Feature
Museums & Heritage

The show must go on: what American curators are up to in isolation

How have curators been filling their time while their museums remain closed? Creatively, it turns out

News
Prizes

Los Angeles Times art critic Christopher Knight wins Pulitzer prize

Writer was recognised for his criticism of Lacma’s controversial expansion plan

News
Art market

Sotheby’s prepares to reopen galleries in New York and London

Chief executive Charles Stewart lays plans for the auction house’s flagship sales to be held in New York next month

Comment
Art law

Selling art online? Here are the legal pitfalls to avoid

Lawyer Petra Warrington on how to protect your business if you are holding online auctions, exhibiting and selling works on Instagram, or entering into sale contracts by email

News
Antiquities

Two trunkloads of fake Iraqi antiquities seized by UK customs

The international market is now “absolutely awash” with forgeries, says British Museum curator who examined the hoard

News
Arts funding

Pennsylvania art organisations 'blind sided' by governor's suspension of grant funds

The funding freeze follows Philadelphia mayor's proposal to eliminate the city's Office of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy due to revenue shortfalls caused by coronavirus

Blog
Diary

May the Force (of Art) Be With You

Latest in Comment

Art law

Selling art online? Here are the legal pitfalls to avoid

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Diary of an art historian

'Being an art historian now is easier and more productive than it’s ever been'

coronavirus

When this is all over we must reimagine the infrastructure of the arts

Biennials & festivals

Why we cancelled the 2020 FotoFocus Biennial and dispersed its $800,000 budget as arts grants

Art Market Eye

Auctions: what will change, post-Covid-19?

News
Exhibitions

See art from your car at ‘drive-by’ group show in Long Island this week

Artists in the South Fork will display their work near roads and highways so it can be viewed from a safe motorised distance

News
US politics

The unsung agency working to maintain museum and library access in the US

The leader of the Institute of Museum and Library Services tells us what his organisation is doing to help spaces reopen

News
Met Gala

With its May gala derailed, the Met offers entertainment for online visitors

Museum provides a preview of its delayed Costume Institute exhibition, posts video of gala highlights and invites audiences to photograph themselves in red-carpet attire

News
Art market

Gold tycoon and art collector James Stunt charged with money laundering and forgery

The former husband of heiress Petra Ecclestone denies any criminality and says he will contest all charges

Comment
Diary of an art historian

'Being an art historian now is easier and more productive than it’s ever been'

Publishers and libraries are extending their online access to help art historians put their period of enforced seclusion to good use

News
Discoveries

Cache of Russian avant-garde works surfaces in regional museum's basement

Art historian Andrey Sarabyanov is planning a new exhibition of forgotten pieces by Kandinsky, Rodchenko and Stepanova

Latest in Podcast

Podcast

Can new tech recreate the hand of an Old Master?

Henri Matisse

Sophie Matisse retraces her great-grandfather's footsteps for emotional BBC film

Podcast

The end of the blockbuster? Museums in a post-pandemic world

Podcast

Donald Judd 101: the great artist in depth

Podcast

Art theft: are museums safe under lockdown?

News
Controversies

Director of France’s national furniture collection defends plans to sell 100 items at auction to aid healthcare workers

Move prompts fears that works from national museum collections could be sold off too

News
coronavirus

We went to one of the first German museums to reopen after the lockdown—here's what it was like

Poles and ribbons are used at the Brandenburg State Museum for Modern Art in Cottbus to practice social distancing

Blog
Book Club

What is the curator Hans-Ulrich Obrist reading during lockdown?

The artistic director of the Serpentine Galleries has been inspired by his daily walks and ‘animal interviews’ to revisit one of his favourite books about trees

Analysis
Contemporary art

Pandemic art: how artists have depicted disease

As the coronavirus forces us to endure an unprecedented time of distant social contact, art can remind us, assure us, of our interconnectedness

News
coronavirus

Reopenings update: Uffizi Galleries drastically cut capacity and launch TikTok account

Perrotin Gallery leads commercial charge by launching two-month rotating show involving 26 Paris dealers

Interview
Films

How a Canadian documentary director got the major players in the Knoedler fakes scandal to speak on camera

Barry Avrich talks to us about his new film Made You Look: A True Story About Fake Art, due to be released in theatres this autumn

Feature
Personal stories of coronavirus

Shaun Leonardo pushes for prison reform as coronavirus devastates New York's infamous Rikers Island jail

After his performance based on prisoners' experiences was delayed due to the pandemic, Leonardo pivoted his practice to support inmate release programmes

Review
Three to see

Three museum collections to explore from home this weekend

From the Centre Pompidou's #PompidouVIP to the Whitney's focus on recent acquisitions by living artists

Interview
Art in film

Curious how that Rothko ended up on your favourite television show or film? Meet Fanny Pereire

The fine art coordinator's work can be spotted in the current Hulu FX miniseries Mrs. America starring Cate Blanchett and Rose Byrne

