Visual arts

The winning entry for the New National Archaeological Museum is by the architectural offices of David Chipperfield Architects and Alexandros N. Tombazis & Associates SA, selected by an international committee convened by Culture & Sports Minister Lina Mendoni, the ministry announced on Monday.

The 1,200-year-old Eirene Tower in Istanbul has been transformed from a weaving atelier into an art gallery, where marbling, miniature and calligraphy arts are made.

Located in the historical Eminönü neighborhood in the Fatih district and built during the Middle Byzantine Period, Eirene Tower was once used as a weaving atelier.

What is all this business with the Parthenon Sculptures all of a sudden? Is it the barrage of foreign reports, each presenting its own version of developments and inside information? Is it the secret meetings between the Greek prime minister and the head of the British Museum, George Osborne? Is it the announcements by the government and those from the opposition?

The Parthenon Sculptures were in the limelight again this week after a series of publications, mostly in the British press, rekindled the debate about their return to their homeland in Athens from the British Museum in London.

The Parthenon Sculptures could be "homeward bound," according to the lead article in the London "Times" on Thursday.

Greek-Australian designer Marc Newson was first introduced to the public in 1986 with the Lockheed Lounge Chair, a chaise longue in riveted aluminum that put him at the forefront of the world's design scene for four decades.

The British Museum said on Wednesday it was holding "constructive discussions" with Greece over the Parthenon Sculptures amid renewed speculation that the 2,500-year-old marbles could soon be returned to Athens.

Egypt announced on Jan. 2 the recovery of a sarcophagus lid dating back nearly 2,700 years that it said had been smuggled out and put on display at a museum in the United States.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry announced the recovery of the artifact, known as the "Green Sarcophagus," during a televised press conference.

Sources within the Culture Ministry have dismissed a report by Bloomberg on Tuesday that the British Museum and Athens' Acropolis Museum are nearing a deal that would see the Parthenon Sculptures returned to Greece over time as part of a cultural exchange.

The deal would putt an end to a feud over historical artifacts that dates back to the 1800s.

A painting by Dutch abstract painter Piet Mondrian has been hanging upside down for 77 years, says a curator at the German museum.

A large retrospective of the avant garde artist's work went on display Saturday at the Kunstsammlung museum in Dusseldorf, and one of the pieces on show is "New York City 1," painted in 1941.