1) Tracey Emin Launches High-End Jewelry Line

Young British Artist Tracey Emin has officially launched her first jewelry collection, with a number of pieces directly that seem to directly translate the artist’s works into a wearable medium.  The 50-piece collection, titled I Promise To Love You is a collaboration between Emin and designer Stephen Webster. The full collection, many pieces of which are modeled from Emin’s text-based graffiti artworks, will be available on Webster’s website beginning February 10th.

2) Former Refugee Wins Big for Art

Former Cambodian refugee Svay Sareth won a $30,000 USD prize at the Prudential Eye Awards for Contemporary Asian Art after his work was featured in the Singapore Biennale. Named "Overall Best Emerging Artist", Sareth also received a formal citation and an invitation to exhibit his work at the Saatchi Gallery in London later this year. Sareth additionally won the prize for best emerging artist in the sculpture category, solidifying himself as a name to watch out for in coming years.

3) Trailer Full of Sought-After Art Disappears from LA Industrial Park

A trailer full of expensive art from renowned artists included Matisse and Chagall was stolen from an industrial park in Los Angeles. The 24-foot rectangular truck trailer reportedly held $250,000 in artworks that have been missing since the truck’s disappearance in late November. LA police are still gathering information about the total number of, and nature of the stolen artworks. As of yet, little information about the nature of the disappearance has been released to  the public.

4) Dresden Buys Back Nazi-Confiscated "Degenerate Art"

Strassenbild vor dem Friseurladen (street scene in front of the hair salon) by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner

The Dresden State Art Collections in Germany have bought back a painting that was seized by the Nazis 80 years ago, cited by the hate group as “degenerate art.” The painting in question, Strassenbild vor dem Friseurladen (street scene in front of the hair salon) by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, is notable for upholding the aesthetic values of the Die Brucke movement of the early 1900’s, and showcases a snapshot of life in an increasingly modern metropolis. Dresden bough the painting from its most recent owners, the Galerie Henze and Ketterer in Switzerland.

5) Artist Arrested for Performing Nude in Front of Olympia

Olympia by Edouard Manet

A performance artist was arrested for indecent exposure after posing nude in front of Manet’s Olympia at the Musée d’Orsay in Paris. The painting was being shown as a part of the exhibition Splendour and Misery: Images of Prostitution 1850-1910. Deborah de Robertis, the artist in question, justified her work by noting that she had been wearing a portable camera in order to record her unsuspecting audience’s reactions – however, police escorted her away after she refused to redress and leave the premises.