COURTESY FBI
THE BEGINNING OF THE END
Here’s a new development in the investigation of the infamous Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum robbery: a longtime associate of the long-suspected mobster Robert Gentile has agreed to work with the FBI. From his account, it appears Gentile was a member of the gang that gained control of the stolen artwork from whoever initially took it. [Hartford Courant]
OFFSHORE BANKING
Art dealer Guy Wildenstein is going to trial in Paris for an alleged half a billion euros in tax fraud. He allegedly has been hiding much of his fortune in offshore bank accounts, according to several helpful family members who initially broke the story to the French authorities. If convicted, 70-year-old Wildenstein could serve up to ten years in prison. [AP via ABC]
ABRAHAM LINCOLN’S HAND
Someone has stolen Abraham Lincoln’s hand. [The New York Times]
BAD NEWS
Prepare yourself: a new art exhibition is set to open in the desert at the same time as Coachella. [The New York Times]
To help decrease Venice’s €60 million ($65.1 million) debt, the mayor is considering selling art from the city’s museums, including works by Chagall and Klimt. [The Wall Street Journal]
AND THREE MORE LINKS
Jackson Pollock’s Number 32 is undergoing a unique restoration in Germany. [Deutsche Welle]
The art of Gerda Wegener, who featured as a leading character in The Danish Girl, is now on view at the Arken Museum of Modern Art in Denmark. [The Guardian]
On Jean Dubuffet’s art brut collection. [The New York Review of Books]
Update, 2 p.m.: The description of Desert X, the forthcoming show in California during Coachella, has been changed to clarify that it is an exhibition, not an art fair.