In London, England, the National Portrait Gallery is looking into buying a special sculpture by Marc Quinn. His sculpture is a frozen replication of himself covered in his very own blood. His used 10 pints of his own blood per sculpture and makes a new one every 5 years. It takes over a year for him to collect the amount of blood he needs. This work of art is known as "iconic" and is worth a lot of money. Join discussion...

This article, as featured on the New York Times website, tells the story of one man's pursuit in the name of Vincent van Gogh. Dominique-Charles Janssens currently owns the country inn in Auvers-Sur-Oise, France where van Gogh spent his last days writing letters and painting the endless wheat fields surrounding his residence. Janssens' greatest desire is to own an original van Gogh-"The Fields" to be exact- so he can display it in the attic bedroom where van Gogh actually spent his last days. The painting goes on auction at Sotheby's on November 7th, and Janssens is currently raising funds through private donations and his newly created website (vangoghsdream.org). Will these contributions total the 35 million plus that the painting will sell for? It is Janssens greatest wish to return one of the artist's great works to the place where he spent his last days. Join discussion...

In 2003, two men stole the Madonna and the Yarnwinder from a castle owned by the Duke of Buccleuch. The 25 million pound painting then disappeared for 4 years, until police recovered it October 4th. A 1 million pound reward had been issued for the return of the work, and it had been listed as one of the FBI's top ten list of stolen works of art. The Buccleuch family is happy to have their painting back, which had been an heirloom for the past 250 years. Join discussion...

Edvard Eriksen’s The Little Mermaid is a sculpture based on a Hans Christian Andersen story and it is one of Copenhagen’s principal tourist attractions. It has been proposed to be moved to Shanghai, China as the centerpiece of the Danish Pavilion at Expo 2010; this expo will take place from May to October in 2010. This proposal comes from the Copenhagen-based BIG architects who won the competition to design the pavilion in China. This controversy has caused a political outrage in Denmark. The sculpture is a major tourist attraction, a national symbol, and even a site for political demonstrations. The move of the sculpture could cause less tourism in Denmark and business at Langelinie [the area where the statue is located] could be harmed as well. Join discussion...

In the British Museum in London, there will be a new art exhibit on Islamic art. The art will be contempory and colorful, something that this museum is not known for. There will be four sections to the exhibit containing pieces from over 80 of todays Islamic artists represented. Join discussion...

In Rio de Janeiro, Peter Coffin flew his U.F.O as part of a rather freeform art exhibit of its own; because there are so many UFO sightings in R.d.J, he chose that place for this second showing of his piece of art: a huge light-show of a flying saucer. The first show was in Poland last year. Join discussion...

The Des Moines Art Center is organizing a show of art pieces from their archive that depict modern events and issues in politics today. The exhibit titled, "Pressing Issues" is a collection of pieces from the 17th century to the 21st century that are pertinent to current events in politics today. The curator, Amy Worthen, had this to say about the show, "Even though the specific events or issues are long forgotten, it's practically shocking that humanity is still dealing with these things." There are many paintings and sculptures of things like immigration, abortion, poverty, war, and other issues. Here is a list of the most famous artists and the issues their art portrayed: - Winslow Homer, on slavery and secession. - William Hogarth, on human cruelty. - George Grosz, on war profiteering. - Kathe Kollwitz, on elderly suicide. - Robert Indiana, on segregation. - Nancy Spero, on abortion rights. - Luis Jimenez, on U.S.-Mexican border control. This new exhibit is an interesting idea for an art show especially considering the upcoming elections and I personally believe that it will probably be very popular. Join discussion...

Two paintings were discovered in an English Parish Church. These paintings were created by Sano di Pietro in about the mid-15th century. These paintings have a net worth of £300,000 and have recently been removed from the chapel for security reasons. Join discussion...

So a bunch of guys in Prague got out in the middle of the night and shot paintballs at blank billboards across the city. I thought it was pretty cool. Join discussion...

Paper Under the Knife explores the international phenomenon of cut paper in contemporary art—showcasing the work of artists who reach beyond the traditional role of paper as a neutral surface to consider its potential as a medium for provocative, expressive, and visually striking sculpture, installation, and video animation. On view from October 7, 2009, through April 4, 2010, the exhibition will also feature 12 new site-specific commissions and installations. Join discussion...