Latest

Louvre director Laurence des Cars resigns in wake of heist and ticketing scandal

Des Cars had pursued a costly renovation and expansion plan even as staff went on strike to advocate for tackling more urgent issues

Vincent Noceabout 4 hours ago

Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles acquires Kara Walker sculpture made from dissected Confederate monument

Walker’s “Unmanned Drone” is a centrepiece of “Monuments”, a landmark exhibition at Moca and The Brick

Benjamin Suttonabout 6 hours ago

Ukraine adopts resolution to aid evacuation of artefacts from front line

The government's decision to simplify the process of removing millions of objects in high-risk zones comes as the war with Russia enters its fifth year

Sophia Kishkovskyabout 11 hours ago

Rose Wylie: ‘It’s very, very fragile where a painting ends. All the time it sits on a precarious edge’

After beginning her career in the 1950s, and then taking 25 years out to raise a family, the artist finally hit her stride in the 2000s. Now, she is the first female painter to have a show in the main galleries of the Royal Academy of Arts in London

Louisa Buckabout 12 hours ago

New York State Museum begins $150m modernisation project

A new era of exhibitions and infrastructure upgrades is coming to the oldest and largest state museum in the US

Barbara Reina1 day ago

Art market

Minneapolis gallery launches mutual aid colouring book in response to Ice operations in the city

The gallery Dreamsong launched the project—which will also be available on its Frieze Los Angeles stand—to support Minnesotan immigrants and a rapid response fund

Art Basel reveals exhibitors for Swiss fair’s 2026 edition

The firm's hometown fair will feature 290 exhibitors from 43 countries and territories

Sotheby’s hikes buyer’s premiums as auction houses test new fee structures

In a recalibrating market, auction houses are carefully balancing much needed fee revenue with compelling deals for both buyers and sellers

UK artist resale right at 20: how successful has the pioneering scheme been?

Challenges loom but artist royalties on secondary sales now apply in 90 countries

Sotheby’s to sell around £2m of art to support the Royal Academy in London

The auction will provide crucial financial support for the institution, which last year was looking at axing 60 members of staff as part of a cost-cutting drive

Museums & Heritage

Claims of 8,000-year-old petroglyph’s discovery in Venezuela raise questions about scientific rigour and Indigenous custodianship

While local officials hailed the petroglyph as the potential linchpin of a heritage tourism to the region, archaeologists point to a lack of thorough analysis

Hadani Ditmarsabout 16 hours ago

Ukrainian heritage fund takes shape as war enters fifth year

Countries including the UK and Denmark have pledged to contribute to the new Ukraine Cultural Heritage Fund

New York Historical receives gift of 150 works by Indigenous artists

The works—including pieces by Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, Fritz Scholder, T.C. Cannon and others—were donated by the chair of the museum’s board of trustees and her husband

John Akomfrah and Jasleen Kaur among 200 signatories of letter denouncing Barbican’s decision to remove arts head

The letter's signatories have criticised the Barbican's communication around Devyani Saltzman's departure

Turkey’s heritage power grab: new law threatens Istanbul’s opposition-run cultural sites

Following changes to legislation governing foundations, the central government can now seize historic properties from local authorities

Exhibitions

Venice exhibition of US artist Hernan Bas will tackle issue of mass tourism

“The Visitors” includes more than 30 new paintings of youths who represent “cliches of the contemporary tourist”

Gareth Harrisabout 11 hours ago

South Africa pavilion will be empty at 2026 Venice Biennale, culture ministry says

The announcement comes after a court dismissed Gabrielle Goliath’s attempt to have her project reinstated—a ruling that has been met with anger by members of South Africa’s art world

UK exhibition celebrates the artisans throughout history who went to war

Fitzwilliam Museum’s new show "War Craft" examines art made on or near the front lines, often from materials found on the battlefield

Andrew Pulver1 day ago

Artist Gabrielle Goliath’s attempt to reinstate cancelled Venice Biennale pavilion dismissed by court

The artist and the curator Ingrid Masondo will be challenging the decision handed down by a judge from South Africa’s high court

Show on fantastical neoclassicist Johan Tobias Sergel heads to Stockholm and New York

Little known outside his native Sweden, the artist was a master of marble, but also created grotesque and erotic drawings

Books

Earthly delights: new book unravels the mysteries and enduring influence of rock art

A renowned expert reveals the range of techniques and aesthetics of rock art, and what it tells us about human development

Mathew Lyons1 day ago

New biography offers well-crafted story of Louise Bourgeois’s rich life

Knife-Woman is the fullest account to date of the life of one of the most influential artists of the last century

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

A brush with... podcast

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

A brush with… Catherine Opie—podcast

Catherine Opie 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

Hosted by Ben Luke. Produced by David Clack and Aimee Dawson
Sponsored by Bloomberg Connects

The Week in Art

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

The US struggles with history, Stephen Friedman Gallery closes, Tudor Heart pendant acquired by the British Museum—podcast

Ben Luke speaks to our editor-in-chief, Americas, Ben Sutton about the disputes that have arisen as the US marks its 250 years since the Declaration of Independence—and hears about the demise of Stephen Friedman’s Gallery. Plus, the story of a heart-shaped pendant tied to Katherine of Aragon and Henry VIII

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

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.

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

See you, Searle: Guardian chief art critic bows out after 30 years

Adrian Searle has described writing for the paper as “an exhilarating ride”

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

Opinion

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

Ben Lukeabout 10 hours ago

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

Art collective Cooking Sections’ food projects are helping save the planet

Art duo are delivering actionable ecological change through sustainable food production and consumption schemes

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

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

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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