A stunning sculpture entitled "Lion Man" has been updated with the discovery of 1000 new fragments. The piece is now considered the world's oldest figurative sculpture. It was originally discovered right before the outbreak of World War II, with 30% of its mass missing. Conservators are now removing the modern glue that was used in 1989 to reconstruct it, and instead using computer technology to refigure the work.

The art of basketry and weaving has not lost its master craftsmen, as evidenced by these exquisite works from the Cavin-Morris Gallery. Produced in 2012, the pieces have retained their strength and reawaken our eyes to the beauty of woven forms. Note that some rather unusual materials are in play here, like vinyl chloride and crystal vinyl.

A truly green piece of architecture has been proposed for the city of London. The waste products discarded by its residents will be recycled onto a permanent scaffolding planned to grow as more waste is produced and reused. A recycling plant on the roof will turn the waste into greenery that will fold around the scaffolding.

Is it possible we put art in museums because we don't want it too close to ourselves? Are there things we don't want to face, although we know they are part of life? These are questions that arise from a recent conflict that took place in Old Westbury, New York. A collector installed a 33' 13 ton statue of a naked pregnant woman on his front lawn. Never mind that it was created by Damien Hirst: the neighbors were infuriated. Hirst's sculpture was described by the village's mayor as "out of character with the neighborhood" and belonging rather to a medical institution dedicated to obstetrics and gynecology. Never mind also that the collector/owner/resident, Aby Rosen, is Chairman of the New York Council on the Arts. Mr. Rosen is no stranger to art controversy, as this article points out.

For an intimate and devastating account of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79, we turn to the British Museum. Their site quotes from the writings of Pliny the Younger, who not only survived the catastrophe but left us his first-hand account of what happened to structures and people in both Pompeii and Herculaneum. Accompanied by photos of some artifacts from the period, Pliny's words lend an awesome immediacy to the cataclysmic event.

It is being called "Table Topography", wood furniture with glass insets that resemble rivers and lakes. Greg Klassen takes wood from discarded or dying trees and embeds within it pieces of glass, hand cut to resemble the outlines of bodies of water in the Pacific Northwest where he lives and works.

Four contemporary women photographers are being shown in New York City for the first time,as they reveal their perspectives on the impact of technology and Western thought on the world of Islam. Each woman brings a unique perspective to the crossroads of ideologies and each is a superb documentarian.

You are probably aware that Jefff Koons is the talk of the art world right now, with a giant retrospective at the Whitney Museum in New York, huge balloons at the Louvre, lecturing at the Frick. Although he is no stranger to controversy, Koons has certainly made his mark on the art world. You will have to form your own opinions, but this article in Vanity Fair magazine will give you some background on this art world star. An additional article in the Wall Street Journal takes a less reverential view of the Whitney Exhibition.

The newest project out of Germany is one called RoboEarth, in which robots teach other robots how to respond to humans. The Institute for Artificial Intelligence at the University of Bremen is using a cloud network to take data from the web and translate it into meaningful responses from bots. Six universitites are cooperating in the research, which is funded by the European Union. A more complete article is available on Bloomberg Businessweek.

Zach Lieberman uses computer code to create new forms of art which he sees as a kind of poetry. His installations use sound, drawing, light, music, objects found in hardware stores. His goal is to bring life into code, trying to answer such questions as "what if?".

The Telegraph newspaper in the U.K. takes us inside the New York home of Louise Bourgeois. The townhouse has not been touched since the artist's death. It measures only thirteen feet wide, and yet she filled every crevice and nook with examples of her art.

Two metal artists in Maine have created Anviljac Studios to create their evocative outdoor sculptures. I had occasion to see a pair of these pieces in Kennebunkport recently, and it is impossible not to be impressed by how these sculptures interact with the wind and the waves. The sculptors' preferred material seems to be powder-coated steel which they handle with grace and precision.

If you are ready for a chuckle and a guffaw, think about creatures like the Absolutely Abstemious Ass and the Dolomphious Duck as you visit a site with Edward Lear's "Twenty-Six Nonsense Rhymes and Pictures". In his inimitable style, Lear takes us through an alphabet of delightful drawings and even more fetching comments. In a world obsessed with wars and killings, this light-hearted poke at our foibles is a relief indeed.

Project Color Falls was commissioned by the Atlanta Office of Cultural Affairs, aiming to bring new life to familiar urban surroundings. The artists used thousands of feet of acrylic braid which they superimposed over an existing seventeen foot curving wall of water. Wind and sunlight altered the motion and color of the braids, bringing animation to the wall. An existing city landmark was thus enlivened without being destroyed, creating an area of conversation in the city.

John Newman at the Tibor de Nagy Gallery combines ordinary materials in unusual ways, bringing delight to the eyes. His sense of humor, color and design are evident in these constructions. Newman uses items like copper, ceramics, putty, Japanese paper, steel and wire to create his imaginative forms. They should make you smile.

Don't be surprised if you meet up with a creature named Pepper. At four feet in height, this humanoid robot includes a laser sensor, twelve hours of battery life, and a sense of humor. Produced by Hon Hai Precision Industry company, Pepper can dance and make jokes. You will be able to buy one next year for roughly two thousand US dollars.