Louvre remains closed, while hundreds of works are damaged at the Musée Girodet

Our daily round-up of news from the art world

Paris floods: Grand Palais reopens but Louvre remains closed | As reported on Friday, several major museums and cultural attractions in Paris have closed their doors due to the very real threat of the Seine bursting its banks. While the Grand Palais has reopened to visitors, both the Louvre and the Musée d’Orsay remain closed (French language article). Both are scheduled to reopen on Wednesday. Meanwhile in Montargis, just to the south of Paris, Le Figaro reports that the Musée Girodet’s underground storage facilities were flooded when the Canal de Briare overflowed (French language article). A large part of the museum’s collection has been damaged by the water, including works by the 19^th-century sculptor Henri de Triqueti. According to museum official Claire Hansen-Béales, ‘hundreds of works of art and archaeological objects’ were submerged when the water flooded the basement. For more on the evacuation of the Louvre’s basement storage facilities, see the New York Times’s coverage here.

Restored Sebastiano del Piombo masterpiece to go back on show | Sebastiano del Piombo’s The Adoration of the Shepherds (c. 1510) is to go back on display at the Fitzwilliam Museum after 300 years in storage. The painting, which was acquired by museum founder Viscount Fitzwilliam in 1816, was severely damaged when it was removed from a wooden panel and painted over in the 1700s. The restoration has taken over a decade and will be revealed later this year as part of the museum’s bicentenary celebrations.

Gilbert & George announce plans for East London museum | Professional oddballs Gilbert & George are planning to convert an East London townhouse into a nonprofit gallery and foundation for the arts, reports the Guardian. Gilbert & George, who have lived in the area since the 1960s, acquired the Heneage Street property last year and intend to furnish it with an exhibition space and a new basement level, completely refurbishing the structure itself.

Lynette Yiadom-Boakye wins Sky Arts award | After much speculation, Lynette Yiadom-Boakye has won in the visual art category of the South Bank Sky Arts Awards for her exhibition at London’s Serpentine Gallery last year. However, Yiadom-Boakye’s victory has gone almost unreported, with most attention paid to the fact that street artist Banksy failed to turn up to the event, scotching rumours that he would finally reveal his true identity.

Trevor Paglen wins Deutsche Börse photography prize | American photographer Trevor Paglen has been awarded the prestigious Deutsche Börse photography prize. Paglen, who made his name chronicling the culture of mass surveillance, has won for his project The Octopus, which addresses topical subjects including drone warfare. Along with work by the other shortlisted photographers, the project is on show at London’s Photographers’ Gallery until 3 July.

Christie’s to auction the collection of Brian Sewell | Christie’s is to sell the collection of the late Brian Sewell, who worked at the auction house between 1958 and 1967. The sale, which is comprised of 200 lots including Old Master paintings and drawings and Modern British art, is expected to fetch around £2 million, with prices ranging from £1,000 to £600,000.