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Weekend Watch: “How to Steal a Million” (1966)

Continuing the theme of art crimes, we suggest you entertain yourself with a timeless classic. "How to Steal a Million" is a sparkling heist comedy set in the glamorous Parisian art scene — with Audrey Hepburn as the daughter of a charming art forger, and Peter O’Toole as the mysterious gentleman enlisted to help her... to pull off a robbery at the city’s museum.

Bon week-end!

#DAFESWatchlist #AudreyHepburn #OldMovies

The Nightmare of Every Museum Curator
Inspired by the news of the damaged “Van Gogh’s Chair” (see yesterday’s post), we’ve gathered 5 famous moments when visitors crossed the fragile line between admiration and destruction.

Let this be a reminder: admire, study, sketch — but never touch (or try to make a selfie)!

#MuseumFails #ArtCrimes

Hard week for the Art industry!
Usually not very fruitful for news, this week, the Art World has one scandal after another — each one highlighting urgent issues of our time. And isn’t that, after all, one of the core functions of art — to hold a mirror to society?

"Sometimes we lose our brains to take a picture, and we don't think about the consequences," says Vanessa Carlon, Palazzo Maffei (Verona, Italy) director. Her comment follows the release of footage showing museum visitors climbing onto Nicola Bolla’s “Van Gogh Chair” for selfies. One of them slipped and crushed the artwork. The visitors fled before staff could intervene.

Overtourism puts the Louvre on strike.
On Monday, Louvre employees went on a major strike and closed the museum due to unbearable working conditions caused by overtourism. The last straw? A government proposal to increase attendance, without dealing with the understaffing.
Recently, activists across Europe have been staging protests against overtourism and its impact on local life. On Sunday in Barcelona and Mallorca in Spain, protesters turned water guns on tourists as part of one such demonstration.

Rubens or not?
The former curator of the National Gallery in London, Christopher Brown, told The Guardian, that one of the Gallery's most celebrated paintings — “Samson and Delilah” by Peter Paul Rubens — is most likely a decoy. He revealed that in the 20th century, the back of the painting had been removed and replaced with a plywood panel, destroying crucial indicators of authenticity such as stamps, monograms, and antique wood.
Many art historians had already raised concerns: the anatomy of the figures is unusual, the brushwork is notably crude, and the typical craquelure of old paint is absent. Despite this, the National Gallery insists the painting is genuine. But the official attribution was made by Ludwig Burchard, a figure whose credibility has long been in question: dozens of artworks he “discovered” were later exposed as forgeries...

#ArtIndustry #ArtNews #ArtScandal #Overtourism #Louvre #MuseumProtests #ArtAuthenticity #Rubens #ArtHistory #ContemporaryArt #ArtEvents #ArtCommunity #ArtCritique

Free online games for designers, which improve creativity (part 2):

Shape Type — Complete iconic typefaces by reshaping individual letters.
It’s Centered That — Test your alignment skills by placing elements exactly where they belong.
Pixact.ly — Recreate the exact dimensions of shapes using only your perception.

Whether you're a student, educator, or practicing designer, it’s always a good time to revisit the fundamentals — and why not do it playfully?

#DesignSkills #GraphicDesign #DesignEducation

5 facts about Giorgio Armani:

1. From Medicine to Fashion
Before entering the fashion world, Armani studied medicine at the University of Milan. He left his studies to work as a photography assistant. This experience shaped his visual sensibility and understanding of composition.

2. A New Language of Style
In 1975, Giorgio Armani launched his own fashion house. Five years after he revolutionized fashion by redefining the power suit. His jackets blurred the lines between masculinity and femininity, setting a new standard for elegance.

3. Pioneer of Lifestyle Branding
Armani became one of the first designers to extend his name beyond clothing. His empire now includes Armani Casa (interior design), Armani Hotels, Emporio Armani cafés, an Armani luxury spa, and the Armani/Silos exhibition hall.

4. The Patron of the Arts
Since 1984, Giorgio Armani has made significant donations, which have helped restore iconic Italian sites, including the San Fruttuoso Abbey in Camogli and Villa Necchi Campiglio in Milan.

5. A Self-Made Billionaire
Armani remains one of the few designers who owns 100% of his company. This rare level of independence has allowed him to maintain a consistent aesthetic and vision over the decades.

#FashionHistory #GiorgioArmani

Weekend Reading Recommendation:
This weekend, take time to explore "On Photography" by Susan Sontag — a collection of essays she originally published in "The New York Review of Books" in the 1970s.

More than a book about photography, it’s a profound reflection on how images shape our perception of reality, memory, and identity.

For creatives working with visual media — from designers and photographers to educators and curators — Sontag’s essays remain sharply relevant. She challenges us to think critically about the ethics of seeing, the power of representation, and the role of images in both personal and public life.

This read won’t offer easy answers, but it will transform how you look at the world and your work.

Have you already read it? Share your review in the comments!

#WeekendRecommendation #DAFESLearning #ArtAndDesign #VisualCulture #CreativePractice #WeekendReading

Do you remember our overview of Labubu’s early rise, recalling how a set of 3 figures was sold at Sotheby’s back in 2021? Yesterday, the toy made headlines again — Yongle Auction House (Beijing, China) held the world’s first-ever Labubu auction, and the results were astonishing!

All 48 lots were sold, bringing in a total of about $520,000 (according to NBC News).
The top 3 lots:
— A 1,2 m tall mint-green Labubu for $170,000;
— A 1,5 m tall brown Labubu for over $130,000;
— "Three Wise Labubu" (the set of 3 figures we told you about last week) was sold for more than $80,000.

But here’s a question for you:
Do you think it’s appropriate to auction pieces like Labubu alongside traditional works of art?

#DAFESCulture #Labubu #VisualCulture #CreativeCommunity #AuctionHouse

3 games for designers — master kerning, Bézier curves, color theory, alignment, and proportions with these free online games:

Kerntype — Adjust the spacing between letters and learn the art of optical kerning.
Color.Method — Train your eye in hue, saturation, brightness, and harmony through color challenges.
The Bézier Game — Practice drawing smooth curves with the pen tool.

Try them and share with us your experience!

#kerning #beziercurves #colortheory #typography #graphicdesign #designskills

The winners of the HSE x ITS competition "Art of Reframe," where participants created alternative cinema posters:

I place
- "Killer dancing" by Polina Dubich;
- "Night watch" by Nisa Hanifah.

II place
- "Fall" by Timur Samudera;
- "Bumi Manusia" by Sonia Kim.

III place
- "Fall" by Naira Putri;
- "Kuyang" by Anita Kozyulina.

Thank you for your participation! We look forward to seeing your new ideas and artworks in the following competitions!

#creativeawards #graphicdesign #HSEcompetitions #posterdesign