This Week in Art News
100 Years of Bauhaus, Counterfeit Rodin’s & More
Each week, we scour the internet for the most significant, surprising, and outrageous art news—helping you stay informed (and sound smart). Have a suggestion? Let us know on social media (@meetmeural) with the tag #thisweekinartnews. (See all installments.)

The Bauhaus, “one of the most influential art and design schools ever,” owes part of its influence to politics; the Nazis, in closing the school, scattered its practitioners across the globe. Now reaching its 100th year anniversary, there’s been a slew of coverage. The Times took a pragmatic (and beautiful) approach, revisiting some of the structures the school’s legacy left behind. The piece itself is rife with info, but it’s definitely browsable; even a brief skim will show how widely the buildings range in style—and their level of upkeep.

The word “counterfeit” here isn’t entirely right, or it’s at least not how we usually use it. The American art dealer Gary Snell and a French dealer, Robert Crouzet, were found guilty of exhibiting and selling Rodin originals that were made from original Rodin molds. Though the illegal sales come to ~ $76 million, the two men, unable to produce such a sum, were each “ordered to pay a total of €500,000 (~$560,000) in damages and interest to the Musée Rodin in Paris, the body in charge of the artist’s estate.” Want to see some real (pictures of) Rodin sculptures? Go to our collection.

The lede here is spot on: “Georgia O’Keeffe’s introduction to the art world wasn’t through her now-iconic paintings of flowers and desert landscapes—but through another artist’s photographs of her nude body.” While we have much to learn about the misunderstood “Mother of American Modernism” from her own work, Alfred Stieglitz’s eye (and their tumultuous backstory) gives us an entirely separate window into the artist. You can see more work by the couple here.

A straightforward piece, but intriguing nonetheless. Last year, The Port of La Rochelle by Paul Signac (1915) was cut from its frame. “Valued at approximately $1.68 million, the canvas was found at the home of a man in Kiev and several suspects were arrested. The homeowner is also currently being investigated on suspicion of murder.” Soon the painting will be returned to its rightful home, the Museum of Fine Arts in Nancy, France.