Madeleine van Manen is a South African artist who has come very close to capturing the isolation of big cities. BUILT, her first solo exhibition of mixed-media art with the Cape Town-based art gallery Nel, invites you to embrace the solitude and silence people are so used to running from in their daily lives.

Banksy, who chooses the streets as his preferred medium, is known to care very little about the preservation of his art. What happens to his murals after they are discovered does not appear to concern him. After all, the street artist often documents the demolition of his work. Banksy’s mural in Venice would have faced the same fate if not for the local administration intervening.

The Pergamon Museum in Berlin, Germany, is well-known among culture and history lovers for its vast collection of ancient artifacts and architectural structures, including the Pergamon Altar, an incredible testament to the greatness of the Hellenistic civilization. It has recently been announced that the Museum will soon be closed for fourteen years for a massive reconstruction.

The century-long discussion of what can be considered art has reached its boiling point in the modern world. While the validity of certain genres and movements that fit under the broad umbrella of contemporary art is questioned more often than others, graffiti remains the ultimate scapegoat. Not only is it criticized for its alleged lack of purpose and artistic value, but it is also considered a criminal offense in most countries.

Auctions at Showplace returns with a new amazing edition of New York City Estate Auction. Among the 307 lots of fine and decorative arts are works by renowned modern and contemporary artists, luxury designer furniture, exquisite antiques, lighting, jewelry, and more. Here are the highlights of the upcoming estate sale.

A new act of art crime was committed in Los Angeles on an early Monday morning. A surprisingly smooth criminal stole a Buddha statue from one of the Barakat Gallery locations in LA. The massive piece was around 4 feet tall and weighed about 250 pounds, which makes the fact that it was stolen by one person especially puzzling. The antique sculpture was estimated at around $1.5 million worth.

Fernando Botero, an icon of Colombian contemporary art, passed away at 91. His public sculptures adorn parks and squares in many cities across the world, and his paintings can be found in the collections of some of the most prominent museums. Botero’s legacy will forever live on in the creations of those who have been inspired by his work. Today, let’s take a closer look at Botero’s art and his signature style known as “Boterismo.”