Art collector Herbert Vogel, who with his U.S. postal clerk salary built a collection, dies at 89

WASHINGTON (AP).- Herbert Vogel, an art collector who amassed over 5,000 works despite a modest income, has died at age 89. Pieces from Vogel's collection have been distributed to museums throughout the nation. National Gallery of Art spokeswoman Deborah Ziska says Vogel died Sunday of natural causes in New York. Vogel was among the earliest collectors who championed minimal and conceptual art in the 1960s. He married Dorothy Faye Hoffman in 1962 and inspired her to join him in the art world. They used his salary as a U.S. postal clerk to purchase art while living on what she earned as a librarian at the Brooklyn Public Library. Earl Powell III is director of the National Gallery of Art. He says he will miss Vogel's astute eye and wry sense of humor. The Vogels built one of the world’s finest contemporary art collections in their small Manhattan apartment, using Herb’s income to acquire more than 5,000 works over a span of 50 years. Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. More Information: http://artdaily.com/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=56691#.UA70o6P4KNg[/url] Copyright © artdaily.org

FBI in Miami arrests and charges two with possession of stolen Henri Matisse painting

MIAMI, FL.- Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and Jeffrey C. Mazanec, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office, announced the arrest and the filing of criminal charges against Pedro Antonio Marcuello Guzman, 46, of Miami, Florida, and Maria Martha Elisa Ornelas Lazo, 50, of Mexico City, Mexico, for transporting and possessing what is believed to be an original Henri Matisse painting, “Odalisque in Red Pants,” which was reported stolen from a museum in Caracas, Venezuela. If convicted, the defendants each face a possible maximum statutory sentence of up to 10 years in prison. Marcuello Guzman and Ornelas Lazo, who were arrested in Miami Beach, made their first appearances in federal court Friday. According to the affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint, this case was the result of an FBI undercover investigation. According to the allegations in the complaint affidavit, Marcuello negotiated the sale of the Matisse painting, which had been previously stolen from the Caracas Museum of Contemporary Art [Museo de Arte Contemporaneo de Caracas (MACCSI)] in Caracas, Venezuela, in December 2002. The painting is valued at approximately $3 million. Marcuello allegedly admitted to the undercover agents during a meeting that he knew the painting was stolen and offered to sell the stolen painting for approximately $740,000. As part of the negotiations, Marcuello further agreed to have the painting transported by courier to the United States from Mexico, where the painting was being stored. The courier was subsequently identified as co-defendant Ornelas. According to the affidavit, on July 16, 2012, Ornelas arrived at the Miami International Airport from Mexico City, Mexico, hand-carrying a red tube containing the painting. On July 17, 2012, defendants Marcuello and Ornelas met with undercover agents and produced the Matisse painting titled “Odalisque in Red Pants” from inside the red tube. Upon inspection by the undercover agents, the painting appeared consistent with the original Henri Matisse painting reported stolen from the MACCSI museum. At the conclusion of the meeting, Marcuello and Ornelas were arrested. Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of the FBI. Mr. Ferrer would also like to thank the Department of Justice Attaché in Mexico City and the Legal Attachés in Caracas and Mexico City. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Elisa Castrolugo. A criminal complaint is only an accusation, and a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. More Information: http://artdaily.com/index.asp?int_sec=11&int_new=56602#.UA2uHqP4KNg[/url] Copyright © artdaily.org

Vandals smash duck-billed dinosaur fossil to pieces in Alberta

GRANDE PRAIRIE, Alta. - Paleontologists were thrilled when they found the fossilized remains of a duck-billed dinosaur in northwestern Alberta last month. But joy turned quickly to despair when they returned to the site near the Red Willow River a few days ago and found that vandals had smashed the Hadrosaur skeleton to pieces. The Pipestone Creek Dinosaur Initiative says the fossil was discovered by paleontologist Phil Bell and a University of Alberta team on June 15. They partially prepared it for removal, then reburied it for protection until it could be fully removed later this month. Bell returned to the site on Thursday and found the specimen — which was about one meter long and 80 centimetres wide — had been destroyed. "We still know very little about the dinosaurs that existed up here so every skeleton is crucial," Bell said in a statement. “Each bone is irreplaceable." RCMP say they are investigating but don't have any suspects. They say a number of fossils had either been removed or destroyed at the site. The group says it is at least the fourth act of fossil poaching and vandalism in the region in the last month and a half. At Pipestone Creek Park in the region, a bone bed has been harmed, and in late May, a Plexiglas cover protecting and showcasing several fossilized bones was smashed. In later incidents in June, a vertebra and several rib bones were stolen. The group says the University of Alberta and the Royal Tyrell Museum are also helping in the case. The group says it is illegal to alter, mark or damage palaeontological resources under the Historical Resources Act. Offenders may face up to $40,000 in fines or a year in prison. Bell said the destroyed fossils are beyond having monetary value, adding that he considers them priceless. "They are irreplaceable historical artifacts and illegal to sell," he said. However, a Tyrannosaurus bataar fossil which U.S. government seized last month on the grounds that it is alleged to have been fraudulently imported, previously fetched $1.052 million at auction. The bones were discovered in Mongolia in 1946, and Mongolia hopes to have them eventually returned there. In May, Bell stated in a blog post about the Mongolian case that in the last 10 years, fossils have been disappearing at alarming rates. "Recently, it has come to our attention that the illegal sale of dinosaur fossils on the black market is reaching new lows," Bell stated on the Pipestone Creek Dinosaur Initiative's blog. "What's worse, huge public auctions in the United States are creating a demand for these priceless treasures," he added. Police are asking anyone with information about the latest incident to contact them. A team of local volunteers had been organized to remove the fossil using quads and winches next week. Bell said the Hadrosaur would have warranted a major exhibit in a new museum that's planned for the area, scheduled to open next summer in Wembley, Alta. "It's a tragedy not only for our science but for the whole community that will benefit from the new museum," he said. — By Rob Drinkwater in Edmonton By The Canadian Press July 7, 2012