Jane Birkin’s inscribed Hermès Birkin heads to auction at Bonhams Paris.
A one-of-a-kind Hermès Birkin 30 once owned by Jane Birkin will be offered at Bonhams Paris’ Fashion & Handbags sale on November 25, with an estimate of €40,000 to €70,000. The 2009 bag, in black Togo leather, carries a handwritten inscription from Birkin in her signature white pen. In April 2010, the actress and singer was in Athens for the Francophone Film Festival when the eruption of Iceland’s Eyjafjallajökull volcano grounded flights, preventing her from joining her daughter Charlotte Gainsbourg in the U.S. She instead visited her friend Georgia and gave her the bag, inscribed in French: “Georgia, So that you may be safe, for us, your friends. Jane B (Birkin) Athens.” In 2021, Bonhams sold Birkin’s 1999 Birkin 35 for £119,000, far exceeding its £15,000 to £20,000 estimate.
Former High Museum of Art executive sentenced to 12 months in prison for embezzlement.
Brady Lum, former chief operating officer of Atlanta’s High Museum of Art, was sentenced to 12 months in federal prison for embezzling more than $600,000 from the institution. Federal prosecutors said Lum used museum funds for personal purchases, including guitars, music lessons, and woodworking equipment, and hid the spending through falsified invoices, reimbursement requests, and accounting adjustments. The scheme began in September 2019, less than nine months after he joined the museum, and continued until it was discovered in November 2025. Lum paid full restitution of $607,688.18 and voluntarily paid roughly $500,000 more to cover the museum’s investigation costs. U.S. District Judge Michael L. Brown said he didn’t consider Lum likely to reoffend but emphasized the need to deter similar crimes by others in positions of trust. He also noted that repaying funds after being caught carries less weight than returning them before detection.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame opens its $135 million expansion this month.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland is opening a $135 million expansion this month, with a community day set for November 22. Designed by Vishaan Chakrabarti’s New York firm Practice for Architecture and Urbanism (PAU), the project adds 50,000 square feet to the museum. The centerpiece is Baker Hall, an oval-shaped venue for up to 1,400 people. It’s the museum’s first true dedicated indoor music venue in its 31-year history. The expansion also adds the Haslam Atrium, a new entrance with views of Lake Erie named for Browns owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam after their $10 million gift, as well as the Taylor Family Community Park on the lakefront. PAU’s off-kilter triangular addition meets I.M. Pei’s original 1995 glass pyramid along a shared wall, where Chakrabarti deliberately left a muddy line marking the earth that once filled the site. “It’s not supposed to feel precious,” he said.
Coperni is shutting down after a dispute with its distributor.
Paris fashion label Coperni is closing. Co-founders Arnaud Vaillant and Sébastien Meyer confirmed that Coperni SAS, the brand’s main French operating entity, will cease all business activities after failing to resolve a dispute with distributor and shareholder Tomorrow over unpaid sums and licensing terms. Tensions escalated after Tomorrow terminated its licensing agreement amid unpaid debts, prompting Coperni to seek commercial court protection in Paris earlier this year. The situation grew more complicated when Tomorrow Ltd was acquired in March by Progetto 11, the holding company for The Level Group. Vaillant and Meyer attempted to buy back the brand, but unresolved governance disputes, financial strain, and the abrupt cancellation of the label’s Fall/Winter 2026 runway show ultimately forced the closure. “These eight years have been extraordinary,” the founders said in a statement, adding that they look ahead “with optimism and plenty of ideas.”
A Duyster painting stolen in 1940 is returning to Orléans after 85 years.
The Musée des Beaux-Arts d’Orléans has recovered Willem Cornelisz Duyster’s Un Buveur (The Drinker), a 17th-century Dutch painting stolen from the city’s Musée Paul Fourché after an attack on Orléans in 1940. The work resurfaced thanks to the museum’s “Wanted” campaign, which posted images of its stolen artworks under Wild West–style lettering across social media, its website, and the press. An Orléans resident who began searching online auctions for the missing works spotted the painting in the catalog for an October 17 sale at the Gloggner auction house in Lucerne. Initially listed as a study, it was confirmed as the original after the museum contacted the auction house. The owner, who bought the painting at a London auction in the 1990s, offered to return it as soon as he learned of its history. Museum director Olivia Voisin said he felt he had enjoyed it for 35 years “and it was time for it to go home.” The museum is still missing 424 paintings, including works by Édouard Manet, Hans Holbein the Younger, and Anthony van Dyck, along with one attributed to Raphael’s workshop. Three other paintings have been recovered since the campaign began.
Attractive Distractions:
Art dealer Matthew Shamnoski is rewriting the story of postwar American art.
Chanel’s Matthieu Blazy co-chaired Dia Art Foundation’s gala honoring Steve McQueen and Roni Horn.
Rimowa’s Original Collection suitcases can now be customized in 12 colors.
Salvador Dalí’s melting clocks have been rebuilt as a LEGO diorama.
