The Week’s Muse: 4 October

A round-up of recent news and comment from the Muse Room

An end to love locks in Paris?

Tens of thousands of couples fasten inscribed padlocks to the Pont des Arts in Paris every year, and the bridge is struggling under the weight of their romantic gestures. Three glass panels, fitted recently in place of the usual wire mesh fencing, could be the solution…

Do art authenticators need greater legal protection?

Expert opinion is an important part of the art authentication process. But increasing market and media attention, and the risk of legal action, discourages many specialists from offering theirs. Lily Le Brun explores art law and attribution in Apollo’s October issue.

Balfron Tower and the Brutalist polemic

Flat 130 in Ernő Goldfinger’s Balfron Tower is briefly open to the public, decked out in 1968 furnishings by Wayne and Tilly Hemingway for the National Trust. Can the event put Brutalism and its legacy back in the public eye?

Acquisitions of the Month

We round up some of the most interesting items to enter public collections this month, from a remarkable group of 17th-century British embroideries to an equally impressive selection of 20th-century photographs.