Friday Links: The Colossus of Rhodes is coming back–bigger!

Photographer: Robert Howlett | Isambard Kingdom Brunel, builder of the Great Eastern | ca. 1857-1858 | George Eastman House, eastmanhouse.org

Some stories we’ve been reading this week:

• “When I came to New York, a couple of ladies sent me needlepoint pillows.” The forgotten story of Frank Stella’s cushions.
• There are a number of risks associated with art restoration: you may damage the work, you may inadvertently change the original, and, oddly, you might be surprised by what you might uncover.
• Greece is planning on recreating the legendary Colossus of Rhodes, one of the original Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Times being what they are, this one is going to be four times the size of the long-lost original.
• Artist Harry Smith picked up every paper airplane he saw on the streets of Manhattan from 1961 to 1983. They look amazing.

• In need of an artist’s statement? Just fill out this form and voilà!
• The world’s largest cat painting, featuring 42 felines, sold this week for $826,000 (that’s more than $19,000 per cat). And it’s a sight to behold.
• And finally, is this the earliest known artwork in the UK?