– Diaries Could Solve "Mona Lisa" Mystery: The diaries of an early 20th century British connoisseur and collector may hold the key to authenticating the controversial portrait presented last month in Geneva as Leonardo da Vinci's original (much younger looking) "Mona Lisa." Hugh Blaker found and bought the "younger Mona Lisa" in 1913 and kept it at his home outside London until his death in 1936. Experts say his diaries, chunks of which are currently missing, could clarify the provenance of the painting. [China Daily]

– A Cache of New Magrittes Uncovered: Thought you knew Magritte? Think again. A new book, "René Magritte: Newly Discovered Works, Catalogue Raisonné VI," features 130 newly authenticated works by the Belgian surrealist, from a painting of Jesus in a crown of thorns from 1918 to a haunting still-life of a goldfish and a goblet made just before his death in 1967. Some of the new discoveries will be included in the Museum of Modern Art's forthcoming exhibition of Magritte's early work. [ARTnews]

– JR Documentary in the Works: An in-progress version of new documentary from Social Animals (being presented by the Ford Foundation in association with the Tribeca Film Institute) chronicling the work of the globe-trotting French street artist JR will be shown in New York next week by the Foundation, whose building near the United Nations headquarters is also adding a monumental photo-mural by the TED Prize winner to its collection. The 40-foot-long image "The Hills Have Eyes," taken from JR's "Women Are Heroes" series, will give visitors to the Foundation's 11th floor conference center an eyeful. [Press Release]

– Leon Black Buys Phaidon Press: The billionaire art collector who is widely believed to have purchased Edvard Munch's "The Scream" for a record $119 million is doubling down on works on paper: Black has purchased Phaidon Press Ltd., one of the world's premiere art book publishing houses. The Viennese publishing company produces about 60 new books a year and has a backlist of nearly 1,900 titles. [WSJ]

– Spanish Fresco's Lewd 17th-Century Graffiti: Though it doesn't quite compare to the "Beast Jesus" of celebrated failed art restorer Cecilia Gimenez, the graffiti and plaster applied to Paolo da San Leocadio's 15th-century frescoes in Valencia's cathedral by workmen in the 17th century — including male genitals scratched into an angel's wing and plaster splattered on its eyes and mouth — have been giving present-day restorers a headache. "The truth is that we have barely advanced over the centuries," said the leader of Valencia's conservation institute, Carmen Pérez. "They are exactly the same as you would find today in public toilets." [Guardian]

– Gillick Gets His Close-Up:  Turner Prize-nominated artist Liam Gillick is set to star in British director Joanna Hogg's third feature film, which is slated to be released next year and whose working title is "London Project." Though little is known about the film, Gillick will co-star in it alongside Tom Hiddleston, who has appeared in Hogg's two previous films, including the 2010 family drama "Archipelago," and fellow first-time actor Viv Albertine, of all-female punk outfit The Slits. [TAN]

– Sugimoto Returns to the Natural History Museum: After nearly 20 years, Hiroshi Sugimoto has returned to the series that made him famous. He recently photographed nine plant-and-tree-dominated dioramas at the American Museum of Natural History — for him, they are a vision of the earth after humankind disappears. Unlike his earlier work, which focused on scenes of animals, Sugimoto's new series takes a long view. "Maybe it's my age," he said. [NYT]  

– Getty Makes Two Key Appointments, Promoting From Within: The J. Paul Getty Museum has tapped Dr. Thomas Kren as its new associate director of collections. Kren has worked at the Getty for over 30 years, most recently as senior curator of manuscripts. Dr. Elizabeth Morrison will succeed Kren in that position. She joined the manuscripts department in 1996 as a curatorial assistant. [Press Release]

– Scottish Artists Unhappy With National Arts Organization: In an open letter signed by more than 100 of Scotland's leading artists — including three Turner Prize winners — the signers bemoan the state of Creative Scottland, the national arts funding organization, which they see as fundamentally detrimental to the country's cultural community. "We observe an organisation with a confused and intrusive management style," the letter reads, "married to a corporate ethos that seems designed to set artist against artist and company against company in the search for resources." [Guardian]