NewsInauguration
At US Capitol, a new president and vice president greet 1859 painting with a rainbow theme
Painting by Black artist was chosen under Jill Biden’s guidance for a gift-giving ceremony
BlogDiary
Shattered glass: women artists celebrate historic inauguration of US Vice President Kamala Harris
NewsLiterature
With powerful poem, Amanda Gorman sets the tone for Biden’s presidency
The 22-year-old Los Angeles poet was the youngest ever to deliver a recitation on Inauguration Day. Listen and read her words here
NewsAcquisitions
Trove of Surrealist publications and paintings donated to Dutch museum
Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen's gift from collectors Laurens Vancrevel and Frida de Jong “opens up new horizons on surrealist activities”, says expert
NewsArt market
New York art dealer Helly Nahmad pardoned by Trump
Hours before leaving office, former US president granted a pardon to Nahmad, who pleaded guilty to a federal gambling charge in 2014 and owned an entire floor of Trump Tower
AnalysisChina
'A win for internationalism': what a Biden presidency will mean for the Chinese art world
Donald Trump's trade war and 'cold war mentality' led to uncertainty and a fractured relationship
BlogThe Buck stopped here
Patti Smith marks US inauguration day with rendition of her song The People Have the Power—watch it here
NewsPublic art
Seesaw installation at US-Mexico border wins Design of the Year award
The joyful project became a counterpoint to the division and violence sown by the Trump administration
News US politics
US Capitol riot: Pennsylvania artist charged with violent entry and disorderly conduct
Federal authorities have ordered Andrew Wrigley to turn over his passport and avoid travel to Washington, DC after posting selfies from the insurrection
NewsArt market
UK Supreme Court judgment on pandemic insurance payouts 'not a blank cheque' for art organisations
Some insurers using "aggressive tactics" to reduce barrage of claims following rejection of appeal on clarification of business interruption cover
Newscoronavirus
Museums around the world step up to be transformed into vaccination centres
London's Science Museum and a West Midlands museum where Peaky Blinders was filmed are just some of the venues doubling up as Covid-19 vaccine hubs
NewsSalvator Mundi
Police discovers stolen Salvator Mundi in Naples apartment
The copy of Leonardo's $450m painting was taken from the Museum of San Domenico Maggiore last year
FeatureContemporary art
Was QAnon—America's most dangerous conspiracy theory—inspired by Italian artists?
An anonymous left-wing art group known in the 1990s as Luther Blissett are wondering what they have unwittingly helped create
NewsPublic art
Biden inauguration is largely virtual—but some live art is planned
A public art installation of 200,000 flags opens on the National Mall, as coronavirus and heightened security forces most events online
NewsVancouver
Douglas Coupland brings his prophetic slogans to Vancouver's billboards
Slogans for the 21st Century are on view in the city's new Arbutus Greenway
NewsAwards
Singer RM from Korean boyband BTS named 'art sponsor of the year'
The Bangtan Boys musician was recognised for donating $90,400 to the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Seoul last September
InterviewA brush with
Beryl Cook, queer history and Dolly Parton: gallery director Joe Scotland on his cultural influences
The head of non-profit space Studio Voltaire in London tells us about his favourite books, television shows and artists
NewsAcquisitions
'Consigned to history': Trump Baby blimp donated to Museum of London collection
Creators of inflatable effigy hope work serves as a "reminder of the fight against the politics of hate" that took place during Trump's presidency
NewsPublic art
UK government announces new laws to protect controversial historic monuments from 'woke worthies and baying mobs'
Proposed plans have been criticised as distraction tactics from the state's "lethally failed response to the pandemic and the consequences of a disastrous Brexit"
NewsSocial media
Art history with a side of mayonnaise: Uffizi Galleries launches new Facebook cooking show
Weekly video series “Uffizi da mangiare” invites Florentine chefs to present recipes inspired by the Italian museum's collection
BlogDiary
Awash with art—Cristina Iglesias fills island lighthouse with bronze geological formations
