Toronto Culture in the time of commies The AGO’s Chagall exhibit lets brief Soviet renaissance shine. When the revolution of 1917 brought down the czar and destroyed bourgeois culture, nobody was happier than the artists of Russia. The prospect of a fresh beginning made them giddy with anticipation.  National Post, October 25, 2011

 Sarnia Art gallery construction behind schedule Construction of Lambton County’s new art gallery in downtown Sarnia is taking longer than expected. Officials now expect to see “substantial completion” of the gallery in December, instead of the earlier end-of-summer target.  Petrolia Topic, October 26, 2011

 New York Carsten Höller Exhibition at the New Museum The Carsten Höller exhibition that opens on Wednesday at the New Museum takes the idea of “visitor experience” to new heights.  New York Times, October 26, 2011 

 Oh, baby: Woman to give birth as live performance art A midwife and doula will be there to assist in the birth. There is a hospital nearby in case anything goes wrong during the art, um, birth of the child.  Globe and Mail, October 25, 2011

 Amsterdam Painting looted by Nazis recovered The Masters of the Goldsmith Guild in Amsterdam in 1701 will be officially handed back to the Max Stern estate in Amsterdam. It was one of the artworks owned by Stern, who was forced to dissolve his German art gallery during the Nazi era.  The Gazette, October 25, 2011

 Paris  The only view is from the outside: The newly revamped museum remained closed to the public for a sixth day by a strike launched to demand extra staffing for the larger renovated space, the museum said. The newly revamped museum remained closed to the public for a sixth day by a strike launched to demand extra staffing for the larger renovated space, the museum said. The museum’s world-leading impressionist collection draws three million visitors each year.  Star-Phoenix (Saskatoon) October 26, 2011

 Serbia  Two Stolen Picassos Found In Serbia "The oil paintings - Head of Horse and Glass and Pitcher - both belong to the Sprengel Museum in Hanover, Germany. They had been loaned to an exhibition in the Swiss town of Pfaeffikon, near Zurich, at the time of their theft." BBC, October 26, 2011

 Johannesburg  Bronzes at risk as copper prices soar  A bronze sculpture stolen this year from the Johannesburg Art Gallery – one of several – is worth about $16,000 (U.S.). Curators fear thieves sold it to a scrap dealer for a mere $250.  Globe and Mail, October 26, 2011

 International   The Charge: Art World Has Lost Touch With The People "There is no popular wing to [the art world]. Banksy, Jack Vettriano, Beryl Cook. You won't find them hanging in the Tate. Almost because of the fact they are pop stars." BBC, October 25, 2011