News
Any works found could go to the 18th-century writer’s restored neo-gothic mansion in west London
Still-life painting depicts letter with news of his brother's engagement
Museums and other cultural bodies may have to downsize after years of investment
But also asks “patriotic overseas Chinese” to help return national treasures
Any works found could go to the 18th-century writer’s restored neo-gothic mansion in west London
“Scholarly exercise” to trace objects taken from the Old Summer Palace in 1860
Ruler angry over block on Coello masterpiece
After director quits, billionaire accused of grandstanding his private collection
Louvre may lend works from a 28-portrait series assembled in 1476
Elizabeth of Yugoslavia campaigns for the reputation of her father’s collection
Alabama football squad says popular works breach its trademarks
Courts cannot dictate authentication board’s decisions Judge says he does not have power over Calder Foundation
Courts cannot dictate authentication board’s decisions Judge says he does not have power over Calder Foundation
The Australian artist’s three-week sojourn with troops will form basis of new work
Interesting work, relaxed censorship and sheer scale belie tensions in joint Hong Kong-Shenzhen project
Pastor hopes “miracle” may provide alternative solution
Market
The big auction houses are increasingly turning to third parties to guarantee lots
Controversial work makes £6.7m
We paid, says Osian’s; linked firm owes, says auction house
Facility could overshadow Geneva
However non-binding judgement means part of action will still go ahead
The new layout might have left collectors feeling bemused but, in the mid-range at least, they were prepared to buy
Only the highest quality work will do as record set for work on paper
New York sale up 70% on 2008
Sotheby’s has the best overall results though Christie’s Wyeth is star lot
Books
The philosopher Roger Scruton writes clearly and exquisitely on the subject, but is he missing a fundamental point?
The first history of Belvoir for 170 years, by the Duchess of Rutland
A splendid apology for art in Wales, but its targets are out of date
A landmark publication on the extensive collection held by the Norton Simon Museum
A posthumous book by George Hersey on “statue love”
Secularisation was not a universal influence in Europe
A comprehensive and coherent monograph that fills a gap in studies of the German artist
The double biography of John and Myfanwy is an excellent book, but separate volumes would have been more appropriate
An anthology of the illustrations from the many books of the German savant and Jesuit, Athanasius Kircher
A flawed, but useful, monograph on Franz Anton Maulbertsch
Comment
2010 will be a year of continued reshaping: auctions will remain smaller and private sales will be preferred by many collectors
The Barnes Collection is not being saved, it is being stolen
Conservation
X-radiography and infrared imaging help scholars determine which is the copy
The facility will add to the emirate’s conservation infrastructure
19th-century additions removed
Conservators use the French artist’s lectures to aid the work’s restoration
Features
The recession is forcing North American institutions to reconsider every aspect of what they do
Ai Weiwei believes “art is not enough” and that he needs to be an active “part of society”; the authorities in Sichuan punished him for it By Chris Gill
On the eve of his first retrospective, opening this month at Tate Britain, Chris Ofili tells us where he finds his inspiration By Louisa Buck
Sue Williams left the 303 Gallery to join David Zwirner five years ago. Now she’s moving back
The Polish artist and his assistants, clad in gold lamé space suits, arrived at Heathrow in a gold jet
A new series charts the history of Russian art for the first time on British television
Museums
Industrial action at Versailles and national museums forces minister of culture to delay reforms
Former Met director was a pioneer and maverick whose innovations will long be remembered
Designs approved for second home in Philadelphia
Resignation of key trustee Ella Fontanals Cisneros after director’s exit in October casts cloud over $220m project
Medieval and Renaissance galleries crown phase one of museum’s “Future Plan”
Government blamed for Kunsthistorisches Museum’s closed Habsburg collection
New use sought for planned museum
Olga Taratynova, the new director of the Tsarskoe Selo, reveals her plans for the Alexander and Catherine palaces
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