‘Spectacular’ archaeological remains discovered in Algiers

Our daily round-up of news from the art world

Roman ruins discovered in the path of planned Algiers metro network | Preliminary surveys for a planned metro network in Algiers have uncovered what Le Figaro (French language article) describes as Algeria’s ‘most important archaeological discovery’. Archaeologists working on the site at Place des Martyrs have dug up remains dating as far back as the Roman occupation, including a spectacular 5th-century Byzantine necropolis. The discoveries have moved Algerian authorities to modify the route of the planned metro, and a number of artefacts will go on display in a museum to be built on the site. ‘It’s spectacular’, says archaeologist Kamel Stiti. ‘With one look, it is possible to view two millenia of the history of Algiers.’

Franz Marc painting ‘may have survived the war’ | The Art Newspaper reports that Franz Marc’s Tower of Blue Horses, one of the greatest works of 20th-century German Expressionism, may not have been destroyed during the Second World War, as was previously believed. Curators of two separate exhibitions in Germany say that the painting, which was last seen on public display in the notorious 1937 ‘degenerate’ art exhibition in Munich, may have been transported to Russia after Berlin fell to Soviet troops in 1945.

Miety Heiden named head of sales at Phillips | Phillips has appointed Miety Heiden to the position of head of sales, reports ArtNet News. Heiden joins the auction house from Sotheby’s, where she has worked in various positions since 1997. ‘Private sales are an increasingly important part of our strategy and I am delighted that Miety is joining our team to lead our efforts in this important area’, said Phillips CEO Edward Dolman.

Claudia Dillmann to leave Deutsches Filmmuseum after 20 years | Claudia Dillmann, director of Frankfurt’s Deutsches Filmmuseum, is to leave the institution after 20 years. Dillmann, who joined the museum as director – and the Deutsches Filminstitut as co-director – in 1997, has announced that she is to take early retirement and dedicate herself to writing as well as ‘explor[ing] opportunities as a cultural consultant’.