Monster Mash: Magritte painting stolen in Brussels; senator launches inquiry into NEA; Stoppard, Hadid win awards

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-- Missing masterpiece: A 1948 painting by Magritte valued at about $1.1 million was stolen in broad daylight from the Musee Rene Magritte in Brussels.

-- Digging deeper: Republican Sen. Mike Enzi of Wyoming said in a press release (pdf format) that he is leading an inquiry into possible violations of federal law by the National Endowment for the Arts.

-- International honors: Winners of the this year’s Praemium Imperiale -- an arts prize from Japan -- include playwright Tom Stoppard, architect Zaha Hadid and sculptor Richard Long.

-- Weighing in: Jim Leach, the new head of the National Endowment for the Humanities, said he is ‘appalled’ by the notion of culture wars.

-- Lucky find: An amateur treasure hunter in England has unearthed a treasure of 7th century Anglo-Saxon artifacts.

-- Star power: Geoffrey Rush will star in the Australian premiere of the musical ‘The Drowsy Chaperone’ at the Melbourne Theatre Company in January.

-- Pulling up stakes: The Museum of Neon Art in downtown L.A. is closer to making its move to Glendale.

-- Concessions: Musicians of the Colorado Symphony Orchestra agree to a 12.5% pay cut and furloughs.

-- Next spring: Geoffrey Naufft’s ‘Next Fall’ will open on Broadway in March after an off-Broadway run.

-- Everyone’s a critic: A new art park near downtown New York has already been vandalized.

-- David Ng