Latest

Queens Museum picks Debra Wimpfheimer as next executive director

Wimpfheimer has worked at the institution since 2002, most recently as deputy director to Sally Tallant, who is London-bound

Benjamin Suttonabout 2 hours ago

David A. Ross resigns from New York's School of Visual Arts over friendship with Jeffrey Epstein

Newly released documents show the close relationship between the two men continued for years after Epstein’s first criminal conviction

Gabriella Angeletiabout 21 hours ago

London's Brutalist Southbank Centre awarded protected heritage status

The post-war arts complex has been Grade II listed but one critic has responded by calling it a “concrete monstrosity”

Gareth Harrisabout 4 hours ago

‘A sad day’: UK cultural organisations criticise contractor’s decision to remove artworks from court cells

Works commissioned by the government’s Prisoner Escort and Custody Services were quickly taken down by Serco, according to a report

Joe Wareabout 3 hours ago

London’s Mosaic Rooms, dedicated to art from the Arab region, reopens after expansion

The space in Kensington has relaunched with a continued focus on both international strategies of resistance and its local community

Melissa Gronlundabout 5 hours ago

Art market

67 galleries will once again take over the Shed for Frieze New York

Around one-fifth of participating galleries are either first-time participants or returning to the fair after a hiatus

Artemisia Gentileschi, Michelangelo and Rembrandt bring new energy and records to New York’s Old Masters sales

The week's sales also saw a near-record for a Canaletto painting and a seven-figure result for a 15th-century Hebrew illuminated manuscript

At Mexico City’s Material and Salón Acme fairs, artists find hope in nature

The two foremost satellite fairs of Mexico City Art Week are drawing record crowds and feature strong presentations by artists and galleries from across Mexico and throughout the Americas

India Art Fair strengthens its role as launchpad for South Asian talent

The New Delhi stalwart, which has raised the profile of many artists, increasingly reflects the growing interest in Indigenous art

Museums & Heritage

Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art will return three bronze sculptures to India after provenance review

One of the sculptures will remain on long-term display at the Washington, DC, museum

Alton Yanabout 20 hours ago

When it comes to restitution, how can museums solve a problem like inalienability?

Having a legal structure and policy that allows institutions to make moral decisions on returning objects is crucial

Alexander Hermanabout 4 hours ago

Bill aimed at giving Israel control over all West Bank heritage sites sparks concern

Campaign groups have claimed the proposal violates international law, while Israel maintains it is about taking responsibility for and protecting Jewish heritage

France’s ex-culture minister Jack Lang resigns from L’Institut du Monde Arabe amid Epstein revelations

Lang, 86, who has led the Parisian institution since 2013, has vigorously denied any wrongdoing after his name was found nearly 700 times within the Epstein files

British Museum acquires £3.5m golden pendant linked to Henry VIII after high-profile campaign

The museum raised the money to buy the Tudor Heart following a celebrity-endorsed fundraising campaign launched in October

Exhibitions

London show highlights how drawing was at the heart of Lucian Freud’s practice

The National Portrait Gallery is exploring a less familiar aspect of the artist’s work through his archive and recently acquired etchings

Dangling sculpture—‘evacuated’ from Russian frontline—will be focus of Ukraine's pavilion at Venice Biennale

Suspended from a crane, the work is meant as a metaphor for the country's ongoing precarious situation during the war

Fourth Lahore Biennale, to take place during 80th anniversary of Partition, will explore cross-border connectivity

The Pakistan-based festival has announced the curator of its next edition, opening in January 2027

World Cup art initiatives go for goal in Mexico City

Ambitious cultural programme will accompany the 2026 Fifa World Cup tournament

Afghanistan’s heritage comes to the fore in acclaimed Doha show

The exhibition showcases 5,000 years of Afghan art and craft

A brush with... podcast

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

A brush with… Louis Fratino—podcast

Louis Fratino 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

Hosted by Ben Luke. Produced by David Clack and Aimee Dawsonabout 2 hours ago
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The Week in Art

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

Art Basel Qatar, Dürer portrait debate, Paula Modersohn-Becker and Edvard Munch—podcast

Ben Luke talks to art market editor Kabir Jhala about the inaugural fair in Doha, explores the debate surrounding a painting of Dürer’s father, and we hear about the synergies between two 20th-century painters

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

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 Year Ahead

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.

David Beckham dutifully does the art rounds in Doha

Meanwhile film star Angelina Jolie also put in an appearance at Art Basel Qatar

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

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

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

When it comes to restitution, how can museums solve a problem like inalienability?

Having a legal structure and policy that allows institutions to make moral decisions on returning objects is crucial

Alexander Hermanabout 4 hours ago

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

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

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