NewsAppointments
Orange County Museum of Art names Heidi Zuckerman as director
Former leader of Aspen Art Museum says she was beguiled by the California institution’s history and new building by Morphosis
NewsExhibitions
On eve of US inauguration, a chance to visit the president's office
Oval Office replica is a popular element of New-York Historical Society exhibition about the presidency
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"
ReviewArt & Technology
Disembodied Behaviors: an ultra-real virtual art show that sears the mind-haze of 2020's unending March back to a state of clarity
An expert view brought to you by our XR Panel of artists and storytellers who create in virtual reality and augmented reality
Newscoronavirus
Culture injection: Coronavirus vaccination centres in Germany are giving patients a dose of art
As exhibitions are cancelled due to the pandemic, local artists are finding creative ways to show their art—and distract patients
News US politics
‘The house needs a cleaning’: Women artists gather to show the path forward on inauguration day
Inspired by the historic election of Kamala Harris as America’s first woman vice president, artists collaborate on a new online work presented by Creative Time
NewsAuctions
Rejected Tintin cover design sets record for comic book art with €3.2m auction price
Sale of controversial 1936 painting criticised by organisation behind artist Hergé’s estate
BlogAdventures with Van Gogh
A lost Van Gogh self-portrait had the most extraordinary frame that included his much-loved sunflowers—here it is reconstructed
The painting—which went missing in a German salt mine during the war—was given a gilded frame with swirling lines
NewsArtists
‘Britain’s most important political artist’ Peter Kennard joins London gallery
Richard Saltoun exhibition will include artist’s earliest works incorporating newspaper images
BlogThe Buck stopped here
Future Fossil: the concrete cast of a suburban house that will sprout into a glorious garden
NewsChurches
Pew! Sussex church may scrap plans to remove historic seating
Moves by parishes to replace pews with chairs for “flexibility” anger traditionalists
ReviewThree to see
Three exhibitions to see in New York this weekend
From Nara Roesler’s new space in Chelsea to Shirin Neshat’s New Mexico dreams
NewsArt market
Holy hammer! Near mint copy of Batman #1 sells for record $2.2m at Heritage Auctions
The rare 1940 issue, which marks the first appearance of the Joker and Catwoman, is the second most expensive comic book ever sold
NewsAppointments
Guggenheim appoints Naomi Beckwith as deputy director and senior curator
Appointment of MCA, Chicago curator is seen as a step toward more inclusiveness after accusations of institutional racism
NewsMuseums & Heritage
Smithsonian downsizes $2bn expansion of its south campus in Washington
The institution unveils planned changes to its historic Castle and Arts and Industries Building
NewsUS Capitol riot
‘Shameful vandalism and desecration’ : Met leaders condemn right-wing crowd's assault on US Capitol
Museum joins other institutions in assailing protestors' rampage and hate-inspiring imagery as a threat to democracy and equality
NewsCoronavirus resources
Governors propose ambitious plans to bring the arts back to California and New York
Gavin Newsom and Andrew Cuomo have announced plans to support art institutions and artists hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic
NewsLaw
Art lawyer Frank Lord opens private practice in New York
As well as working on high profile restitution cases, the former Herrick Feinstein partner has a PhD in art history
NewsArchaeology
Archaeologists have discovered world's oldest animal cave painting
The warty pig painting was found in a cave in Indonesia and is thought to be at least 45,500 years old
NewsArtists
Darya Apakhonchich is first artist labelled 'foreign agent' by new repressive law in Russia
Individuals who receive funding from abroad are subject to strict audits since 30 December
NewsCatalogue raisonné
First online Max Beckmann catalogue raisonné to go live tomorrow as artist's work enters public domain
Hamburg’s Kunsthalle to publish photographs of 843 paintings for free research tool
NewsPablo Picasso
Saga of Picasso murals ripped from Oslo building continues as heirs head to court
