The week in art

A huge show of Damien Hirst's formaldehyde and pharmaceutical pieces has opened at Scotland's National Gallery of Modern Art. The exhibition launches a series of “Artist Rooms” across the country, showing works gifted by art dealer, Anthony D'Offay. D'Offay's private collection of over 700 works, worth an estimated £125m, was sold at the purchase price of £26.5m to the Tate and the Scottish National Gallery. Something and Nothing, 2004, by Damien Hirst. Photograph: Murdo Macleod/Murdo Macleod

Russian artist Andrei Molodkin is looking for volunteers to, quite literally, become his next art work. Molodkin, who will represent Russia at this year's Venice Biennale, wants to create sculptures made from the resin of human remains. The artist claims he has perfected a technique to boil human corpses in a high pressure machine converting them into crude oil which can be used to power cars – or mould into an art work. Fist by Andrei Molodkin. Photograph: Paul Arendt/PR

A spokesman for the Paul Getty Trust announced this week that the Getty Museum would be slashing its operational by 25% due to the economic crisis. The arts centre, based in Los Angeles, is the richest in the world but reported a fall in its investment portfolio from $6bn to $4.5bn in the second half of 2008. As a result, the museum is expected to host fewer exhibitions and curb its buying of art works. Photograph: Robyn Beck/PR

Japanese photographer Miyako Ishiuchi's work is the subject of a major retrospective at the Michael Hoppen gallery this week. Isiuchi is considered one of Japan's most radical and avant-garde female photographers and has won acclaim for work depicting the lives and bodies of the elderly. Isiuchi's series of work entitled Mother's, offering an intimate portrait of her late mother, was shown at Venice Biennale in 2005. Photograph: Krause & Johansen/PR

Sotheby's withdrew an 18th century painting from an auction this week amid claims that it was stolen. The portrait of Major Maule, by German artist Johann Zoffany, was part of a haul of works auctioned by Gianni Versace's estate. The late fashion designer was said to have bought the painting in 1994 or 1995 but its provenance remains a mystery. A family in London have claimed the painting, worth up to £600,000, had been stolen from their home 30 years ago. Photograph: MARCEL VAN HOORN/Public Domain