The Desert Louvre?

The Louvre intends to lend its name and its art to a museum venture in Abu Dhabi, drawing harsh criticism from other museums. The fear is that art and national treasures will become commercialized and that the Louvre is being run like a corporation seeking to maximize profits rather than museum.

The full story from Bloomberg

The Munch Theft a Diversion?

The theft of Edvard Munch's iconic, The Scream, shocked the world, not only because of the paintings stolen, not only for its boldness, but also for its apparent ineptness. The robbers had planned the crime well, but when they arrived at the Munch Museum, they had to be shown where the two paintings were.

Now, years later, after the painting has been recovered, after long months of police work, authorities are wondering if the theft was a glaring crime meant to draw attention to the real crime.

The full story from The Guardian

Rijksmuseum Reopening Delayed

The reopening of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, home to many of the most famous works by Rembrandt and many other Dutch artists has been delayed to 2010.

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Amsterdam's renowned Rijksmuseum, home to some of the most famous works by Rembrandt and other Dutch masters and which is undergoing restoration, will not reopen until 2010, two years later than planned.

Delays had arisen due to the need for extra building permits after some initial designs had been modified, the Dutch culture ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

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