AnalysisThe Year in Review 2019
King Tut’s golden year, Koons’s worst: the highs and lows of the art world in 2019
As Notre Dame burned, protestors called the shots and a gold toilet vanished, it was certainly a year to remember
AnalysisThe Year in Review 2019
Finally out of the shadows: the biggest exhibition trend in 2019
We look back at some of the best shows this year
AnalysisThe Year in Review 2019
From cancelled fairs to street art's auction room takeover: the art market's fruitiest stories of 2019
We look back at the stories that have overturned the art world order this year
AnalysisArt market
'Christmas dinner without the turkey': little festive cheer at Sotheby's Old Masters sale
December auction generates less than half the total of last year's sale, with several lots failing to sell
AnalysisChina
Why museum partnerships between China and the West are booming
Cultural institutions have embraced mutual benefits of collaboration, despite challenges of communication and censorship
AnalysisArt market
Tiepolo and Giovanni di Paolo spark excitement in underpowered Christie’s Old Master sale
Auction raised more than last year but supply still limited as Brexit-dominated general election looms
AnalysisImmersive experiences
Snap and go: the pros and cons of the art experience economy
Immersive experiences define the most popular contemporary exhibitions, but where does this leave the commercial art world?
AnalysisSotheby's
Sotheby’s at the crossroads: new owner, new chief executive, new era
Will new management be able to grow the newly privatised auction house on a tight budget?
AnalysisArt market
Randomness rules New York's $42m American art sales
Small works won out at Sotheby's and Christie's as top lots went for their low estimates or were withdrawn
AnalysisAuctions
New York's autumn sales were subdued but not necessarily septic
Overall sales were down by around 30% but beyond the disappointing headline figures, women and minority artists shone
AnalysisClimate Change
Three ways museums can face up to the climate crisis
No issue is more relevant—and relevance is the cultural sector’s current leitmotif
AnalysisAuctions
Countdown to the auction block: one Rodin's journey from consignment to sale room
How a work of art comes to auction is far from a simple process and its place in the eventual sale order is crucial
AnalysisFrom the archive
The demolition of the Berlin Wall had immediate effects on German life. But how did it affect artists?
By far the most comprehensive artistic testimony were paintings in what immediately became known as the East Side Gallery
AnalysisFrom the archive
Notes from a demolition: five works about the Wall in Berlin collections
From Frank Thiel's Stadt to Tacita Dean's Palast, some of the best works about the Wall and life in Berlin after reunification
AnalysisSalvator Mundi
Is the $450m Salvator Mundi really on a Saudi yacht?
The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia’s luxury vessel has unexpectedly circumnavigated Europe and docked in the Netherlands
AnalysisFrom the archive
How Mitte embodied new artistic spirit of Berlin after the Wall came down
East German area became a space of possibilities, not unlike inner-city New York or east London before they were gentrified
AnalysisFrom the archive
Since the fall of the Wall, Berlin has established itself as the artists' capital
Despite not being rich, the city has a large percentage of professional creatives and a booming gallery scene
AnalysisFrom the archive
Throughout the Cold War Berlin’s museums quietly kept in touch—when the Wall came down, they embraced
This archive article, taken from our feature looking back at the fall of the Berlin Wall 25 years later, shows how German culture remained linked when politics broke down
AnalysisBuyer's Guide
Prices, pitfalls and the biggest collectors: a buyer's guide to Les Lalanne
A controversial Sotheby's sale following the death of Claude could further propel the prices of the artist couple celebrated for their works fusing flora and fauna.
AnalysisArt crime
It’s 50 years since Caravaggio’s Nativity was stolen in Palermo: have the police been chasing red herrings all this time?
