Latest
How an old conservation technique involving salts is winning over museums
Research shows that the solutions long used in a German castle are a cheap, effective conservation method with advantages over silica and air-conditioning
Indonesia's 'scarred' art scene regroups following nationwide protests
At Art Jakarta and ruangrupa's anniversary show, key figures from the local scene discuss the impact of the anticorruption demonstrations
London gallery Project Native Informant closes after 12 years, citing 'volatile and unsustainable environment'
The Bethnal Green gallery's adventurous programme included DIS and Juliana Huxtable
Are you flush with cash? Maurizio Cattelan’s gold toilet could fetch $10m at auction
The 18-karat gold sculpture, another edition of which was used by thousands at the Guggenheim Museum, returns to the spotlight at Sotheby's
US climate activist gets 18-month prison sentence for splashing paint on Degas sculpture’s case
Timothy Martin was convicted of conspiracy and injuring government property over a 2023 protest action at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC
Art market
Led by £10.2m cheetah miniature, Aga Khan collection breaks all-time record for South Asian art sale
The auction at Christie's London made £45.8m, and closes out a landmark year for the Indian art market
Forged Picasso, Rembrandt and Kahlo paintings seized by Bavarian police
A 77-year old man is the main suspect in an investigation that has involved raids in Germany, Switzerland and Liechtenstein
‘I’m not trying to impress anyone with what I buy’: how Catherine Walsh went from cosmetics queen to art collector
The patron and collector had a stellar career in the cosmetics business, but now surrounds herself with beauty of a different kind
Art Toronto gets sales boost from baseball World Series
Canada’s biggest art fair appeared to benefit from the Toronto Blue Jays’ first crack at baseball’s top trophy since 1993
Wealthy women spent 46% more on art than male peers in 2024: findings from the latest Art Basel and UBS Survey of Global Collecting
The latest annual report looks at gender and generational differences when it comes to tastes and collecting behaviour
Museums & Heritage
Protecting North America’s oldest cave art after an historic flood raised new alarms
Dunbar Cave, home of numerous petroglyphs and pictographs dating back at least 800 years, was submerged by a flood in February—the art was fortunately undamaged, but how can we save it from inevitable future storms?
British Council hopes to transfer art collection to UK government amid ‘real financial peril’
The organisation is “selling everything” in a bid to offset debts of almost £200m
Philadelphia museum opens $20m expansion after winning back cancelled funding from Trump administration
Woodmere Art Museum, which includes thousands of works by generations of local artists, opens a second building to show off more of its collection
Tutankhamun set to debut at delayed Grand Egyptian Museum opening
The colossal archaeological museum is set to welcome international dignitaries to a ceremony this Saturday, including opening its prize attraction, the Tutankhamun Gallery
In historic move, MFA Boston returns works by 19th-century enslaved artist David Drake to his heirs
The terms of the restitution of the two ceramic pots have been cast in the mould of Nazi war-loot agreements
Exhibitions
Catch of the day: Winslow Homer’s delicate watercolours get very rare outing in Boston
The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, presents a display of the artist’s fragile, light-filled works celebrating his mastery of sea, sky and shore
Trajan’s force: Houston exhibition to explore Ancient Rome’s imperial peak
Giant statues and a section of Trajan’s Column flaunt the might and culture of the empire under the successful ruler
Performa brings digital doubles, kids reciting animal noises and more to New York
New York’s performance art biennial also features a slate of Lithuanian artists, a reimagined tale of supernatural mourning and a pop-rock supergroup singing protest songs
Twisting tale of ‘Henry VIII’s lost dagger’ to be told in London exhibition
An Ottoman blade once believed to have been owned by the famous monarch is at the heart of Strawberry Hill House’s latest show
New York exhibition seeks to raise funds for LGBTQ+ youth centre
The show benefiting the Ali Forney Center at David Zwirner comes as LGBTQ+ organisations in the US struggle to replace government funding that has been rescinded or withdrawn
The Week in Art
A podcast bringing you the latest news from the art world, every week
Gauguin ‘fake’ is real, Mrinalini Mukherjee and her circle, Franz Xaver Messerschmidt’s head piece—podcast
Ben Luke discusses the Gauguin saga with special correspondent Martin Bailey, and meets the curators of new shows in London and Vienna
A brush with... podcast
A podcast that asks artists the questions you've always wanted to
A brush with… Peter Doig—podcast
Peter Doig 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
Opinion
Comment | Exhibitions comparing artists can be problematic, but the Barbican brings Giacometti, Bhabha and Hatoum together with perfect judgement
Affinities and distinctions are equally welcomed in a pair of exhibitions at the London venue
Comment | A spate of dealer anniversaries offers hope amid art market doomerism
Several New York galleries have hit major milestones in recent months—what lessons can those in charge impart?
