the arts                                                                       

Off The Wall: The Global Epidemic of Art Crime
(Insight)  A self-portrait by Picasso just went for $48 million, and Sotheby's sold a 5,000-year-old marble head for $2 million.  Where that kind of money goes, thieves will follow ... more >>

 
At the Sackler: Portugal's Haunted Empire
(The Washington Post)  Vasco da Gama and other Portuguese explorers created the first global trading empire -- but at a cost that the artworks they collected reveals .... more >>

 
An Unexpected  "Legacy" at the National Portrait Gallery
(The Washington Post)  Spain had a deep but secretive role in the American War of Independence, as an intriguing exhibit at the National Portrait Gallery reveals  ... more >>

 
Artful Deception
(Insight)  Art forgers have been around for centuries.  But with the entry of naive new buyers into the art market, forgers are having a field day  ...
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photography                                                                

Photography:  Tim Hall's Golden Faces
(Asia Times)  When Tim Hall's portraits work, they work very well. Almost all are powerfully graphic, and a few -- like a portrait of a Hindu holy man -- storm electrically across the frame ... more >>

architecture                                                               

Cambodian Modern: The Architecture of Vann Molyvann
(Modernism Magazine)  Phnom Penh is undergoing a renewal, but many worry that the great architectural buildings of the 1960s may not survive ...
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Architecture: Crumbling Rangoon Debates a New Look

(Asia Times)  If Rangoon  wants to keep its distinctive character, it must find ways to modernize without destroying the past -- and time is running out ...  more >>

In Copenhagen, A Renaissance for Finn Juhl
(Modernism Magazine)  Architect Finn Juhl was virtually forgotten at his death in 1989.  But the the father of Danish Modern design is having a remarkable comeback ... more >>