Free Republic

Philip Stapleton was perusing a thrift sale in the U.K. when he came across a painting he liked so much, he spent nearly $300 on it, even though he assumed it was fake. But after doing some research and talking to experts, the 52-year-old antique collector may have made the purchase of a lifetime – an original work by Pablo Picasso. Stapleton said that he spent $293, even though he believed it to be fake because he "loved the picture," SWNS reports. Acting on a whim, Stapleton took it to Brighton and Hove Auction House, where he received the potentially...

Mike Kelley, the daring and influential contemporary installation artist ... has died, police said Wednesday. He was 57. Kelley's body was found at his home Tuesday night and it appeared he had committed suicide, South Pasadena Police Sgt. "His work was widely collected and exhibited internationally," said Stephanie Barron, senior curator of modern art at Los Angeles County Museum of Art. "... Artists like that don't come around very often." Kelley's work will be included in the upcoming 2012 Whitney biennial in New York. "Mike was an irresistible force in contemporary art," Kelley's studio, Gagosian Gallery, said in a statement...

Mural Ignites Debate on Race, Censorship in Arizona (June 5) -- An Arizona school mural designed to promote environmentally friendly transportation has ignited a debate about race and censorship of the arts. Officials at Miller Valley Elementary School in Prescott, Ariz., asked the painters of the mural to lighten the skin of children depicted after a city councilman denounced its prominent portrayal of ethnic minorities. Following protests, the principal apologized today for making the request. "Miller Valley made a mistake when we asked them to lighten the mural. We made a mistake," said Principal Jeff Lane. The mural shows children...

We caught our first glimpse of the Gates from our taxi up Central Park West. Already I was drawn in and fascinated. At each opening into Central Park, Christo has extended his initial gates, already welcoming you in. On roads into the park, there are sometimes city police or other vehicles. But on the quieter paths, only a trail of orange draws you in. The orange, or saffron color, is wonderful: like the warm light of the beginning or end of the day, it glows in light or in dusk. It shimmers through the woods in the distance, winding around...