Latest

‘He has committed no offence other than wanting to defend heritage sites’: arrest of Iraqi archaeologists sparks backlash

Many fear the real reason for Ali Tabar’s and Amir Al-Jumaili’s arrests are their campaigns against a controversial investment law

Melissa Gronlundabout 10 hours ago

Copenhagen's Glyptotek is thinking about the Roman Empire with new ancient fashion exhibition

Exhibition at the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek includes sensational loans—and some added colour

J.S. Marcusabout 5 hours ago

Turner painting estimated to make £50m auction record goes on view in Rome

The 19th century work ‘Rome, from Mount Aventine’, which holds the British painter's auction record from 2014, is on display at the Palazzo Rondinini before going under the hammer at Sotheby's London in December

James Imamabout 6 hours ago

Ukraine’s historic Academy of Sciences severely damaged by Russian drone

At least two were killed in the direct strike on the country’s top scientific institution, which is the latest cultural site to be targeted by Russian forces

Sophia Kishkovskyabout 9 hours ago

Pola Museum reveals new direction—but stays true to to its large trove of Monets

A new show at the Japanese institution pairs its extensive collection by the Impressionist with recent Modern and contemporary acquisitions

Alex Wangabout 5 hours ago

Museums & Heritage

Culture secretary confirms free admission for all at England’s national museums will remain

The announcement by Lisa Nandy, the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, came after recent discussions of introducing admission fees for overseas visitors

Gareth Harris1 day ago

Historic Chilean church to be restored after arson attacks

Santiago’s 19th-century Church of San Francisco de Borja, known for its stained-glass windows, will resume its community role as a national shrine to Our Lady of Fátima after it was set aflame during nationwide protests in 2020

Graciela Ibáñezabout 5 hours ago

Vancouver Art Gallery makes its interim leaders permanent co-chief executives

Eva Respini and Sirish Rao will share chief executive duties, with the former also serving as chief curator while the later takes on the role of executive director

Hadani Ditmarsabout 24 hours ago

Switzerland’s Fondation Beyeler opens £109.7m expansion

The Basel institution has added three new structures designed by the Swiss architect Peter Zumthor, while also extending its grounds

Artists in Bogotá protest deep cuts to Colombia’s cultural budget

President Abelardo de la Espriella, who took office last month, has proposed a 30% slash in funding for the cultural ministry next year

Art market

Art Basel Miami Beach scales down main gallery sector and floorplan for 2026 edition

The fair will feature 272 exhibitors across a smaller footprint, with blue-chip galleries dispersed throughout the stands

Carlie Porterfieldabout 9 hours ago

Buyer of mysterious £6.75m Rembrandt painting revealed

Thomas Kaplan’s Leiden Collection acquired Saint John on Patmos at Sotheby’s, the 18th work by the Dutch master to enter the collection

Martin Bailey1 day ago

Bogotá's Artbo fair remains boutique and local—is that enough?

Exhibitor numbers for the fair's 2026 edition are still down from pre-pandemic levels, and its collectors and galleries are largely from Colombia

Was this Pissarro painting—sold at Sotheby's in 2024—looted by Nazis? A Paris court deliberates

Heirs to Jewish banker Salomon Flavian claim they were not consulted before the sale, meanwhile Sotheby's argues the work may have not been forcibly taken at all

BBC art dealing game show reveals 'crisis of commodification' facing galleries

What is the future for the art market when monetary value trumps aesthetic value?

Exhibitions

Turner Prize 2026 opens in northeast of England at the Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art

The exhibition featuring shortlisted artists Tanoa Sasraku, Marguerite Humeau, Simeon Barclay and Kira Freije opens to the public on 26 September

International designers collaborate with creators from Japan at London's V&A

Exhibition shows the results of artists‘ experiments with Japanese traditions and techniques

‘It is not a political joke’: Ai Weiwei unveils 500 cast-iron combat helmets in Sydney

Titled “Mushrooms”, the work at the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia reflects nations’ feeble responses to crises and the artist's uncertainty about the future

Florence exhibition celebrates the beauty of art that has been broken into pieces

The show at Palazzo Strozzi—a collaboration with the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC—focuses on damaged works spanning 4,500 years

From ailing cooling systems to toxic chemicals, a museum tour shines a light on the effects of austerity

To drive home the impact of stagnant support for arts and culture, the Museum of Vancouver is offering “austerity tours” of its aging campus

Adventures with Van Gogh

Adventures with Van Gogh is a weekly blog by Martin Bailey, our long-standing correspondent and expert on the artist. Published every Friday, his stories range from newsy items about this most intriguing artist to scholarly pieces based on his own meticulous investigations and discoveries.

