The Site Where Alexander the Great was Crowned King Reopens and More News

List of Artists Used to Train Midjourney Leaked Online

Copyright lawsuits against Stability AI, Midjourney and other generative artificial intelligence programs have been ongoing since early 2023. But it wasn’t until last month, December 31, when Riot Games artist Jon Lam posted screenshots on X of a prior communication thread that we got to see it spelled out. Hyperallergic reports that the thread shows Midjourney founder and CEO David Holz and other Midjourney developers discussing how the database was fed the work of thousands of artists. Some of the names included on a Google spreadsheet called the “Midjourney Style List” were Jean-Michel Basquiat, Salvador Dalí, Marcel Duchamp, Frida Kahlo, David Hockney, Damien Hirst, David Lynch, Joan Miró, Joan Mitchell, Claude Monet, Yoko Ono, Cy Twombly and Andy Warhol. The list also includes cartoonists and illustrators like Sarah Andersen, Julia Kaye, and Gerald Brom, who are among those that banded together to file a class action lawsuit against the programs for the unlicensed use of their work.

Frick Collection's Ian Wardropper to Retire

Ian Wardropper, who has been with the Frick Collection since 2011, has acted as a proactive force in modernizing the museum both in terms of what it showcases and how. While in charge of the collection, The Frick began displaying contemporary work in conjunction with Old Masters, in addition to the recirculation of longtime stored pieces like Bellini’s 1478 painting St. Francis in the Desert. However, it’s more what’s happening to the museum rather than inside of it that has been drawing attention. Major renovations overseen by Selldorf Architects were announced in 2014. The project is expected to be unveiled this spring and has cost the institution a confirmed $195 million, but will add 42,000 square feet of additional gallery space, new classrooms, a 220-seat auditorium, and updated conservation laboratories.

Auction House Merger Creates New Contender

Freeman’s, the 200-year-old Philadelphia auction house, teamed up with its much younger partner, Hindman (formed in 2019), earlier this week. The auction house has the largest nationwide presence in the country with offices in Atlanta, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Detroit, the city of Naples in Florida, Milwaukee, Richmond, San Diego, Scottsdale, and St. Louis. On February 27, 2024, Freeman’s | Hindman will launch “What Do You See?” the first of two auctions for the late Sidney Rothberg’s collection.