New arrangement could keep ‘Monarch of the Glen’ on view in Scotland

Our daily round-up of news from the art world

Diageo and National Galleries of Scotland strike deal over Monarch of the Glen | Drinks giant Diageo, owner of Landseer’s Monarch of the Glen (1851), has come to an arrangement with the National Galleries of Scotland, which improves the prospect of it going on permanent public display in the country. The painting has been on long-term loan to the National Museum of Scotland for 17 years, but Diageo recently announced its intention to sell the work at auction with an estimate of £8 million. However, following objections from several prominent Scottish figures, the company announced that it will gift half the value of the painting to NGS in the hope that the museum group can raise the additional £4 million to purchase it outright. ‘We are delighted with this grand gesture by Diageo which offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for this major work to be acquired for the nation’, said Sir John Leighton, director general of the NGS.

Adam Broomberg launches poster campaign to oppose the ‘rising right’ | Adam Broomberg, best known for his collaborations with fellow artist Oliver Chanarin, has launched a poster campaign in response to what he sees as the ‘rise of the right wing across Germany, Europe, and elsewhere’. According to Artforum, Broomberg has appealed to students and artists around the world to design banners, posters, t-shirts, and slogans in protest at ‘xenophobia, misogyny, racism, and intolerance’. ‘The general mood of anxiety and alienation is palpable’, the artist said in a manifesto. ‘More ominously, there is a feeling that the threat of violence is imminent.’

Second World War Dutch and British shipwrecks ‘disappear’ in Java Sea | The wrecks of British and Dutch ships sunk in the Java Sea during the Second World War appear to have disappeared from the ocean floor, reports the Guardian. Experts believe that the wrecks may have been illegally salvaged for scrap metal. The Dutch wrecks are thought to contain the bodies of around 2,200 sailors, and have been declared a ‘sacred war grave’. The UK ministry of defence has urged the Indonesian government to investigate and take ‘appropriate action’.

Folkwang Museum receives multimillion dollar donation | Essen’s Folkwang Museum has received a ‘multimillion dollar’ donation of paintings, property and securities. The gift comes courtesy of the estate of Walter and Liselotte Griese, both of whom were closely linked to the museum. Director Tobia Bezzola is reportedly planning acquisition strategies. ‘The museum has not seen such a generous gift in decades’, he said.