NEED-TO-READ
Jean-Luc Martinez Will Remain Head of the Louvre – With the blessing of culture minister Françoise Nyssen, the French government has extended the contract of the longtime director of the museum until 2021. Martinez joined the Louvre in 2013 and under his watch, 25,000 square meters of the museum were renovated, the Louvre Abu Dhabi was christened, and a much-needed conservation center in Liévin has been developed. (Le Figaro)

French Parliament Discovers Art Has Gone AWOL – An annual survey of art in French public buildings revealed four pieces are missing from the Assemblée Nationale in Paris. Police are hunting for works by Takis, Hervé Télémaque, and Richard Texier, as well as an engraving by an unknown artist in the offices of French Parliament. (Guardian)

Marina Abramović Prepares to Shock Herself – The performance artist is busy creating new work for her solo show at London’s Royal Academy of Arts in 2020, and is now collaborating with the art-tech company Factum Arte to become a conductor of electricity. The company is building a machine to charge her with one million volts so that she can then snuff out a candle as part of the exhibition. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your perspective), her vision to create a glass fountain with blood shooting out at every angle may not be realized. (The Times)

Unhappy Meal Sculpture Accidentally Thrown Away – A cleaning crew accidentally threw away Swiss artist Carol May’s sculpture, a twist on the classic McDonald’s packaging, during the Harbour Art Fair in Hong Kong. “Initially I didn’t find it funny at all,” the artist said of the destruction of her $360 work. “But later I realized it meant my imitation had been a success.” (The Local)

ART MARKET
How to Navigate the Photography Market – How can the same artwork have four very different prices? Just ask photography experts. Unlike other artworks, the value of a photograph of the same image can vary widely depending on factors like chronology, dimension, provenance, and signature. There are often many prints of a famous photograph, so collectors must have a good understanding of what they are looking at, beyond the image itself, in order to buy wisely. (Bloomberg) Read more