Waterhouse painting back on display in Manchester

Our daily round-up of news from the art world

Waterhouse’s Hylas and the Nymphs back on display in Manchester | A painting by John William Waterhouse that was removed from public view at Manchester Art Gallery last week has gone back on show, reports the Manchester Evening News. Hylas and the Nymphs was taken down by the museum on 26 January in a move the institution said was intended ‘to prompt conversations’ about the way it displayed its collection. The painting’s removal prompted criticism from certain sections of the media, with some commentators accusing the gallery of censorship. ‘Throughout the painting’s seven day absence, it’s been clear that many people feel very strongly about the issues raised’, said interim director Amanda Wallace.

Stonehenge tunnel could damage site of archaeological interest | Opponents of a scheme to build a road tunnel under the site of Stonehenge are concerned that construction work could irrevocably damage a site of special archaeological interest. David Jacques, an archaeologist at the University of Buckingham told the Guardian that work on the tunnel could lower the water table of the area, threatening the nearby site of Blick Mead. Archaeologists have recently uncovered 6,000-year-old hoofprints of wild cattle at the site, leading to hopes that human prints might also be discovered. ‘It would be like destroying a unique library,’ Jacques said.

Anglo-Saxon artefacts stolen in raid on charity | The Canterbury Archaeological Trust has appealed to the public for help tracking down hundreds of Anglo-Saxon artefacts that were stolen from its store last week. According to the Times (£), two separate break-ins took place at the facility last week, leading to the loss of an estimated 1,500 objects.

Recommended reading | In the LRB, Charles Hope reviews the Met’s exhibition of Michelangelo’s drawings, discussing the contentious nature of attribution in depth. In the Observer, Laura Cumming hails Turner Contemporary’s T.S. Eliot-inspired ‘Journeys with the Waste Land’ show as an ‘enthralling’ display. Elsewhere, in the Washington Post  Michael Birnbaum and Stefano Pitrelli look into plans to open a ‘museum of Fascism’ in Predappio, the birthplace of Benito Mussolini. Finally, Hyperallergic’s Hrag Vartanian looks at the controversy surrounding former Artforum publisher Knight Landesman, and argues that sexual harassment claims in the art world are not being addressed seriously enough.