50 Most Endangered Heritage Sites Named

Our daily round-up of news from the art world

World Monuments Fund Lists 50 Most Endangered Heritage Sites | The World Monuments Fund has released a list of what it considers to be the 50 sites at greatest risk from neglect, natural disaster or war. Sites across the globe are named, including notable entries in the USA and Great Britain. Surprisingly, Syria does not feature on the agenda. According to the WMF’s Vice President, the situation in the war-torn Middle Eastern country means the threat to its heritage ‘rises…above any one monument’.

Thomas Jefferson Statue Provokes Debate in Missouri | A statue of Founding Father and third US President Thomas Jefferson has sparked debate on the campus of the University of Missouri, reports the LA Times. An online petition has demanded the statue’s removal on the grounds that Jefferson, the third President of the USA, was a known slave owner, and is rumoured to have fathered a child with a teenage slave. A counter protest in favour of the statue, which was unveiled in 2001, has attracted more support than the anti campaign has so far mustered. Political correctness gone mad or uncomfortable truth?

Sagrada Família Enters Final Stage of Construction | Over a century after its foundations were laid, Barcelona’s Sagrada Família cathedral is finally approaching completion. Designed by divisive architect Antoni Gaudí, parts of the cathedral have for years been obscured from view by cranes and supports. Still, don’t hold your breath for the opening: the architects tasked with the project estimate work will not finish until 2030 at the earliest.

Turner Prize Nominated Assemble Collective to Open Shop | Architectural collective Assemble, whose Granby Four Streets project has been shortlisted for this year’s Turner Prize, have announced plans to sell locally made homeware from their workshop in Liverpool’s Toxteth, reports Dezeen. For ethical Christmas shopping, look no further.

Günther Uecker Awarded NRW Prize | The German state of North Rhine-Westphalia has awarded its prestigious Staatspreis for culture to artist Günther Uecker, reports Artnet News. Düsseldorf-based Uecker, an early member of the ZERO movement, will be awarded €25,000 and join previous laureates including Pina Bausch, Gerhard Richter and Rosemarie Trockel.

Author Laurie Lee’s Paintings to go on Show in London | Cider with Rosie author Laurie Lee was not known as a painter in his lifetime, but evidence found in his study after his death suggests that he was a prolific painter. A selection of his works are to go on show at the Works on Paper fair in London next February, charting the development of the writer’s hitherto ignored creative outlet. Whether or not Lee kept his hobby secret for a reason, we will have to wait and see.