NewsMuseums & Heritage
Mosul Cultural Museum rises from the ravages of Isis
Painstaking reconstruction by multi-agency task force is salvaging what artefacts remain after Islamic State occupation
NewsRestitution
Looted in the 1980s, a sacred stele at the Dallas Museum of Art is headed back to Nepal
After FBI investigation, sculptural antiquity lent by a collector is determined to have a disturbing provenance
NewsArt market
Hobby Lobby claims Israeli collector Joseph David Hackmey consigned allegedly looted Gilgamesh tablet to Christie's
The arts and crafts chain has amended its complaint regarding the ancient tablet, which it bought for at auction for $1.67m in 2014. It was seized by US authorities in 2019
NewsAntiquities trafficking
Accord between US and Turkey to counter illicit trade in artefacts divides historians and preservationists
Critics say Turkish government polices give short shrift to religious minorities’ cultural heritage
NewsHeritage
From mummies to mosques—new Google Arts & Culture initiative brings Egypt’s archaeological treasures to the masses
New online platform aims to turn traditionally scholarly subject into something "easily digestible and fun to explore"
NewsArt market
The devil is in the paperwork—don't be caught out by provenance fraud
The rise of the online art market means due diligence on purchasing art is becoming increasingly complex
NewsArt crime
Two Manhattan antiquities dealers arrested on charges of fraud
Authorities have accused Erdal Dere and Faisal Khan of running an alleged scheme to swindle buyers by using fake provenances
NewsObituaries
Forrest Fenn, known for burying $2m worth of treasure in the Rocky Mountains, dies at 90
The controversial yet colourful Santa Fe-based art and antiquities dealer announced that his treasure had been found shortly before his death
NewsAntiquities trafficking
French dealer sues over Egyptian stele seized on way to Tefaf New York
Legal case brought against antiquities expert who also sold an allegedly looted golden sarcophagus to the Metropolitan Museum last year, while an arrest is made in Germany
ReviewBooks
Image and impotency: book reveals the palaces and pictures of some particularly hapless Habsburgs
The Mexican Emperor Maximilian, Crown Prince Rudolf and Archduke Franz Ferdinand all came to sad ends, but amassed vast estates and works of art
NewsArt market
Douglas Latchford's death reignites unresolved controversy over alleged smuggling of Cambodian antiquities
News of the death of dealer and expert in South East Asian art raises strong reactions and unanswered questions
NewsObituaries
'Adventurer scholar' Douglas Latchford dies in Bangkok, aged 89
Expert in Khmer and Indian antiquities was a dealer in Cambodian art in the 1970s and last year was accused of smuggling and creating false provenances for antiquities
NewsAntiquities
California man is charged with illegally importing an ancient mosaic, possibly from Syria
Indictment says the paperwork misrepresented the work’s quality and value
NewsArt market
Extent of trade in looted antiquities is exaggerated, report claims
New research conducted by US non-profit RAND suggests illicit market is less extensive and organised than is commonly believed
ReviewBooks
Roman holiday, 40BC: an in-depth view of the Villa dei Papiri, the inspiration for the Getty Villa
The institution has released an up-to-date account of discoveries from the seaside getaway near Herculaneum, where Roman politicians took restorative breaks—before it was buried by Vesuvius
NewsAntiquities
Former Louvre curator among five arrested in Paris in antiquities trafficking investigation
Case involves "hundreds of objects worth millions" looted from the Near and Middle East
NewsMuseums & Heritage
Facebook and Instagram ban trading of historical artefacts
Heritage group Athar were part of a campaign highlighting the social media giants' “black market in antiquities”
NewsAntiquities
Sotheby’s cannot sue Greece over bronze horse, US court rules
The country's government had questioned the provenance of the artefact, forcing it to be pulled from a 2018 sale
NewsAntiquities
Two trunkloads of fake Iraqi antiquities seized by UK customs
The international market is now “absolutely awash” with forgeries, says British Museum curator who examined the hoard
NewsThe Year in Review 2019
From trafficked treasures to the ravages of climate change: the heritage headlines of 2019
We look back at the biggest stories of the year
NewsArt fairs
A mix of old and new brings fresh collectors to Tefaf New York Fall though sales remain slow
Attempting to capitalise on the crossover collecting trend, the fourth edition of the Dutch fair brings in Modern and contemporary art to complement its historical focus
NewsArt market
US House of Representatives passes an anti-money laundering bill that could affect art and antiquities dealers
Introduced in March, the Counter Act is the latest legislation that faces dealers with financial regulatory burden
NewsLooted art
Looted coffin acquired by Metropolitan Museum is headed back to Egypt
