Canada’s New Prime Minister Vows to Increase Cultural Investment

Our daily round-up of news from the art world

Canada’s New Prime Minister Vows to Increase Cultural Investment | Justin Trudeau, who was elected Prime Minister of Canada last month in a surprise victory, has pledged to invest CAN $380 million into the arts during his term, reports The Art Newspaper. Though the announcement has largely been met with cautious optimism, some Canadians are sceptical.

Newly Discovered Bosch Drawing to Go on Show | Experts in the Netherlands have authenticated a drawing of hell that was sold at auction in 2003 as the work of Hieronymous Bosch. Criticism has been made that the work is simply too ‘Boschian’ to be anything other than an imitation. Judge for yourself when the work goes on show at the Noordbrabants Museum in February.

Trevi Fountain Reopens in Rome | Rome’s famous Trevi Fountain, which has been subject to renovation works since June 2014, was today stripped of its scaffolding and unveiled to public view, reports Le Journal des Arts. We can only hope that no more tourists decide to take a drunken plunge into its waters…

Judy Cassab (1920–2015) | Australian artist Judy Cassab has died aged 95, reports The Guardian. Born to a Jewish family in Vienna, Cassab and her husband Jancsi Kampfner evaded the Nazis by using false identities, and following the end of the war, emigrated to Sydney in 1951. Cassab went onto paint some of the most distinguished figures in Australia, and twice won the Archibald Prize for portraiture.

‘Bigger Door’ Needed for British Museum | The British Museum is considering the possibility of creating a new entrance to the building, reports The Times. The museum attracts more than 6.7 million visitors per year, and its narrow doorway is unsuited to the vast numbers. Meanwhile, outgoing director Neil MacGregor has denied The Sunday Times’s suggestion that British Museum officials will levy a charge on tour groups. It will be interesting to see whether this will apply once Hartwig Fischer, MacGregor’s replacement, takes over next spring.

Italy Responds to Cultural Workers’ Strike Threat | Following a nationwide strike threat from cultural workers, Italy’s Chamber of Deputies is proposing to re-categorise museums as ‘essential public services’, which would limit the sector’s right to take industrial action. The proposal, which will go before the Senate later this month, will raise eyebrows. Is it a necessary evil, or a borderline authoritarian measure?