Blog
Adventures with Van Gogh

Home sweet home: renting the Yellow House, the high point of Van Gogh’s life

Vincent’s sunny abode had a spare bedroom, awaiting Gauguin’s arrival

News
Social media

#CuratorBattle: Twitter tussle reveals museums' prettiest, creepiest and sassiest objects

UK's Yorkshire Museum has been encouraging international institutions to share the most unusual items in their collections

News
Controversies

'Intrusive addition': Antony Gormley’s memorial to mathematician Alan Turing draws fire

Some critics endorse the proposed sculpture for Cambridge University while others question the competition process

Blog
Diary

Police stop Sotheby's auctioneer’s family concerts outside London home

News
Museums & Heritage

China’s Giacometti and Picasso museum delayed by coronavirus

Launch of Beijing venue combining works by both artists is postponed—and some loans in doubt

News
British Museum

British Museum mistakenly cites ‘all rights reserved’ as biggest postcard producer in Turkey

The error comes as the London institution launches a revamped version of its online catalogue

News
Art market

Gallery Weekend Beijing will go ahead—but who will go?

While Chinese capital starts to relax restrictions, uncertainty over domestic travel arrangements may impact on event

News
Museums & Heritage

Moscow’s new GES-2 arts centre delays grand opening to 2021

Coronavirus uncertainty postpones Ragnar Kjartansson exhibition, but power plant museum still aims to welcome locals this year

Comment
coronavirus

When this is all over we must reimagine the infrastructure of the arts

Our enforced isolation during the coronavirus crisis gives us time to think about the role of culture in the public realm

News
Art market

Hong Kong’s art galleries abandon pricey Central district

As galleries feel the impact of Art Basel’s cancellation, many consider moving to cheaper, up-and-coming locations such as Kowloon and South Island

Analysis
Art market

When the emergency aid runs dry, what next for art galleries?

With short-term assistance varying between countries, trade organisations fear many businesses will close permanently due to coronavirus lockdowns

Podcast

Can new tech recreate the hand of an Old Master?

Plus, Sophie Matisse on her great-grandfather Henri. Produced in association with Christie's

Blog
Book Club

What is the collector Eugenio Re Rebaudengo reading during lockdown?

The Turin-based art patron enjoys learning about artist rivalries and delving into the Francis Bacon catalogue raisonné, among other things

Analysis
Online sales

As the art world urgently moves online, some galleries fear digital displacement

Just as mega dealers have bought up prime real estate, so too are they dominating bandwidth in the virtual landscape

Feature
Obituaries

Remembering Peter Beard, photographer and artist, champion of East African wildlife, friend and collaborator of Francis Bacon and Andy Warhol

Photographer, diarist, and collagist who highlighted the destruction of the African elephant's habitat and bestrode New York society in the era of Studio 54

Comment
Biennials & festivals

Why we cancelled the 2020 FotoFocus Biennial and dispersed its $800,000 budget as arts grants

As the coronavirus pandemic raised concerns about their 10th anniversary event plans, the leaders of the Cincinnati festival explain why they decided to support the local arts community instead

News
Provenance

Curator reveals how a Jewish collector snuck a medieval tapestry out of Nazi Germany

Victoria Reed, the provenance curator at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, has been sharing the history about a work from the collection each day on Twitter while the museum remains locked down

News
China

Beijing reopens Forbidden City in time for May Day holiday

State museums in the Chinese capital will reopen with crowd control measures for "golden week" of travel

News
coronavirus

One-way visitor traffic and a ban on audio tours: guidelines for reopening museums emerge

Brussels museums release their planned safety measures along with the museum ethics organisation Cimam

News
Museums & Heritage

Lockdown drives digital boom at French museums—but where's the business model?

Podcasts, social media channels and virtual exhibitions are experiencing unprecedented traffic but do not make up for lost revenue

Blog
Book Club

What is the curator Chrissie Iles reading during lockdown?

The Whitney Museum of American Art curator delights in learning about the global culture of the Middle Ages and finds lessons for the future in a Cauleen Smith monograph

News
US politics

The NEA hopes to keep arts jobs alive in the US—with limited federal relief funds

Up to 30% of arts spaces may close permanently, and agency chief fears rural areas in the US will be the hardest hit

News
Antiquities & Archaeology

Online antiquities smugglers are taking advantage of the coronavirus crisis

Heritage watchdog sees rise in posts from trafficking groups on Facebook

News
Archives

Market forces still at work: why we need to look to our past to understand our future

Our first collection of archival stories looks at the major financial shifts and trends that have impacted collectors and those in the trade since 1990—and continue to be relevant today

News
Obituaries

Germano Celant—champion of Arte Povera—dies of coronavirus, aged 80

Critic and curator was also the first to bring together contemporary art and fashion

Comment
Art Market Eye

Auctions: what will change, post-Covid-19?

