Museums Under Siege, Auctions Breaking Records

Show notes for today's episode of The Daily Art Download — your ten minute crash course in today's art world news. The Louvre’s new director is inheriting a troubled, traumatised museum—can he repair the damage? https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2026/04/03/christophe-leribault-new-director-musee-louvre-inherits-traumatised-museum Raja Ravi Varma Painting Sells for $17.9 M., New Auction Record for Indian Art https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/raja-ravi-varma-17-9-million-auction-record-indian-art-1234779868/ Record-Breaking $110.5 M. Basquiat Painting, Now Owned by Ken Griffin, to Go on View in Miami This Summer https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/basquiat-exhibition-pamm-ken-griffin-loan-1234779935/ David Nott’s Textured Abstractions Go Digital With LG Gallery+ https://news.artnet.com/art-world/david-nott-lg-gallery-2761492 Artist Ali Cherri files war crimes complaint in France over Israeli airstrike in Beirut that killed his parents https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2026/04/03/ali-cherri-war-crimes-complaint-israeli-strike-beirut-killed-parents Uffizi Museum in Florence Denies Severity of Security Breaches Resulting From February Cyber Attack https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/uffizi-museum-florence-denies-severity-security-breach-february-cyber-attack-1234779859/ Canada returns 11 artefacts to Turkey in the first repatriation between the countries https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2026/04/03/canada-returns-artefacts-turkey-first-repatriation Bic Family Heirs File Lawsuit for Return of Fra Angelico Painting ‘Stolen’ by Chauffeur https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/bic-heirs-lawsuit-stolen-fra-angelico-painting-1234779832/ Human Rights Foundation Petitions UN on Behalf of Jailed Chinese Dissident Artist Gao Zhen https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/gao-zhen-human-rights-foundation-petition-1234779866/ German Provocateur Artist Sentenced to 8.5 Years in Prison in Russia After Mocking Putin https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/german-artist-sentenced-prison-russia-after-mocking-putin-1234779836/