New enquiries suggest a US or Swiss connection through the mafia heroin trade
AnalysisAuctions
New artists to the block bring excitement to Phillips Contemporary evening sale in London
New record set for Alex Katz, but less-familiar names also exceed expectations
AnalysisAlbert Oehlen
Buyer's guide to...Albert Oehlen
With three separate shows of his work taking place in London during Frieze Week, the German artist's market is heating up
AnalysisAuctions
Selling off the Gloucestershire Gustons: Jeremy Lancaster collection kicks off Frieze Week auctions
Christie's sale in London totals £23m with Modern British artists rubbing shoulders with international post-war names
AnalysisCathedral of Notre Dame
Inside Notre Dame: a blow-by-blow account of the restoration process
Five months on we look at the steps and measurements implemented by experts to start rebuilding the fire-ravaged cathedral
AnalysisArt market
High-earning young collectors come out in force at Expo Chicago
Although top prices are hard to come by, a new class of collectors is shoring up the middle market
AnalysisCommercial galleries
Mega-galleries pick up the pace in the race for space
Commercial galleries continue to expand in Manhattan despite steep real estate costs
AnalysisArt market
East Asian unrest plays in Art Jakarta's favour
Fair is benefitting from Indonesia's burgeoning economy as well as cancelled Singapore fairs
AnalysisArt crime
Seller beware: how to avoid being duped by an artful dodger
Timothy Sammons misled clients over sales of works by artists including Picasso
AnalysisCathedral of Notre Dame
New law regarding Notre Dame says restoration must preserve its 'historic, artistic and architectural interest'
But attempts in the senate to ensure it will look as before the fire were dropped from the final version
AnalysisLouise Bourgeois
Buyer's guide to...Louise Bourgeois
The late French artist’s phallic bronzes are not as easy to home as many of her other works, but it is the spiders that remain the most coveted— and hardest to come by
AnalysisPolitics
The artistic women in Boris Johnson's life
From his mother to his partners, the UK's new prime minister has been surrounded by people in the arts
AnalysisClimate Change
Venice has no official plan for how to deal with climate change
A new report by Icomos details how the science/culture divide is stopping world heritage coming to the aid of climate change and urges speedy action
AnalysisAntiquities & Archaeology
A Getty lifeline for classical mosaics in the Middle East and North Africa
As the Getty winds down its decade-long Mosaikon project, it leaves behind a legacy of expertise in a region threatened by looting and political unrest
AnalysisArt market
Price match! Old Masters vs contemporary art: what can you get for your money?
As London's Classic Week of sales comes to a close, we take a look at what the same sum will buy you at either end of the art historical timeline
AnalysisArt Basel 2019
Art Basel: where political cartoons still have a home
As the New York Times bans satirical illustrations, Art Basel has plenty on show, from the 1920s to today
AnalysisGerhard Richter
Buyer’s guide to...Gerhard Richter
As a major retrospective on the artist is due to open at the Met Breuer in New York next year, we look at the German artist's market
AnalysisEthics
The only way is ethics: the art world's 'networks of undue influence'
Ethics specialist Piergiorgio Pepe claims the power in the art industry is still held in the hands of a few
AnalysisVenice
Where does the cruise ship crash leave Venice?
The mayor demands that liners use other channels to enter the lagoon but this solution also poses problems
AnalysisAuctions
Edward Hopper's over-priced ode to Shakespeare goes unsold as market for American art proves capricious
Christie's American art sales this week realise a new record for Hartley but Sotheby's struggles to get the pricing right on Hopper's Shakespeare scene
AnalysisArchitecture
Notre Dame is unstable: a strong wind could make the walls collapse, independent report says
The current approach to its restoration fails to take account of the interconnected structural “engineering” of Gothic architecture
AnalysisVenice Biennale 2019
National pride, national shame and the ‘post-national’: the question of identity at the Venice Biennale
National pavilions in Venice have long been criticised as anachronistic. But for nations newer to the event, such quibbling can seem like a luxury
AnalysisArt market
Spanish still-lifes test the staying power of a dealer's legacy at Christie's
Two works from the private collection of renowned New York dealer Herman Schickman, previously on long-term loan to the Met, hit the auction block today
AnalysisFrieze New York 2019
Battle of the art fairs: Frieze New York feels the pinch as Tefaf gains ground
After contending with flooding in 2017 and a heatwave last year, some major players are heading for the Armory instead
AnalysisFrom the archive
Church and State disagree over management of religious heritage in France
The country possesses more than 32,000 churches, 6,000 chapels and 87 cathedrals. Their dual administration has caused serious problems of management and conservation
AnalysisMuseums & Heritage
Nineteenth-century realists pull in mega-crowds as Russian museum attendance peaks
Exhibitions in Russia of homegrown artists attract proportionally greater numbers than blockbusters in other countries
AnalysisMuseums & Heritage
Topping a million visitors: how MCA Australia broadened the appeal of contemporary art
With more than a million people through the doors annually since 2015, the museum is a case study in how to expand audiences
AnalysisMusée du Louvre