Come to the British Library’s Agatha Christie show—if you dare

London exhibition will examine the life of the crime fiction writer and how she created her most famous characters

When Dolly met Andy: a snapshot of the country music legend’s impact on artists

From Warhol to Annie Leibovitz, the late Dolly Parton was an inspiration to artists over her long career

‘An important moment for me’: artist Oliver Beer’s cave-themed project wins over a reluctant Rufus Wainwright

Oliver Beer persuaded the star to take part in his Resonance Project, which involves singers to responding to the acoustic frequencies in a prehistoric painted cave

Curating for the new No. 10 North: six art suggestions for the UK's prime minister

As Andy Burnham opens a new office in the city of Manchester, we offer up some suitably northern works for the walls

Banksy statue in central London could become permanent as Westminster council deliberates

The statue, which has drawn hordes of onlookers, will remain in St James's for at least the next few weeks, with the council aiming to make a decision on its longevity by the end of summer

The Week in Art

A podcast bringing you the latest news from the art world, every week

Cezanne in Paris, Taryn Simon in New York, Magritte in London—podcast

In this week's episode, Ben Luke explores Cezanne's influence through a new exhibition at the Grand Palais in Paris, Ben Sutton speaks to artist Taryn Simon on her Guggenheim show in New York, and Alexander Morrison sees a work on paper by René Magritte at Gagosian in London

Hosted by Ben Luke. Produced by Alexander Morrison and David Clack
Sponsored by Getty

The Bayeux Tapestry

The Bayeux Tapestry, a nearly 70m-long embroidery telling the story of the Norman Conquest, has returned to England for the first time since it was made nearly 1,000 years ago, going on view in a special exhibition at the British Museum. To mark the occasion, here is a curated selection of our stories on the treasured work

British Museum bans visitors from photographing Bayeux Tapestry

Some ticket holders have reportedly been turned away from the exhibition because previous visitors had taken too long taking photos

Review | ‘£1 a minute’: is the British Museum's Bayeux Tapestry exhibition worth it?

Our correspondent Martin Bailey visits the blockbuster show on its first day to see what the experience is really like for the paying public

Portrait of Bayeux Tapestry exhibition sponsor goes on view at British Museum amid scrutiny over ties to IDF

A painting of Igor Tulchinsky is on display within the museum’s blockbuster Bayeux Tapestry show

‘We are united’: King Charles III and President Macron attend private preview of London's Bayeux Tapestry exhibition

Likely commissioned in France but made in England, the tapestry could have been called ‘the Canterbury Embroidery’ joked the King in a speech

Ten surprising facts about the Bayeux Tapestry

As the British Museum opens its decades-in-the-making exhibition of the nearly 1,000-year-old embroidery, we pored over its past and present journey

Christie’s Hong Kong, 20th/21st century sales

Blue-chip names headline Christie’s Hong Kong sales

As the auction house continues to celebrate 40 years of operating in Asia, its exciting line-up of September sales offers renowned global artists alongside those with strong markets in the region

Advertisement feature by Christie's

A brush with... podcast

A podcast that asks artists the questions you've always wanted to

A brush with… Sunil Gupta—podcast

Sunil Gupta talks to Ben Luke about his influences—from writers to film-makers, and, of course, other artists—and the cultural experiences that have shaped his life and work

Hosted by Ben Luke. Produced by David Clack
Sponsored by Bloomberg Connects

Yayoi Kusama (1929-2026)

On the occasion of the celebrated Japanese artist's passing, look back at our past coverage of her life, work and indelible impact on global culture.

