Seventeenth-century paintings return to Windsor Castle after 150 years

Grace Witherden

Visitors at Windsor Castle will get to see two newly conserved paintings by the mysterious 17th-century Armenian artist Marcos.

The paintings have been installed in the King's Dining Room at Windsor Castle for the first time in 150 years. They were last recorded within the castle in the early 1870s.

Marcos is otherwise unknown and it is not known how or when the paintings arrived in England. They were first recorded as hanging at Windsor Castle in James II’s inventory in 1688, and subsequently hung at Kensington Palace and Hampton Court Palace. 

MoMA’s subtle act of protest against Trump is a quiet but powerful show of resistance (Marcos Grigorian's works)

Caroline Framke

 

Resistance to the Trump administration has taken the form of rallies, speeches, fundraisers, boycotts, fervent Facebook posts, a sea of knitted pink hats. It’s been loud, determinedly visible, and often furious.

So if you walk through the stark halls of New York City’s Museum of Modern Art, you might not immediately peg it as a site of fiery protest. But thanks to some pointed tweaks to the museum’s most iconic exhibit — the 1880s–1950s collection — that’s exactly what the museum has become.

As the New York Times reported last week, MoMA has quietly taken down several Western works by artists like Matisse and Picasso in favor of pieces from those like British-Iraqi painter Zaha Hadid and Sudanese artist Ibrahim el-Salahi — in other words, artists from the countries included under President Trump’s recent attempts to crack down on immigration via executive order.

And as the order continues to be debated and restrained in court, MoMA confirmed to Vox that “there is no scheduled end date” for this display. In fact, said MoMA director Margaret Doyle, they “expect more works from the banned countries to be installed.”

The Armenians of Singapore: An Historical Perspective

 Nadia Wright

Travellers visiting the bustling city-state of Singapore may not be aware of the great impact made by the Armenians who form one of its smallest minorities. Between 1820 and 2000, fewer than 700 Armenians ever lived in Singapore. Although most were transient, with a mere 12 families residing for three generations, they have left a legacy incommensurate with their numbers. Along with the Church of St. Gregory the Illuminator, the oldest existing church in Singapore and its parsonage, there are other reminders of the Armenian presence. These include Raffles Hotel, the Straits Times newspaper, and Singapore’s national flower, Vanda Miss Joaquim.