Thirty years on, Louvre's pyramid scheme pays off
I.M. Pei’s controversial entrance symbolises the Parisian museum’s spectacular growth
AnalysisEgon Schiele
Buyer's guide to... Egon Schiele
While well known in the West, the work of this major figure of Austrian Expressionism is less recognised in Asia—until now
AnalysisArt's Most Popular 2019
Art's Most Popular: here are 2018's most visited shows and museums
Fashion continues upward trend in the US, shooting to the top of The Art Newspaper's chart, while the British Museum slips from the top spot in the UK
AnalysisArt market
From tribal art to Old Master paintings, taking the market's temperature at Tefaf Maastricht
As the Dutch fair opened its 32nd edition, we spoke to exhibitors across four sectors about the state of the market
AnalysisTEFAF Maastricht 2019
Tefaf Maastricht overhauls Modern art section in battle to stay on top in changing market
Loss of some regular exhibitors in favour of blue-chip contemporary art galleries is the latest in a string of changes to the venerable Dutch fair
AnalysisVenice Biennale 2019
Painting's death was fake news? Venice Biennale to address art in the post-truth era
Despite lacking a designated theme, the event will take the unusual step of being divided into two distinct exhibitions
AnalysisAuctions
Hockney double portrait sells for £37.7m, accounting for half of Christie’s contemporary sale in London
Overall results are down 42.7% on last year, but European buying remains strong despite Brexit
AnalysisArco
Arco provides lifeline for South American dealers
Political turmoil and economic crisis keep collectors away from countries such as Venezuela, so galleries rely more on fairs
AnalysisMuseums in the changing world order
Museums in the changing world order: a question of ethics
In the first part of a new series, Adrian Ellis looks at the increased public scrutiny of museum boards in the social media age
AnalysisRembrandt
Trimmed, splashed and slashed: the anatomy of Rembrandt's The Night Watch
As the Rijksmuseum prepares to restore the Dutch master’s most-celebrated painting in full view of the public, we look at its chequered conservation history
AnalysisArt fairs
New report says South Asian gallery sales are on the rise but does that ring true at India Art Fair?
Speculative buying in the region has also increased, ArtTactic’s 2019 South Asian Art Market Report concludes
AnalysisRestitution
The repatriation debate intensifies as calls for post-colonial restitution grow—but is it legal?
Recommendations from Savoy-Sarr report into restitution by French museums may contravene the country’s laws
AnalysisArt market
Dealers turn to digital apps to help close sales
FaceTime and WeChat are shifting how collectors choose to buy
AnalysisExhibitions
The year in exhibitions: world’s great collections reunited for once-in-a-lifetime shows
In 2018, curators turned into sleuths to track down works that belonged to some of history’s greatest—but often flawed—collectors
AnalysisThe Year In Review
2018 in the market: the price is right for pale males
David Hockney was latest white male artist to set a record this year
AnalysisThe Year In Review
2018 in contemporary art: the themes of Documenta 14 dominated much art over the past year
Contemporary artists are making art from adversity
AnalysisThe Year In Review
2018 in museums: big ethics questions dominate the field
Museums are facing greater scrutiny over sponsorship and the artists they choose to display
AnalysisThe Year In Review
The year in heritage: conservators become art
The conservation of masterpieces is happening in the full glare of the public
AnalysisThe Year In Review
Market stunts predict the future… and evoke the past
The Leonardo and Banksy auction spectacles suggested a future in which marketing triumphs. But was it ever thus?
AnalysisThe Year In Review
Vik Muniz: My advice to fellow artists in the face of grim political times
Brazil’s cultural sector must respond to hard-right politics by reconnecting with the wider community
AnalysisThe Year In Review
From counting muddles to collective cuddles: the art world's highs and lows of 2018
The people, places and things that had a year to remember—or to forget
AnalysisLaw
Rule of law: Legal tips for art lovers
From new exhibitor regulations at Art Basel in Miami Beach to questions over insurance and taxes
AnalysisMarket
In debt we trust: the rise of art-secured lending
The rapid growth in the number of loan providers, from private banks to specialist lenders, could transform the art market’s relationship with the financial markets
AnalysisTurner Prize
'I wouldn’t be here were it not for public funding': Turner Prize-winner Charlotte Prodger makes case for state support for the arts
Glasgow-based artist won the coveted award for her intimate videos filmed entirely on an iPhone
AnalysisAuctions
The highs and lows of New York ‘gigaweek’
Hockney made the headlines, but other artists made waves—or flopped—at November’s auctions
AnalysisArt market
Downright quirky appetite for American masters at Sotheby's
A monumental painting of the American West by Emanuel Leutze breaks records while works by Rockwell and Hopper flop
AnalysisArt market
Performance art finds its voice at Independent Brussels
Contemporary fair has reinvented itself after scaling back and moving to a November slot, although it has lost some big name exhibitors
AnalysisArt market
Paris versus Shanghai: photo fairs old and new compared
Despite censorship, China’s appetite for photography is growing but Paris Photo remains pre-eminent
AnalysisArt market
Witchy works cast a spell at Turin's Artissima art fair
Feminine power and the occult permeate the Italian event and the city beyond