Latest
One battle after another: Trump’s war on federal architecture
The US president has set his sights on transforming the city of Washington, DC, to fit his grandiose aesthetic
Saudi woman painter outshines Picasso at Sotheby’s second sale in Diriyah
Having refined its strategy for the nascent market, the sale landed a $2.1m record for Safeya Binzagr but found less success for major Western names
Dürer ‘copy’ at London’s National Gallery is the real thing, expert claims
In a new book, German scholar Christof Metzger also argues that a portrait in Vienna is ten years older than thought
Documentary tracks Indigenous efforts to recover ancestors’ remains from museums and universities
The new film, “Aanikoobijigan [ancestor/great-grandparent/great-grandchild]”, follows one campaign in Michigan and foreshadows many more
Dutch national photo collection opens in new Rotterdam home
Nederlands Fotomuseum has appointed a new director ahead of reopening in a former coffee warehouse on 7 February
‘An institution where you delve into works’: details of AlUla Contemporary Art Museum announced
Art Basel Qatar
The first Art Basel Qatar heralds a new model for art fairs in the region
The inaugural event, which welcomes 87 exhibitors, features solo displays of major artists across multiple venues, as participating galleries hope to engage with museums and encourage institutional sales
In pictures: Wael Shawky’s pick of Art Basel Qatar
The artistic director of the inaugural edition of the Doha-based fair talks us through his highlights
Photomontage of Israel bombing Gaza will go on show at Art Basel Qatar
Proceeds from the sale of Rashid Rana's work will benefit Palestinian relief funds
Art Basel Qatar is the latest addition to a grand national plan
A drive to develop the commercial sector is the latest push from the government to promote its artists
From a bakery pop-up to an I.M. Pei survey: the exhibitions to see in Doha during Art Basel Qatar
Several major shows are taking place in the city during the inaugural edition of the fair
Art market
American poet Stanley Moss's passion for Old Masters comes to the fore at Sotheby's
The acclaimed poet, who died in 2024, was “a unique figure" who combined collecting and selling art with writing and publishing literature
An Artemisia Gentileschi self-portrait and Judy Chicago’s Scottish queen: our pick of the February auctions
Plus, Rembrandt’s sleepy lion and a late Redon
What happens to the art market when humanity stops mattering?
In a world now governed by force—as US president Donald Trump and his circle would have it—rather than shared values, art risks being relegated to a power play of ‘proven brands’
As the ‘great wealth transfer’ gets underway, what are the current inheritance tax rules?
Experts explain the intricacies of tax regimes in the UK and the US in relation to major estate dispersals
Hundreds of galleries across Spain will strike next week to protest 21% tax on art
While its neighbours slash their VAT rates on art sales, Spain's remains stubbornly high, leaving its galleries in a "position of complete irrelevance"
Books
How Martin Parr's defining photobook made a splash 40 years ago
‘The Last Resort’, which will be republished later this year, is the subject of a new show at the late photographer’s foundation
‘The good, the bad and the ugly’: a short history of how artists depict the female body
The author Amy Dempsey talks about her new book exploring the tension between overexposure and invisibility
February Book Bag: from Tracey Emin’s conversations about painting to a catalogue of Lucian Freud’s drawings
Our round-up of the latest art publications
In loco parentis: new study tells the story of Florence’s ‘thrown-away’ children
Europe’s first foundling hospital, the Ospedale degli Innocenti, is examined afresh in a new book
‘Sometimes it would get physical’: the photographer who captures humanity at close quarters
A book celebrating the intimate street photography of Mark Cohen
Museums & Heritage
Louvre Abu Dhabi director Manuel Rabaté leaves to head India’s largest private art museum
French civil servant joins the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art in New Delhi as it prepares to move to a vast new complex
Glasgow’s Centre for Contemporary Arts to close permanently
The decision comes after Creative Scotland confirmed it had suspended further funding payments to the venue
London’s National Gallery appoints Patrick Elliott as curator of Modern paintings
Hire of former National Galleries of Scotland curator is part of museum's expansion of its collection into the 20th and 21st centuries
UK museum directors join prime minister on diplomatic mission to China
The visit is intended as a relationship-boosting exercise though the government said the prime minister would also “raise the areas where we disagree with China”
Russia's winter bombardment puts strain on Ukrainian museum workers
Targeted attacks on electric and water supplies amid freezing conditions are further complicating the work of cultural organisations
‘An institution where you delve into works’: details of AlUla Contemporary Art Museum announced
Exhibitions
Anish Kapoor to show some of his most ambitious projects—realised or not—in Venice
The exhibition of architectural models and sculptures at the artist's Cannaregio foundation will explore the less commercial side of his practice
Show unpacks legacy of polymath architect who restored Paris's Notre-Dame (the first time)
Eugène Viollet-le-Duc's epic 19th-century redesigns of the cathedral are a highlight of the exhibition at Bard Graduate Center in New York
