In addition, there’s renewed hope for a lost Caravaggio stolen by the mob, and the super-realist painter Malcolm Morley has passed away at 86.

Fresh Hope for a Stolen Caravaggio? – New evidence has sparked optimism that Caravaggio’s nativity altarpiece, stolen in 1969, might be recovered—or at least that experts could uncover its fate. Mafia informant Gaetano Grado revealed to investigators that the painting ended up with a prominent Sicilian mobster who died in 2004. This mobster allegedly passed it to a Swiss art dealer, who suggested that the altarpiece should be cut into pieces. (New York Times)

Steve Cohen on Office Art – At the Museum of Modern Art’s Party in the Garden last week, billionaire Steve Cohen shared his thoughts on his art collection and his employees’ tastes. “They like art that’s square or rectangular,” he remarked. “Anything circular they hate.” His art advisor, Sandy Heller, chimed in, clarifying, “He means geometric abstraction.” But Cohen remained firm: “No, I’m serious. They don’t like circles.” (Bloomberg)

Kerry James Marshall on Diddy’s Big Purchase – The artist reflected on the recent record-setting sale of his work Past Times (1997), which Diddy purchased for $21.1 million at Sotheby’s in New York last month. Marshall noted, “This is probably the first instance in the history of the art world where a Black person participated in a capital competition and won.” (The Art Newspaper)

Stanley Spencer Painting Recovered in Drug Bust – A landscape painting stolen while on loan to the Stanley Spencer Gallery in Cookham, England, has been recovered from under the bed of a London drug dealer. Valued at $1.3 million, it was discovered alongside his stash of cocaine and ecstasy tablets. (BBC)