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Louvre Museum sends famous Cupid painting to Minneapolis
PARIS -- The Louvre Museum has sent it's famous 'Cupid and Pschye' painting to a Minneapolis museum for a show, just in time for Valentine's Day. The painting depicts a beautiful young woman being woed by winged Cupid. The painting, from 1798, is often reproduced for the Louvre's souvenior shops. The painting by Baron Francois Gerard usually hangs in a spot in the Paris musuem near the Mona Lisa. It's the first time it has been shown in the United States. In exchange for the Cupid painting, the Minneapolis Institute of Arts sent a neoclassical painting by Girodet to Paris. It's called "Mademoiselle Lange as Danae" and was painted in 1799.

More stolen artwork is recovered
ST LOUIS -- The FBI said that it has recovered additional pieces from a $4 million trove of art that was stolen four years ago from storage in Bridgeton. But authorities are not revealing where the loot was found. Officials said they recently discovered 21 paintings and other pieces of art that had been taken from the collection of David and Diane Harter of Florida in 2002. In addition, the FBI said it turned up 12 other works suspected of having been stolen and that agents are attempting to identify the owners.

N.Y. museum's giveback of art to Italy brings a reward
ROME -- New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art will return 21 looted artifacts to Italy in exchange for loans of other treasures in a deal that the Italians called a model for other museums with stolen goods in their collections. Met chief Philippe de Montebello said the agreement with officials from the Italian Culture Ministry "corrects a number of improprieties and errors committed in the past" and will encourage museums to put in place new legal and ethical measures. The deal calls for the Met to return the Euphronios Krater, a 6th-century B.C. painted vase that is widely regarded as one of the finest examples of its kind. The museum bought the vase from an American art dealer for $1 million in 1972. Italy says it was stolen from a site near Rome. The Met agreed to give it back to Italy by Jan. 15, 2008. In exchange for the vase and other antiquities, Italy will loan the Met objects of "equal beauty and historical and cultural significance," and the two sides will cooperate on future excavations, research and restoration work.

Tampa art museum plan gets City Council's OK
TAMPA -- Plans to relocate the Tampa Museum of Art to another nearby building moved a giant step closer. The Tampa City Council approved Mayor Pam Iorio's request to move the museum to the Pavilion building, next to Rivergate Tower at 400 N. Ashley Drive. The museum's board of trustees approved the plan Feb. 15. The council's vote was 5-1 in favor of the museum plan, with Councilwoman Rose Ferlita being the only dissenting vote. Councilwoman Gwen Miller was absent from the meeting. The City of Tampa and the museum signed a letter of intent with the building's owner, America's Capital Partners, to buy the 28,000-square-foot Pavilion for $5.7 million. In exchange, ACP would buy the building's parking deck from the city for $4.5 million. The city has agreed to allocate $20 million of Community Investment Tax funds for the project. Iorio has set a May 1 deadline to complete all necessary transactions.

Florida Studio Theatre Goes International
SARASOTA -- Staff from Florida Studio Theatre’s WRITE A PLAY tour will travel to Tel Mond, Israel from March 3-9 as part of a cultural exchange program. Florida Studio Theatre established a connection to Tel Mond, which is one of Sarasota’s Sister Cities, in 2001 when four winning playwrights traveled from Israel to Florida for the FST’s Young Playwrights Festival. The WRITE A PLAY workshops in Te l Mond will be similar to FST’s stateside program according to Kate Alexander, FST’s Associate Director and Director of Educat ing, Touring & Outreach. “We will conduct in-class workshops for 15- 20 students. Working in teams of two, we will take the students from improvisation to playwriting. The workshops will be very similar to what we offer our secondary students here,” says Alexander.

Vladimir Issaev, Joins Artistic Advisory Council for the Classical Dance Alliance
MIAMI -- The Classical Dance Alliance is delighted to welcome Artistic Director, Ballet Master, and Choreographer of the Arts Ballet Theatre of Florida, and former Ballet Master of Ballet Nacional de Caracas. Born and trained in Russia under some of the leading Classical Dance pedagogues, Issaev pursued advanced study for Ballet Master and Choreographer at G.I.T.I.S. in Moscow . He has both danced and staged much of the traditional repertoire, and been recognized for his original choreography. As an advisor to CDA, he will help to guide the organization in fulfilling its mission going forward.

Darden Executive Joins Orlando Opera Board
ORLANDO -- Orlando Opera General Director Robert Swedberg is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Samir S. Gupte to the Board of Trustees for Orlando Opera. “Samir brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the Board and we’re delighted he is bringing his talent to Orlando Opera,” says Swedberg. Mr. Gupte is currently the Vice President of Human Resources of Bahama Breeze, a subsidiary of Darden Restaurants, Inc. one of the world's largest casual dining restaurant company. Darden operates more than 1,300 Red Lobster, Olive Garden, Bahama Breeze, Smokey Bones Barbeque & Grill and Seasons 52 restaurants in North America, employing more than 140,000 people.