John Westmark is a Florida native, a graduate of the University of Florida MFA program, and holds a BFA from the Kansas City Art Institute. A finalist in the myartspace NY NY 07 Competition, he has recently launched two solo shows in Miami, at Chelsea Gallery and Studio 17. He has also recently participated in group shows at DiverseWorks in Houston, Victory Hall in Jersey City, NJ; and the Peace Tower at the Whitney Museum Biennial.

Goya Thief Charged "A truck driver who authorities say stole an art masterpiece from an unattended transport truck and then claimed he found it in his basement has been charged with theft. Steven Lee Olson, 49, was charged with stealing 'Children with a Cart,' a 1778 painting by famed Spanish artist Francisco de Goya, federal prosecutors said. The painting was insured at a value of about $1-million." The Globe & Mail (AP) 10/25/07

Cashing In On Banksy "The biggest auction yet of original works by graffiti artist Banksy has exceeded its estimated takings. The 10 pieces and a print were expected to raise a maximum of £300,000 in total when they were sold in London at auction house Bonhams. However, the works actually fetched £546,000 altogether." BBC 10/24/07

Did Pollock Have Secret Paints? "Jackson Pollock, famous for his dripped and poured paintings, was one of the most explosively innovative American artists of the 20th century. But was he also decades ahead of his time in terms of the paints he used? Did he have access to pigments and resins that weren't marketed or patented until well after his death in 1956?" The question arose after several supposedly authenticated Pollocks were found to contain such pigments. The Plain Dealer (Cleveland) 10/24/07

Using Serious Technology To Hunt For High Art "Analyzing 500-year-old bricks, engineers in California are searching for a lost Leonardo da Vinci fresco that some researchers believe is behind a wall in Florence's Palazzo Vecchio... Laser scanners, thermal imaging, radar and neutrons will be employed in the project that Culture Minister Francesco Rutelli said is expected to take about a year." Los Angeles Times 10/24/07

The Painting, The Trash, And An Odd Story Elizabeth Gibson was on her way to get a coffee when she saw a painting in the street. She picked it up and carried it home. Turns out it may be an important work, and the story of how it got from Houston, where it was stolen, to a New York street 20 years later is a mystery... The New York Times 10/23/07

You've Got To Admire The Effort (And The Efficiency) Can a single book, no matter how weighty, ever even begin to cover 30,000 years of art history? One is attempting to, and if the reaction of two UK critics is any indication, it succeeds in conveying scope, even if it does twist all 30,000 years to fit what is "currently an extremely fashionable stance." The Times (UK) 10/23/07

Technology Brings New Mona Lisa Revelations "The Mona Lisa's famously enigmatic smile was originally wider and more expressive, according to new scans of the painting... [Also,] Da Vinci changed his mind about the position of two fingers on the Mona Lisa's left hand," and the colors of the famous portrait have changed considerably with age. The Guardian (UK) 10/22/07

Assessing The Turner Shortlist So much is written about the Turner Prize when the shortlist is unveiled every year, but how often do you get a serious examination of the actual art being celebrated? It may not be as juicy as all the ideological debate, but Adrian Searle has a complete analysis of the 2007 Turner finalists, currently on show in Liverpool. The Guardian (UK) 10/22/07

Do Explanations Help Art? "It is a commonly held view in the art world that the public resists conceptual work because it is difficult to understand. Its reputation for being pretentious and "not as good as painting" would improve, they argue, if it were properly explained. In many exhibitions - the pavilions at the Venice Biennale this year being one example - reams of text, and even books, are handed out to visitors to help them interpret what they see."

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