Yayoi Kusama, Japanese artist who enthralled people worldwide with her polka dots and mirror rooms, has died aged 97

The artist, who died on 14 August at a hospital in Tokyo, drew record crowds with her innovative installations, paintings and soft sculptures

From the flower field to the infinity room: a story of Yayoi Kusama’s journey to becoming a superstar artist

Discouraged from pursuing an artistic career as a young woman, Kusama went on to inspire millions with her performances, installations, paintings and more

‘I never run out of ideas’: an interview with Yayoi Kusama and highlights from her new catalogue

The artist, who is now in her 90s and voluntarily living in a psychiatric hospital, has a major retrospective under way in Hong Kong

An expert’s guide to Yayoi Kusama: six must-read books on the Japanese artist

All you ever wanted to know about Kusama, from a detailed study of her Infinity Mirror Room to illustrations for Alice in Wonderland—selected by the Gropius Bau director Stephanie Rosenthal

In Pictures | Yayoi Kusama’s colourful life gets the graphic novel treatment

From naked performances in New York and her relationship with Joseph Cornell to hijacking the Venice Biennale, the Japanese artist is the subject of a new comic book by Elisa Macellari

Art on Location

Art on Location offers a special focus on outdoor art experiences, with news, features and archive content covering public art, sculpture parks, urban and country house sculpture shows, artist's trails, and the use of location-specific technology

‘These are party houses aren't they?’ Why Britain's stately homes are opening up to contemporary art

Showing works by artists including Tracey Emin and Phyllida Barlow over the summer is helping to attract new audiences and bolster income for historic buildings

Sun, sea, sand—and art: luxury hotel in Crete commissions works in response to the island

The G. & A. Mamidakis Foundation has taken on the challenge of putting outdoor art in scorching Mediterranean conditions at the Minos Palace Resort

From beavers to basketball hoops: a new public art trail opens in Toronto

The Lassonde Art Trail is part of a $1bn redevelopment project to revitalise the city's relationship with its waterways

Books

A bonanza of Bayeux Tapestry books to accompany the blockbuster British Museum exhibition

There is plenty to read about the medieval masterpiece as it returns to England for the first time in almost 1,000 years

When Hockney met Betty: new book uncovers mysterious Beverly Hills Housewife in famous Los Angeles painting

Author James Cahill's account of the burgeoning 1960s LA art scene explores links between collector Betty Freeman and the late Yorkshire artist

Curator offers crucial perspective on Hong Kong’s burgeoning 1980s and 1990s art scene in new book

Oscar Ho Hing-kay outlines the growing visibility of boundary-breaking local artists and their responses to the 1997 handover to China

The author of a new book on Lavinia Fontana’s erotic art reveals all

The Italian scholar Enrico Maria dal Pozzolo tells us about new discoveries and why the Bolognese painter was an innovator in her field

Opinion

Comment | It's high time philanthropy was decentralised

Charles Asprey has shown courage and imagination by donating works to the tiny and remote Pier Arts Centre, instead of one of the UK’s prestigious London-based institutions

Comment | A trip to Venice this year offered thought-provoking reminders of past art disputes

From a contested Richard Prince to the disputed Veroneses, La Serenissima remains one of the best places to see works of art formerly at the centre of legal controversies

Comment | How much can one artist take from another before it is copyright infringement?

An EU court's decision in a case relating to the sampling of a Kraftwerk track will have implications across the arts

Comment | A view from the top of Manhattan’s famed Municipal Building

A circular observation deck in the colonnade below the golden Civic Fame statue opened to the public last month, after a $6m restoration

Comment | Why should artists stay in cities like London and New York when financial pressures are making it harder than ever?

Josh Kline’s viral essay highlights how creative people lose gumption in the face of financial burden, but we should all strive for community instead of competing for the wealthy’s attention

Obituaries

Lucia Laguna, Brazilian painter of verdant and fragmented cityscapes, has died, aged 85

Laguna, who only started painting after retiring from her teaching career, started to achieve success when she was in her 60s

Peter Max, artist who achieved ubiquity marrying Pop art and psychedelia, has died, aged 88

A celebrity in his own right who also created riotous portraits of many famous and powerful people, Max made images that became inseparable from the legacy of the Summer of Love and countercultural movement

Geles Cabrera, the pioneering Mexican sculptor, has died, aged 100

Through her sinuous approach to the human figure, Cabrera forged a distinctive sculptural language and challenged conventions

Remembering Sliman Mansour, a defining figure of Palestinian art

Through his art, Mansour was a pioneering force of Palestinian cultural resistance

Christian Bernard, founding director of Geneva’s Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, dies aged 76

Over a four-decade career, the French art critic and curator profoundly influenced contemporary art institutions in Switzerland and France

The Art of Luxury

A magazine, published twice per year by The Art Newspaper, exploring how grande marque fashion, jewellery, travel and lifestyle interact with artists, the art market and the museums and heritage sector