In the era of social distancing, auctioneers may have to conduct sales to an empty room

News
coronavirus

French galleries and 'small museums' to reopen in stages from 11 May

Larger museums are unlikely to be accessible until June

News
Iran

Iran's leading artist Parviz Tanavoli makes nightingale medallions to help hospitals in his native country

The artist says Iran has been “devastated” by the crisis, which he adds has been exacerbated by US sanctions

News
Art & Technology

If the sea destroys Venice, can digital technology rebuild it?

The Art Newspaper is co-hosting a live YouTube discussion on digital innovations and the preservation of cultural heritage on 1-3 May

News
Robert Indiana

Robert Indiana’s LOVE at centre of new $150m fraud claim

American Image Art founder alleges certain works are in the public domain and cannot be copyrighted

Blog
Book Club

What is the art world reading during the coronavirus lockdown?

Curators and directors tell us about their new favourite books as The Art Newspaper launches its Book Club

Blog
The Buck stopped here

British artist Susie Hamilton depicts masked and visored medics treating patients during coronavirus pandemic

Analysis
coronavirus

Coronavirus threatens the Yanomami community that Brazilian artist Claudia Andujar has devoted her career to protecting

As Covid-19 continues to spread in Latin America, Brazil's Indigenous peoples are at risk more than ever due to lack of government protection

News
coronavirus

Cultural figures discuss ‘Art in the Time of Coronavirus’

The UN-sponsored event led by Christopher Bailey, the WHO’s lead on art and health, included art critic Jerry Saltz, Brooklyn Museum director Anne Pasternak, and artist Mona Chalabi

News
Art market

Sotheby's launches Gallery Network online sales platform

Featuring galleries like Petzel, Lehmann Maupin and Jack Shainman, the buy-now marketplace transacts sales through the auction house at publicly listed prices

News
Obituaries

'She transcends genres and brings together beauty, text and form': tributes to Zarina Hashmi who has died, aged 83

The Indian artist was known for her innovations in printmaking and her reflections on the 1947 Partition

News
Exhibitions

Organisers of Van Eyck blockbuster bank on possible €3.5m insurance payout to refund ticketholders

“Once in a lifetime exhibition”, which closed early due to the coronavirus outbreak, will not be extended

News
coronavirus

Royal Academy of Arts cancels Angelica Kauffman and Paul Cézanne exhibitions amid coronavirus crisis

As the London institution announces its revised exhibition schedule, we reveal the international knock-on effect triggered by the changes

Blog
The Buck stopped here

Taiwanese artist Lee Mingwei offers the gift of one-to-one Zoom songs

Analysis
Art market

Great Depression of the 21st century looms over the art market

As the IMF warns we are heading towards the worst economic slump in living memory, the art industry starts to fear a double dip recession

News
Obituaries

Betsy Wyeth, wife and collaborator to Andrew Wyeth, has died, aged 98

She introduced the artist to the subject of his most famous painting, Christina’s World—and gave it that title

News
Art schools

San Francisco Art Institute plans to stay open but suspend degree programmes

School seeks a new business model as well as a partner that can shore up its finances

News
Digital art

Finding room for creativity on Zoom, eL Seed creates a collaborative collage online

The French-Tunisian street artist will sell prints of the work to raise funds for hospitals in Paris and Gabes

News
Museums & Heritage

Competition spawns alternative designs for controversial Lacma building project

A protest group champions six ideas that remedy what it views as shortcomings in Peter Zumthor's design

News
Commercial galleries

Competitors become colleagues as galleries pool resources to stoke sales

Even before the coronavirus pandemic, dealers big and small were experimenting with joint exhibitions. Now it is a matter of communal survival

News
Artists in coronavirus lockdown

Dale Chihuly reflects on 'transformational' power of art amid coronavirus lockdown

The Seattle-based artist is preparing to debut a forthcoming collection of lace-inspired works as some states plan re-opening measures

News
Art fairs

Will Art Basel actually happen in September? A letter to exhibitors suggests potential for more delays

Fair extends deadline to confirm participation until 1 June, but concedes "there are simply too many open questions" to know if the fair will happen at the moment

News
coronavirus

UK could lose half of its creative businesses, say key cultural figures in open letter

The Art Newspaper has compiled a list of UK and international financial aid for arts businesses

Grayson Perry

Grayson Perry's teddy bear comforted him through measles as a child—here's how it inspired his art too

The artist's new TV series Grayson’s Art Club begins tonight in the UK on Channel 4

News
Biennials & festivals

Prospect New Orleans Triennial postponed until 2021

And Asia Society Triennial in New York pushed to October this year

Blog
Diary

The curious, spurious tale of David Hockney’s £23m pool painting and Syrian president Bashar al-Assad

News
Museums & Heritage

Shutdown tests mettle of UK's last major bell foundry

Taylor’s in Loughborough faces uphill struggle in fundraising drive to restore decaying buildings and create new museum