Comment | Museums can't get enough of anniversary exhibitions—but surely there's better ways to serve the public
This year museums are falling over themselves to celebrate Robert Rauschenberg’s 100th birthday. But, asks Julia Halperin, who is it really all for?
Comment | Executive odour: Trump’s fervour inspires more flag burning
Trump’s order attempting to criminalise the burning of the US flag has led to defiant actions from artists and activists
Comment | Bristol's Spike Island has become an environmental beacon—here's why it makes financial sense for others to follow suit
Investing in meaningful action on the climate emergency can seem daunting for smaller, cash-strapped outfits, writes Louisa Buck, but it pays off in more ways than one
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.
Diary
No such thing as bad press: makers of lift used in Louvre theft launch ad campaign
Social media users have been left—largely—amused by the German company's tongue-in-cheek approach
Francis Bacon’s Paris pad honoured with plaque
The artist had “a very full existence” in the French capital during the 1970s
Look what she made them do: Taylor Swift fans descend on German museum
Swifties have been arriving in droves to catch a glimpse of Friedrich Heyser's Ophelia, which appears in a recent music video by the showgirl superstar
Talking point: visitors to Versailles can now meet the AI Apollo
An new app allows visitors to ‘speak’ with 20 statues in three languages
Despite past legal drama, Madonna still seems hung up on the V&A
The Queen of Pop’s 2003 visit sparked a lawsuit—but she was spotted there again just last month
Book reviews
New book highlights Vorticism’s toxic side—and puts its women pioneers back in the frame
James King’s study places Jessica Dismorr and Helen Saunders at the centre of the movement
Martin Parr steps out from behind the camera lens in informal autobiography
An intimate and chatty biography gives the artist space to reflect on his career in photography and the practice’s evolution
From royal visitors to extortionate eBay sales: new book offers rare behind-the-scenes glimpse of Vermeer blockbuster
A collection of essays about the Rijksmuseum‘s show also fascinating insights into the struggle for loans and what accompanying research revealed about its 17th-century subject
Pontormo, Vasari and Michelangelo take leading roles in this 16th-century whodunnit
Novelist Laurent Binet weaves a compelling tale of Renaissance Italy with this art historical murder mystery
In a new biography, Vanessa Bell is cast as the Bloomsbury Group's leading light—and as central to 20th-century visual culture
This evocative tale makes a compelling case Bell, who made inroads as an artist and designer at a time when this was rare for women
Obituaries
Agnes Gund, collector and philanthropist who helped transform MoMA, has died, aged 87
In addition to supporting many art institutions, Gund was a passionate funder of arts education and criminal justice reform initiatives
Remembering Robert Redford, the Hollywood star with the sensibility of a struggling painter
Redford, an Oscar-winning actor, director and founder of the Sundance Institute, died yesterday at his home in Utah
Rosalyn Drexler—Pop Art painter, polymath, and travelling wrestler—has died aged 98
Drexler, who was a fixture of the Pop Art scene by the early 1960s, was also a member of an all-women wrestling troupe under the pseudonym Mexican Spitfire
Giorgio Armani, designer who changed how museums engage with fashion, has died aged 91
As well as for his iconic designs, Armani will be remembered for his broad cultural legacy
Sylvain Amic, ‘open spirited’ head of Musée d'Orsay, has died aged 58
His death was announced on Sunday by the French culture minister, Rachida Dati