United Kingdom

Liverpool should not be punished for its modern vision

The UK city has been stripped of its World Heritage status. Walter Aubrey Thomas, who designed some of its most famous buildings, would have objected, says his great-grandson

Prizesnews

From village life to vaccine centre: Museum of the Year 2021 shortlist announced

Centre for Contemporary Art Derry-Londonderry, Experience Barnsley, Firstsite, Thackray Museum of Medicine and Timespan chosen as five finalists for Art Fund's coveted £100,000 prize

England's Freedom Day has arrived—and museums are fighting to keep crowds at bay

Despite lockdown restrictions lifting today, most institutions will maintain capacity limits and distancing rules until at least end of August

A new ‘winsome wench’ for the Cutty Sark: how London's famed 19th-century ship got a literal face lift

Tea clipper's original figurehead has been replaced with a carving based on the recently rediscovered original drawings

Museumscomment

One of us or one of them? A long view of the appointment of George Osborne as chair of the British Museum

The former chancellor's instalment echoes the selection of Lord Armstrong as chair of the V&A, which had serious consequences for the museum

Museum curators battle rise in bug numbers during pandemic with new card game

Staff continue fight against vermin with innovative entertainment

If you sell art in the UK, you must register for anti-money laundering supervision by tomorrow—or risk prosecution

"Art market participants" who sell works of art worth €10,000 (£8,600) or more must register with the HMRC by 10 June

Hug a museum: the best exhibitions to see around the UK as restrictions ease

From Rodin's plaster casts and Barbara Hepworth's bronzes, to flower arranging, disco dancing and the notorious Nero

Bell foundry that cast Big Ben can be turned into boutique hotel, UK government says

Decision has drawn wave of criticism from culture and heritage professionals, accusing government of ‘money-grabbing philistinism’

Christie’s supports charity delivering art history lessons for students at UK state schools

Art History Link-Up chief says subject is a rare offer at state schools because of cuts and teacher shortages

Lawnews

Tate Modern neighbours head to Supreme Court over 'relentless' invasion of privacy

Residents next to the London museum continue legal battle after losing case to close viewing platform that allows visitors to see inside their flats

UK treasure items cleared for sale may soon face problems with export to the EU

New licensing regulations for cultural property may hamper metal detectorists' ability to sell legitimate finds on the European market

British Museum hit hardest by 2020 lockdown among UK’s big museums

Major UK institutions lost 78% of their visitors due to the pandemic last year, our research reveals

National Trust's report on colonial and slavery history did not breach charity law, regulator says

Research commissioned by the trust provoked complaints from Conservative politicians amid UK culture war around controversial monuments

National Gallery London: new details of development plans revealed

A 1960s office block behind the Sainsbury Wing will be demolished to make way for a new building to provide more exhibition space

'Where is the champion within UK government for a vigorous, independent visual arts sector?'

The culture sector is being relegated to the ranks of "indoor entertainment"

Keep your distance, former culture ministers warn UK government

Independence of museums and heritage bodies is at risk, say Ed Vaizey and Chris Smith, as Johnson’s government pushes ‘anti-woke’ agenda

The mullet wasn't just an 80s thing, as this newly unearthed Iron Age figure suggests

Celtic deity from Cambridgeshire sports impeccable hair that is slightly longer at the back

'Building on our strengths': National Gallery London unveils plans for £25m upgrade

Refurbishment, to be partly completed for the museum's 200th anniversary in 2024, will encompass the lobby of the Sainsbury Wing, a new research centre and improved outdoor space

Thanks to a £3m gift, the National Trust could finally uncover a secret portrait of Mary Queen of Scots

Conservation boost from a US charity comes after the heritage organisation faced a £200m revenue collapse due to the pandemic

Discoveries at Stonehenge highlight controversial new tunnel's threat to heritage

Recent excavation has uncovered late Neolithic and Bronze Age artefacts and human remains

Weston Culture Fund gives UK arts organisations £30m in relief from 'devastating impact' of Covid-19

Wallace Collection, Birmingham Museums and the MAC Belfast are among more than 100 charities receiving recovery grants from the Garfield Weston Foundation

Executed Chinese prisoners likely used in UK exhibition

Cadavers on display in 'Real Bodies' show were provided by Dalian-based firm known to have acquired corpses from police

Monumentscomment

Tearing down troubling statues is not lying about our history—it is removing impediments to truth

The UK communities secretary Robert Jenrick's plans to prevent the removal of controversial monuments reveals his inability to view the past as shifting and complex

Pew! Sussex church may scrap plans to remove historic seating

Moves by parishes to replace pews with chairs for “flexibility” anger traditionalists

Why us? European museums cry foul over second lockdown

Shops remain open in many countries even as museums are plunged once more into Covid-19 deep-freeze

Liverpool Biennial director Fatos Üstek resigns after run-in with board of trustees

Two trustees, the artist Fiona Banner and the art lawyer Jon Sharples, also stepped down in support