Latest
Hirshhorn Museum’s revamped sculpture garden will feature new acquisitions by Mark Grotjahn, Lauren Halsey and more
The Smithsonian’s Modern and contemporary art museum in Washington, DC revealed eight recent acquisitions that will be displayed in the garden when it reopens this autumn
Contemporary Jewish Museum puts its Libeskind-designed building in San Francisco up for sale
The museum, which has been closed since December 2024, will continue its programming in collaboration with other cultural institutions
UK government to ‘explore’ charging international visitors to museums in England
The government's favourable response comes three months after the publication of Margaret Hodge's landmark Arts Council England review
Christopher Columbus statue installed on White House grounds
A replica of a monument toppled during protests in 2020 has been erected near the Eisenhower Executive Office Building as Donald Trump frames the explorer as a national hero
‘I have not walked this path alone’: South African artist Gabrielle Goliath on showing her cancelled Venice Biennale project outside the main event
The artist meanwhile has heavily criticised her country’s decision to leave its official pavilion empty
Art Basel Hong Kong 2026
Sales at Art Basel Hong Kong reflect a deepening Asian market
The region's growing institutional infrastructure is helping to counteract a diminished presence from the West
Who owns the seas? Shahzia Sikander's new animation on world trade beamed onto M+ museum facade
The Pakistani-American artist uses cartography to show the entwined histories of China, South Asia and Britain
Ten must-see works in Art Basel Hong Kong's new section
The fair’s Echoes section is dedicated to art created in the last five years
Exhibitions to see during Art Basel Hong Kong
From woven photographs by the late Dinh Q. Lê to a survey of 21st century Chinese art
Art market
Important collection of Minimalist art could bring big results at auction
Henry S. McNeil Jr.’s collection, led by a major Judd "stack" sculpture, is expected to exceed $30m at Christie's this spring
French government blocks sale of newly discovered drawing by German Renaissance master Hans Baldung
The portrait has been deemed “a work of major historical and artistic interest“ for France’s national heritage
Art Dubai 2026 to be postponed and adapted in response to regional conflict
The fair’s 20th edition will be rescheduled to mid-May and have a “more focused and flexible format”, as Iranian strikes in the UAE show no signs of abating
Global art sales grew 4% in 2025 but remain below pre-pandemic levels, Art Basel and UBS report finds
Political volatility and mounting operational costs weigh heavily on the trade, which ticked up to an estimated $59.6bn in 2025 after two years of decline
Major collection of Indian paintings and calligraphy to be offered at Christie's
Following the success of the Aga Khan sale in October, works from the collection of Seattle-based Mary and Cheney Cowles will be sold in London in April
Museums & Heritage
‘We are trying to preserve the memory of our people’: archaeologists create map tracking damage to Iran heritage sites
The interactive map has recorded 69 damaged sites so far, but experts say the verified cases represent only a fraction of the destruction as war continues
Canadian foundation with ties to Israel’s biggest real-estate company ceases funding for Toronto Arts Foundation following protests
Both the Toronto Arts Foundation and the Azrieli Foundation maintain that the end of the funding relationship is unrelated to recent protests; activists are framing the split as a victory
Comment | Museums must be the leaders in a moral revolution
Museums are “remarkably unwilling to acknowledge their own status as democratic institutions, the bedrock of civic society and our most important public spaces”
Unesco-protected monastery in Lviv damaged by Russian drone strike
The 17th-century Bernardine Monastery was one of several buildings hit in the Ukrainian city’s historic centre, which is a Unesco World Heritage Site
Excavations at Alexander the Great's rediscovered city in Iraq postponed due to war
New research has confirmed the site of the giant ancient metropolis, but further archaeological work has been delayed due to issues such as travel restrictions
Exhibitions
The Met’s blockbuster Raphael exhibition looks beyond the artist’s idealised Madonnas
The show at the New York institution presents a much wider “social and historical context” of motherhood and childhood mortality
Michaelina Wautier’s work was lost, hidden or misattributed to men—now her rediscovered paintings are going on show in London
The exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts will include her masterpiece “The Triumph of Bacchus” as well as the recently unearthed “The Five Senses”
‘Every minute was a minute to create’: Paris show presents Henri Matisse’s dazzling finale
The exhibition at the Grand Palais includes more than 300 works from the last 13 years of the artist’s life
London exhibition celebrates Konrad Mägi, Estonia’s mystic Modern master
The painter was influenced by Pointillism and Cubism, but had a distinctive style that transcended both movements
Keeping up with the Kleins: exhibition brings together Yves’s talented artist family
Show examines the rich legacy of Yves Klein’s father Fred Klein, his mother Marie Raymond and his widow Rotraut Klein-Moquay
The Week in Art
A podcast bringing you the latest news from the art world, every week
New Museum extension opens, NextGen collectors, a Wardian Case in Oxford – podcast
In this week's episode of The Week in Art, Ben Luke discusses the newly-enlarged New Museum, talks to Georgina Adam about her new book on the latest generation of art collectors, and hears from the curator of a new exhibition on botany at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford
Hong Kong International Cultural Summit
The event returns to WestK from 22-23 March
Opinion
Comment | All hail the rise of the art internship
Against a backdrop of a contracting job market for graduates, initiatives such as the Sotheby’s Institute’s fellowship programme are supporting the next generation of art industry experts
Comment | Climate change is forcing tough choices—how much heritage can we save before it is too late?
