Archaeologists unearth ‘little Pompeii’ in southeastern France

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Archaeologists unearth ‘little Pompeii’ in southeastern France | French archaeologists conducting a dig on the outskirts of the southeastern city of Vienne, near Lyon, have announced the unearthing of an entire ancient Roman neighbourhood, which contains homes dating to 100 AD and which appears to have been abandoned after a series of fires. Benjamin Clement, the archaeologist leading the dig, described the site as a ‘real little Pompeii’, whose remains had been remarkably well preserved, and the discovery as ‘undoubtedly the most exceptional excavation of a Roman site in 40 or 50 years’. Excavations of the site, which was uncovered on land awaiting housing construction work, were due to end in mid-September but have now been extended until the end of 2017 by the French state.

LACMA names Mark Bradford and George Lucas as Art+Film Gala honourees | The honourees of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s annual Art+Film Gala have been announced: LA artist Mark Bradford and Star Wars director George Lucas, founder of the in-development Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, also in LA. This year’s edition of the gala, the museum’s premium fundraiser, will be co-chaired by museum trustee Eva Chow and actor Leonardo DiCaprio, and will take place on 4 November. Last year’s event, which raised more than $3.6 million, honoured filmmaker Kathryn Bigelow alongside installation artist Robert Irwin.

Last-minute donation saves Victoria’s Castlemaine Art Museum from closure | The Castlemaine Art Museum in Victoria, Australia has been rescued from closure at the last minute by an anonymous donation of $250,000 (AUSD), Business Insider reports. The 104-year-old museum was scheduled to close for a seven-month period on 11 August due to ‘a range of financial and operational challenges’. This donation by an unnamed Victoria couple – facilitated by the Australia branch of Sotheby’s auction house – will secure the institution’s future for the next two years.

Concetto Pozzati (1935–2017) | Italian painter Concetto Pozzati has died aged 81. Born in the town of Vò in Padua, Pozzati spent his early years working in graphic design and advertising in Paris before returning to Italy, where he served as cultural advisor to the city of Bologna in the 1990s. He was a five-time participant in the Venice Biennale, most recently appearing in its 2009 edition.