Our daily round-up of news from the art world
Ai Weiwei Gives First Public Talk in Four Years | On Wednesday night, Ai Weiwei took to the stage at the Berlin Literature Festival to make his first public speech since being detained by Chinese authorities in 2011. According to the Guardian, the talk was an ‘eliptical’ discussion about China with Liao Yiwu, a fellow dissident who was imprisoned in the 1990s for writing a poem in honour of dead pro-democracy protestors.
Ecole des beaux-arts appoints new director | Artist Jean-Marc Bustamente has been named as the new director of the Ecole Nationale Superiere des beaux-arts, Paris’s most prestigious art school. Bustamente’s appointment follows controversy over the departure of former director Nicolas Bourriaud, who was ousted by Culture Minister Fleur Pellerin in July.
Polish Army to Join Hunt for Nazi Gold Train | A spokesman for Poland’s military has announced that troops will soon become involved in the search for a so-called ‘Nazi Gold Train’, allegedly buried deep below the ground near Ksiaz Castle, Lower Silesia. While many believe there is a high chance of finding the train, others including bank chief Marek Belka believe the story is a hoax.
Singapore Art Fair Cancelled | The second edition of the Singapore Art Fair, which was to take place this winter has been cancelled – for now at least. Founder Laure d’Hauteville told The Art Newspaper: ‘We are all working to build a great new fair with new ideas. This is why we prefer to have the fair in 2016’.
Unseen Escher Sketch Goes on Show | A previously unidentified work by MC Escher has gone on display in The Hague. The highly detailed sketch depicts the hill town of Montecelio near Rome, and was probably drawn by the artist when he visited Italy in 1924. The work was bought for the Escher Museum by the artist’s family.
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![Masterpiece [Re]discovery 2022. Photo: Ben Fisher Photography, courtesy of Masterpiece London](http://www.apollo-magazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/MPL2022_4263.jpg)
