"The art market's crash -- for that is what it is -- threatens to remake the art world. In the past few weeks, auctioneers, dealers, artists and collectors have changed strategies and policies, and it's likely that future changes will be even more sweeping. ... Here, a look at how the art-market retrenchment will affect its players...."...

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"Some of Rome's most visited museums and monuments are staying shut as ticket-booth workers and security guards stage a one-day strike amid fears of job cuts. The city-owned company that manages museums in the Italian capital - Zetema - says the walkout has closed several venues."...

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"When the National Museum of American History reopens on Friday after two years and $85 million of renovation, it may begin to shed its reputation as one of the more cramped and confounding corners of the Smithsonian Institution. ... [A] central five-story atrium now streams with daylight, promising other forms of illumination as the visitor heads off to the new or refreshed displays, with others to open in the next few months."...

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"Amid news that the Museum of Contemporary Art is facing a financial disaster -- and unconfirmed reports that MOCA trustees are pursuing a merger with the Los Angeles County Museum of Art -- leaders of other Southern California cultural institutions have reacted with dismay. ... Although rumors of MOCA's woes have traveled through art circles for weeks, the drastic measures under consideration came as a shock to many arts leaders."...

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