Art news daily: 16 September

Our daily round-up of news from the art world

Maurizio Cattelan sculpture stolen from Blenheim Palace | America, a sculpture by the Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan which takes the form of a fully functioning, 18-carat gold toilet, was stolen from an exhibition at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire in the early hours of Saturday morning (14 September). Police have stated that they believe a gang of thieves used at least two vehicles to organise the theft, while Cattelan has roundly dismissed suspicions that he might have orchestrated the removal of the work as a prank. At the time of writing one suspect has been remanded in custody, but the whereabouts of the toilet remain unknown.

Daniel Buren painting attacked at the Pompidou | A painting by the French conceptual artist Daniel Buren was seriously damaged by an attacker with a knife at the Pompidou Centre in Paris last Thursday (12 September). The museum has filed a claim with the police, and stated that it understands the suspect has been transferred to a psychiatric unit. The work, Peinture (Manifestation 3) (1967), has been removed from display to the Pompidou’s stores while an assessment of the damage and of restoration procedures is completed.

Rumours of Prince Philip statue at Trafalgar Square dismissed | The Mayor of London’s office has dismissed claims that a permanent monument to Prince Philip is planned for the fourth plinth at Trafalgar Square – a move that would put an end to the Fourth Plinth series of contemporary sculpture, which has been organised by the Mayor’s office since 1999. Responding to the claims, which were first published in yesterday’s Sunday Times, the deputy mayor for culture and creative industries Justine Simons stated: ‘There are currently no plans for a permanent statue or sculpture of any description to occupy the plinth.’

Recommended reading | In Artforum, Mona Hatoum discusses how ruined buildings have influenced the work in her current exhibition at White Cube in London. In the New York Times, Sophie Haigney ventures with photographer Thomas Prior into ARCIS – an ultra-secure art storage facility in New York.