeois, David Hockney, and more, “it will be the most experimental and biggest exhibition we have made in the past 10 years,” said Van Caldenborgh.