Painting

The ground in Northamptonshire, England, has been hiding the remains of an affluent Roman trading town for more than 1,700 years, according to findings from archaeologists working in the area. As reported in the Guardian, the discoveries have included an old road, buildings for different kinds of life and work, hundreds of coins, and four water wells used in a once-prosperous town “whose inhabitants adorned themselves with jewelry and ate from fine pottery.”

The area is located along the route of an HS2 railroad network being constructed and counts among 100 different archaeological sites that have been examined as part of the project since 2018. “This is certainly one of the most impressive sites [we have] discovered while working on the HS2 scheme,” said James West of Mola Headland Infrastructure, which has managed the work. “Uncovering such a well-preserved and large Roman road, as well as so many high-quality

Ireland has introduced its first basic income program for the nation’s artists and culture workers, offering sorely needed relief for a sector hit hard by the pandemic. On January 6, Catherine Martin, the Irish Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, opened an online consultation to solicit opinions and proposals on the development of the pilot program. In a statement, Martin described it as a “once-in-a-generation policy intervention.”

“I am determined to ensure that permanent damage is not done to the arts sector from the pandemic and that the basic income pilot scheme helps to ensure that the arts in Ireland come back stronger than ever,” she added.

The government has allocated €25 million ($28.3 million) to be distributed among two thousand arts and culture workers and venues over three years. The online consultation closes January 27, while the program is expected to launch later this

Over the last decade, Swiss entrepreneur Pierre Sigg has focused on contemporary art—collecting it, sharing it, and supporting its creation. A tech magnate with prodigious holdings of video and digital art, he has hosted two artist residencies at his family home in Le Castellet, in the South of France. After their success, he started to dream bigger.

“I had all this space in a wonderful landscape and thought I could make better use of it, whilst playing a more active role in the art world, providing a place for artists to evolve their thinking, rather than simply supporting them through collecting,” Sigg said in a statement.

On Tuesday, he announced the Sigg Art Foundation, a new nonprofit aimed at supporting artists working between traditional mediums and new technologies. It will focus on funding residency opportunities, beginning this month with a program in Al-Ula, Saudi Arabia. Independent curator Sacha Guedj-Cohen has

Art Industry News is a daily digest of the most consequential developments coming out of the art world and art market. Here’s what you need to know this Friday, January 7.

NEED-TO-READ

Boris Johnson Isn’t So Thrilled With the Colston Verdict – While he said he would not comment directly on the verdict of the “Colston Four,” the U.K. prime minister managed to give his opinion on the matter: “My feeling is that we have a complex historical legacy all around us, and it reflects our history in all its diversity, for good or ill. What you can’t do is go around seeking retrospectively to change our history or to bowdlerize it or edit it in retrospect,” he said, likening the removal of a statue to “some person trying to edit their Wikipedia entry.” (Evening Standard)

Conceptual Artist Luciano Perna Dies – The conceptual artist died on December

Art Industry News is a daily digest of the most consequential developments coming out of the art world and art market. Here’s what you need to know this Wednesday, January 5.

NEED-TO-READ

David Zwirner Plans a Montauk Artist Retreat – David and Monica Zwirner have submitted plans to refurbish 17 cottages and a large house on Lake Montauk to turn them into an “artist’s retreat.” The art dealer and his handbag-designer wife plan to subsidize the rental fees of the so-called Bridgeford Cottages “to ensure that artists, many of whom could not normally afford such a retreat, will be able to come and enjoy the natural beauty of Montauk while they work.” (East Hampton Star)

It’s Time for International Museums to Sever Ties With China – Journalist Rachel Spence argues that international museums can no longer do cultural deals with Chinese companies or state entities in good conscience,