Gareth Harris

Gareth Harris is the Chief Contributing Editor of The Art Newspaper

Budget 2024: UK museum leaders welcome tax incentive announced by Chancellor

Museums and Galleries Exhibitions Tax Relief has been made permanent in this year's spring statement

Arts Council England rows back on 'reputational risk' guidelines

The public body “will not remove or refuse funding” over political work, it has confirmed following backlash

Canaries in the coal mine: is the art world facing a rising tide of censorship?

The death of the Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny last month, after years of confinement in a Siberian jail, and subsequent quelling of protest, emphasised the flourishing of censorship across a globe riven by geopolitical crises, in a year when democracy is put to the test in more than 70 countries. With the threat of electoral misinformation being boosted by AI-generated content and social media algorithms, artists have been warning of new kinds of censorship. The effect is being felt in real life, online and in social media

New design biennial launches in Qatar, highlighting talent from Palestine to Lebanon

Qatar Museums launches Design Doha platform as part of cultural drive in the oil-rich state

Canadian curators take the reins at UK institutions, Barbican and Spike Island

Devyani Saltzman is new arts director at City of London venue while Nicole Yip replaces Robert Leckie in Bristol

Israel will not be excluded from Venice Biennale, says Italian culture minister

More than 14,500 people have signed a letter demanding country is banned from this year’s Biennale

Abdullah Al Saadi: 'Artists can't be alone. Friendship between artists is very important'

The conceptual artist talks about representing the United Arab Emirates at this year’s Venice Biennale with work documenting his travels

Art Dubaipreview

Our pick of some of the best exhibitions to see during Art Dubai

From Cartier's Islamic inspiration at the Louvre Abu Dhabi to Pakistani artist and activist Lala Rukh at the Sharjah Art Foundation

Are NFTs dead? Not at Art Dubai

The boom in digital art tokens may have turned to bust, but the Dubai fair is putting them front and centre as the NFT market in the city flourishes

Do museums still matter? New show at Mudam Luxembourg examines why and how institutions operate

Exhibition taps into contemporary debates about social and geopolitical changes

Jeff Koons sculptures complete long-awaited journey to moon

The project, first announced in 2022, has seen 125 miniature works inscribed with the names of famous cultural figures blasted into space

UK Science Museum Group announces move into Saudi Arabia

Organisation announces plans for a “museums hub” in Riyadh

‘Anti-monumental’ works shortlisted for next Fourth Plinth commission in London's Trafalgar Square

Proposals by Veronica Ryan and Thomas J. Price include a sweet potato and woman’s head

Over the Koons: US artist’s plan to send 125 sculptures to the moon set to finally take off

Works inspired by Leonardo and Cleopatra will blast into orbit on Elon Musk’s rocket as part of a project first announced two years ago

Westminster Abbey decides ‘in principle’ to return Ethiopian tabot

Discussions are ongoing between the Dean at Westminster and the Ethiopian Church over the possible restitution of the sacred object

Tania Bruguera’s reading at Hamburger Bahnhof shut down after heated pro-Palestine protests

A statement from the museum says the incident involved activists using “hate speech” towards one of the readers and a museum director

New York governor seeks removal of problematic images of Native Americans

Kathy Hochul has proposed removing certain imagery from the state capitol in Albany

Art UKnews

Preserving Banksy: public art database to document the UK’s murals

The project, backed by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, will also capture many of Northern Ireland's politically charged street art works

Booksfeature

Missing Mona Lisa: the story behind the 1911 theft of Leonardo’s masterpiece

The author of a new book tells us why it was stolen and how Picasso got embroiled in the scandal

Ai Weiwei criticises ‘fragile’ state of Western democracy following Sky News interview

The dissident artist argues that restrictions manifest more subtly in Europe and the US

Painting made by The Beatles in a Tokyo hotel sells for $1.7m at auction

The Fab Four all painted a corner each of the psychedelic composition

Londonnews

Man dies after fall from Tate Modern

Police are not treating the event as suspicious

‘Effeminate’ image of Jesus sparks culture war in Spain

Image of semi-naked Christ by Salustiano García prompts petition while LGBTQ groups defend the work

British Museum interim director backs Parthenon Marbles loan plan with Greece

Mark Jones also says BP deal is the ‘right one’ and announces recovered items show