US and Egyptian officials presided over handover at a repatriation ceremony in New York
ReviewBook Shorts
This ancient book tells you all about the people you hate
This amusingly illustrated edition of Theophrastus’s Characters is as fresh today as it was centuries ago
NewsLooted art
US authorities file criminal charges against antiquities dealer Subhash Kapoor and seven others
The government’s complaint outlines a massive alleged smuggling ring involving other dealers, art restorers and associates who helped create false provenances for looted objects
NewsArt market
Protestors gather outside Christie's as ancient head of Tutankhamen sells for £4.7m
Egyptian authorities had tried to stop the sale claiming that the 3,000 year old quartzite sculpture should be repatriated
ArchiveRestitution
V&A is willing to lend its fragment to reunite it with the Sidamara Sarcophagus in Istanbul
Turkish tomb could regain long-lost head
ArchiveRestitution
Playing hardball with soft power on restitution claims
Western museums are feeling the pressure over restitution claims from China, Turkey and Cambodia
ArchiveCollectors
Connoisseur collectors: A story of ten approaches to acquiring art
From Liechtenstein to Lisbon, these collectors discuss their interests and methods
ArchiveRestitution
Met faces claims for Hittite artefacts
Provenance of late trustee’s gifts investigated as Turkey takes tougher line on restitution
ArchiveBooks
New definitive catalogue published on the V&A’s magnificent ivories
The summation of a lifetime’s work and a triumph of scholarship
ArchiveMarion True
Marion True defence continues
“Stolen” antiquities put under microscope in Getty trial
ArchiveForgeries
Judge orders conclusion to case on the legitimacy of the ossuary which may have belonged to Jesus' half-brother
The forgery enquiry has lasted four years, so far
ArchiveBooks
Immortality, Roman style : Hadrian celebrated at the British Museum
Hadrian was a politically savvy, calculating, vicious, lion-hunting, married, gay general in the best tradition
ArchiveMarion True
Trial of Marion True and Robert Hecht over illegally excavated antiquities from Rome continues
Complications over reputation, paperwork, and repatriation
ArchiveNews
Arrest warrant for Phoenix Ancient Art director
In 2004, Egypt sentenced Mr Aboutaam in absentia to 15 years’ imprisonment
ArchiveMarion True
The Marion True Trial: information from the courtroom; Sergeant of Carabinieri cross-examined
More evidence is scrutinised
ArchiveProvenance
US museum directors debate antiquities provenance dilemma
Should museums acquire objects without provenance, which may have been looted? Yes, say several panelists
ArchiveImports and Exports
China and Italy team up to fight illicit trade
The joint effort will use satellite technology to help protect archaeological sites
ArchiveMarion True
The Marion True trial: information from the courtroom
Evidence is discussed and documents are scoured
ArchiveRestitution
UK museums face controversial Ethiopian legacy: The Maqdala materials at the British Museum, the V&A, and the British Library
The Art Newspaper reveals that sacred Maqdala tablets are hidden away in a sealed store of the British Museum
ArchiveBooks
The story of the great Augustan collectors of antiquities
An explanation, an adoration and a lament
ArchiveCultura Basel
Cultura Basel '03 fair report: Sheikh of Qatar on a shopping spree at a smaller, more focused fair
A successful vernissage shows quantity does not always trump quality
ArchiveBooks
Spring books: US. Decorative arts to the fore
Photography, Asian art, the art of antiquity, Old Masters, and historiography are also among the topics covered
ArchiveRestitution
Elgin Marbles: a reply by Anthony Snodgrass
The British Committee for the Restitution of the Parthenon Marbles, Cambridge
ArchiveCultura Basel
Cultura Basel at a crossroads as Antiquities and Asian art lead the field
Cultura Basel '02 fair report
ArchiveArt market
Fair report of Cultura, Basel: Good results for classical antiquities
Paintings and decorative arts prove harder to sell
ArchiveArt market
The market for antiquities is growing, unfazed by protesters
As last month’s antiquities sales boomed, The Art Newspaper surveyed leading dealers and specialists in New York
ArchiveArt market
Fair report: International Fine Art and Antique Dealers Show, New York. “Haute Modernism” and antiquities at the forefront
With American classical furniture and decorative arts in close second place
ArchiveArt market
Fears of a crackdown after the handover turns out to have been exaggerated, but the picture in Hong Kong is far from rosy
Hard times on Hollywood Road
ArchiveArt market
Chinese privatise their auction scene
Rapid advances as new companies model their catalogues and conditions of sale on Western models
ArchiveTefaf Basel
Despite a slow start, enthusiasm for the Antique is evident at the TEFAF Basel
The TEFAF Basel saw only 12,500 visitors, but some good sales nonetheless. Could the organisers have promoted it more?