As increasingly extreme weather threatens cultural sites, archaeologists are turning to technology to try and record them before they are lost forever
Comment | Art is more than its original context
The place where we observe a work of art—and the feelings we have—play a crucial role in our experience
Comment | Time for a rethink: women artists were never meant to merely be canon fodder
Exhibitions pairing Munch with Paula Modersohn-Becker and Maria Lassnig provide opportunities to subvert the established order
How do we stem the decline in students studying art history in the UK?
We need to reframe the subject as one worth knowing about, rather than focusing on its use
Obituaries
Obituary | Umberto Allemandi, visionary publisher who founded 'Il Giornale dell’Arte', has died aged 88
The editor built an international network of publications—including 'The Art Newspaper'—that transformed cultural journalism
Pedro Friedeberg, key figure in Mexican art renowned for hand-shaped chair, has died at age 90
Beyond his famous chair design, Friedeberg created a singular world of ornament, architecture, and irony
Liliana Angulo Cortés, director of Bogotá’s Museo Nacional de Colombia, has died, aged 51
Angulo’s work was devoted to decolonising the museum, anti-racism and reparation with a special focus on diversifying narratives to include more Black and Indigenous voices
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
Books
New book digs into the little-known gallery that brought Modern art to America
The publication's author on how it has taken decades of research to tell the story of the New York gallery, which exhibited artists such Picasso and Mondrian
Textiles weave tales of Palestine’s rich but troubled history
Embroidery has long been a key form of artistic expression
A short guide to the hidden meanings in great paintings
An A to C extract from the glossary of Painted Mysteries, which deciphers common motifs and symbols in famous works
An expert's guide to John Constable: five must-read books on the British painter
The best publications to learn all about Constable, from a journey through the landscapes that inspired him to a children's activity book—selected by the curator Emma Roodhouse
Clash of the Renaissance titans: an intriguing double biography of Titian and Michelangelo
The book about the two Old Masters, who probably only met twice, considers what they had in common and how they differed
A brush with... podcast
A podcast that asks artists the questions you've always wanted to
A brush with… Danh Vo—podcast
Danh Vo talks to Ben Luke about her influences—from writers to musicians, film-makers and, of course, other artists—and the cultural experiences that have shaped her life and work
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.
Epstein files reveal Leon Black as a key collector of Van Gogh works
The New York collector Black is revealed to have bought five of the artist’s pieces
Diary
Damien Hirst offers his hot take on art dealers
Speaking on a podcast, the artist likened art galleries to estate agents
Innocent mistake? Italy's prime minister appears as a cherub in Rome church
A double of Georgia Meloni was spotted in the chapel of the Basilica of St Lawrence in Lucina
Can you feel the love tonight? Elton John's cosy family portrait captured by Catherine Opie
Picture featuring his sons, husband David and their dogs goes on show at the National Portrait Gallery in London
‘Haters will say this urn is mid’: US National Gallery of Art curator is Insta hit with Gen Z
Deputy head of sculpture's slang-heavy posts appeal to a new generation of art lovers
See you, Searle: Guardian chief art critic bows out after 30 years
Adrian Searle has described writing for the paper as “an exhilarating ride”