Denmark exhibition invites visitors to come face to face with Basquiat’s ‘head’ works
Show at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art presents early drawings of human heads that remained largely unseen during the artist’s lifetime
Conceptual artist Theresa Hak Kyung Cha’s gets expansive tribute in California show
Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive aims to present a more complete view of the late artist’s varied practice
‘Rubens with jokes’: UK exhibitions place Beryl Cook in the art historical canon
Two new shows in the artist’s hometown of Plymouth examine her themes and influences
The Week in Art
A podcast bringing you the latest news from the art world, every week
Venice Biennale: South African pavilion scandal, Marian Goodman remembered, Paul Cezanne in Basel—podcast
We discuss the cancellation of Gabrielle Goliath’s pavilion and the artist’s attempt have the decision overturned, pay tribute to the lauded gallerist Marian Goodman, and hear about Cezanne’s famous ‘The Card Players’
African LGBTQ+ art at the Smithsonian, the Iran crisis, Louise Nevelson at Pompidou Metz—podcast
Hawai’i at the British Museum, a Venice palazzo for sale, Joseph Beuys’s ‘Bathtub’—podcast
The Year Ahead 2026: the big exhibitions and the key museum openings—podcast
The art world in 2025: our review of the biggest stories and shows—podcast
Frank Gehry remembered, Serpentine and FLAG Art Foundation prize, Joan Semmel—podcast
The Year Ahead
Our pick of the shows to see in the world's great art cities in 2026
The exhibitions to visit in London, New York, Tokyo, Paris and Madrid
Fair behemoths bet on Gulf plus new, bigger venues for Independent—a quick look at art fairs in 2026
Art Basel and Frieze are expanding in the Middle East while Art Cologne is reinstating its Mallorca edition
Venice, Sydney, Gwangju: the most interesting biennials to visit in 2026
Plus, full listings of the biennials, triennials and festivals taking place throughout the year
Art market 2026 predictions: underwhelming rebound and another Frieze fair
Our columnist gazes into her crystal ball to spot the major trends—from London regaining its lustre to AI fatigue—that are set to dominate the trade over the coming 12 months
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.
Van Gogh and café culture: 'The absinthes and brandies would follow each other in quick succession'
A touring exhibition on Parisian cafés is opening in Denmark and then goes to America
Diary
Get your skates on: artist puts ice rink in Venice palazzo
Olaf Nicolai's "Eisfeld II" has taken up residence in an 18th-century banqueting hall
Want to win a €1m Picasso? Buy a €100 raffle ticket in painting prize draw
The draw is due to take place at Christie's Paris next April
Sweet Jesus—Trump auctions off a Christ painting made in ten minutes
Work was created live by Vanessa Horabuena at Mar-a-Lago New Year’s eve bash
We are all in the gutter but Banksy’s Christmas kids are looking at the stars
The same work has appeared in west London and under the Centre Point tower in the city centre
Spirited art—Sharon Stone looks to the afterlife for her latest paintings
For her new Rogues Gallery series, the film star says she channelled spirits from across the centuries
Opinion
Museum wall texts are an art in their own right—but will they survive the digital age?
With shortened attention spans and constant technological distractions, some museums are getting rid of labels altogether
Comment | Tate Britain’s Turner and Constable show got me thinking about Marxist art history
On a recent trip to London, Bendor Grosvenor enjoyed the buzz of the Old Masters auctions but bemoaned Tate’s exhibition labels
In the age of AI, can art expertise be digitised?
Artificial intelligence attempts to offer objectivity in the inherently subjective field of authentication
Comment | We are living in an age of bad painting—the medium must be challenged to stay interesting
Painting may not be dead, but it may have become too comfortable
Let’s celebrate the new arrivals in the public domain, for auld lang syne
Copyright changes bring New Year cheer for fans of Léger, de Staël and Hepworth
Obituaries
Renowned gallerist Marian Goodman has died, aged 97
The dealer was known for her support of conceptually challenging artistic practices, and credited with bringing key European figures like Gerhard Richter and Marcel Broodthaers to the US
Remembering Gathie Falk, Canadian artist whose singular practice sparked comparisons to Surrealism and Pop art
Shaped by the austerity of her Mennonite upbringing and the bustling Vancouver art scene of the 1960s and 70s, she developed a playful, poignant and exacting visual language
Beatriz González, indefatigable force in Colombian art, has died, aged 93
One of the most important Latin American artists of the 20th century, she influenced the direction of post-war painting and helped shape Colombia’s museums as a curator, educator and mentor
Kathleen Goncharov, influential curator who helped many artists ‘realise their dreams’, has died aged 73
Alongside her work at organisations such as New York’s Just Above Midtown gallery and the Boca Raton Museum of Art in Florida, Goncharov was also an artist
Remembering Erik Bulatov, the Soviet artist who reframed propaganda
The pioneering painter was known for his luminous skies and loaded slogans on power, space and freedom
A brush with... podcast
A podcast that asks artists the questions you've always wanted to
A brush with… Luc Tuymans—podcast
Luc Tuymans talks to Ben Luke about his influences—from writers to musicians, film-makers and, of course, other artists—and the cultural experiences that have shaped his life and work