NYC Mayor Mamdani Approves Record $323M Funding for Culture

Mayor Zohran Mamdani and the City Council will provide the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA) with its highest-ever yearly appropriation as part of the city’s Fiscal Year 2027 budget.

A spokesperson for the Mayor’s Office told Hyperallergic that the city government will give $323.8 million to the agency, which administers public funding to arts institutions throughout the city. The appropriation marks a nearly 7% increase from last year’s then-record $299.6 million investment.

Via Hyperallergic

Louvre Jewel Heist Suspects Claim ‘Mysterious Sponsor’ Recruited Them

The alleged mastermind reportedly sent the pair a video filmed inside the Apollo Gallery, showing the royal jewels on display, along with concise instructions: break the gallery’s windows and retrieve the jewelry from the display cases. Abdoulaye N., a former motocross social media star who, by his own admission, was in desperate need of money, said he was promised between 15,000 and 20,000 euros to break into the Louvre—“maybe more,” depending on the outcome.

For his part, Ghelamallah A. claimed he had been told the target was “a jewelry store where jewelry is made in Paris,” not the world’s most-visited museum. “I would never have set foot there if I had known,” he said, adding that he had been offered between 20,000 and 25,000 euros. 

Via ARTnews

Heritage Auctions Posts Record $1.4 Billion Mid-Year Total, as Collectibles Market Roars

Heritage Auctions said today that it had more than $1.4 billion in sales through June, the highest mid-year total in the company’s 50-year history. 

That is a roughly 47 percent jump over Heritage’s 2025 mid-year total of $962 million. If the pace continues, the Dallas-based house is poised to eclipse its annual sales record of $2.15 billion, which was set in 2025. That made it the year’s third highest-selling auction house, behind only Sotheby’s and Christie’s.

Via artnet

Image: CC0 Public Domain