1) World's Ugliest Colour Named

In case you were curious, researchers have finally discovered the world’s ugliest colour, and it’s Pantone 448c. The color, called “Opaque Couché” is described as a drab, muddy brown and is associated with words like “dirty,” “tar” and “death,” according to people polled by the Gfk Bluemoon agency. As a result of the findings, a number of countries are adopting the color as the base for cigarette packaging, in the hopes that the hue will result in more people associating tobacco with general unpleasantness.  In Australia, where the color has been on packaging since 2012, smoking has apparently decreased, though an association between the decline and the color has not been definitely proven. Interestingly, the color also appears in many beloved classical artworks.

2) Nova Scotia Artist Sues Damien Hirst Over Charm Bracelets

A Nova Scotia artist is suing Damien Hirst over a series of charm bracelets. Colleen Wolstenholme claims that Hirst’s bracelets - which feature small charms in the shape of a number of different prescription pills and which Hirst has been producing since 2004 – are direct rip-offs of Wolstenholme’s own pill-shaped charms with which she adorns various types of accessories, including bracelets. Wolstenholme has brought her case to a Manhattan federal court as she and Hirst both regularly conduct business in the states. Though she holds a number of Canadian copyrights for her pill bracelets, the U.S. Copyright Office recently rejected her request for similar copyrights in America.

3) Long Lost Gauguin Recovered in Connecticut

A Connecticut auction house recently discovered a lost painting by the famed impressionist painter Paul Gaugin. The painting, which was acquired by the auction house after being owned for three decades by a retired Manhattan antiques dealer, now has an estimated value of between $800,000 and $1.2 million USD. It will be auctioned on June 29th by Litchfield County Auction. The painting, a still-life of red flowers in a vase, is titled “Summer Flowers” and is listed in Gauguin’s catalogue raisonné. The most recent catalogue image of the work had previously been taken in the 1940s.

4) AICA Offers Emerging Art Critics a Trip to Havana

Finally, for all aspiring art writers and critics out there, the International Association of Art Critics (AICA) has announced its fifth annual AICA Incentive Award for Young Critics. Hopefuls must submit an article or review on any subject pertaining to art produced in South American, Central American or the Caribbean. The winner of the contest, which runs until July 29th, will receive a trip to Havana, Cuba, to attend the AICA Congress from October 11 to 15th, 2016. Any critic under the age of 35 is encouraged to enter.