My Word July 2026
My Word - Mid-Summer Market Perspectives
It is already mid-summer. As Europe prepares for its traditional August recess and the U.S. winds down hosting the FIFA 2026 World Cup, we find ourselves reflecting on the deep-rooted human passion for sport. In celebration of the games, we have put together a fascinating comparative look at the ancient Veracruz Pre-Columbian ballgame and contemporary soccer.
AI, Provenance, and Cascading Authority
This newsletter continues to evolve alongside the profound impact of artificial intelligence and the art world's ongoing efforts to navigate its utility. To that end, Mark Rasmussen has written two essential pieces for this issue:
The Authentication Process: A deep dive into modern methodologies.
Cascading Authority: An analysis of how and why the art world frequently accepts long-standing, unexamined observations as established fact without rigorous re-examination.
Institutional Shifts & Art World Eccentricities
Museums globally are struggling to find a foundational approach to serving modern audiences, a topic we expand upon in our feature on democratizing museums.
As a lighter buffer to these heavy industry shifts, we have also compiled a retrospective look at five crazy moments in the art world that defined the first half of this year.
Restitution and Legal Precedents
Finally, we track the compelling story behind the return of the Laxtunich Maya lintel. Its restitution provides an invaluable historical and legal comparison to the landmark Ben Johnson and McClain cases, offering critical insights into the evolving landscape of cultural patrimony law.
A Factual Note on the Legal Precedents
The McClain Doctrine (, 1977/1979): Established that a foreign nation's clear, unambiguous ownership laws regarding undiscovered cultural property can be enforced under the National Stolen Property Act (NSPA) in U.S. courts, a foundational pillar when assessing the repatriation framework of pieces like the Laxtunich lintel.