Family of artist Carl Nesjar—who collaborated on the works with Picasso—say they have a copyright claim and should help decide where the pieces are relocated
NewsBrazil
Brazilian sculptor João Turin memorialised with sculpture park in Paraná
The site will “encourage sustainable development that values the fauna and flora of the Brazilian environment—the themes to which Turin dedicated his life”, says collector and businessman Samuel Lago
NewsDeaccessioning
The fate of the San Francisco Art Institute’s historic Diego Rivera mural hangs in limbo
The proposed sale of the work has raised outcry from artists and city leaders, who have taken action to protect it
ReviewMedia & broadcast
'My Rembrandt' documentary lets you look into the privileged club of Old Master owners
From kissing a portrait of a woman on the lips, to tricking a co-buyer out of a bargain, acquiring a rare work by the Dutch painter does not always bring out the best in people
NewsRestitution
Spitzweg drawing from Gurlitt hoard returned to Jewish publisher’s heirs
The musical scene was seized by the Gestapo in 1939 from Henri Hinrichsen, who died at Auschwitz
NewsDocumenta
Documenta 15 postponement increasingly likely, general director says
Travel restrictions could derail preparations, making 2022 date impossible, Sabine Schormann says
NewsExhibitions
Kara Walker's secret archive to go on show at Kunstmuseum Basel this summer
Around 600 unseen drawings, collages, studies and writings will flood the museum's ground-floor galleries, providing a window into the American artist's work
NewsNational Gallery of Canada
National Gallery of Canada adds community and HR leaders to management team
Angela Cassie and Tania Lafrenière join the institution as part of its first strategic plan
NewsDesign
Heatherwick’s Vessel closed to the public after third suicide in less than a year
The community board has asked the developer to raise the height of platform barriers to prevent further deaths
NewsArt fairs
Expo Chicago art fair is postponed again, until at least July
Online edition will open in April, however, as planners prepare for an in-person version, perhaps even later in September or next year
NewsControversies
Kamel Mennour gallery's representation of Claude Lévêque suspended after allegations of abuse of minors
According to French media reports, a police investigation has been launched into violations dating back to the 1970s
NewsPrizes
Lithium mining and a Donald Judd horror film: nominees for Prix Marcel Duchamp—France's most prestigious contemporary art award—announced
The four artists will have their work exhibited at the Centre Pompidou in Paris for the prize, worth €35,000
NewsCarmen Herrera
Carmen Herrera commissioned to create a colossal mural as part of $35m Blanton Museum redesign
The 105-year-old artist says she has long admired the museum's focus on Latin American art
NewsGeorge Floyd
Giant painting of George Floyd murder displayed on Los Angeles billboard after being cancelled in Minneapolis
Advertising firms in Minneapolis—where Floyd was killed by police—refused to show the work saying it was too violent, but advocacy group says it will try again
NewsParis
Champs Élysées—one of Paris’s most polluted roads—to be transformed into ‘extraordinary garden’
The major avenue will undergo a €250m makeover to restore its former splendour, following the 2024 Summer Olympics
NewsCelebrities
Cate Blanchett is building her own art gallery at her English country home
Old outbuildings on the actor's estate will be knocked down to make way for the studio—and provisions will be made for the protected bats that live there
BlogDiary
The Met invites you to play a game, and then ‘borrow’ a work of art
NewsDesert X
Desert X postpones opening amid Covid-19 surge in California
The outdoor festival, due to take over Coachella Valley in February, will now wait until lockdown restrictions are lifted
NewsMuseums & Heritage
Hirshhorn Museum is under pressure to reconsider redesign of its sculpture garden
Critics and city planners question changes to a historic reflecting pool and addition of stacked stone walls in a Modernist environment, while the artist Hiroshi Sugimoto defends his designs but says he is open to negotiating
NewsArt market
Art shippers face ‘teething problems’ transporting works to Europe after Brexit
Some air freight crates are being broken open by customs officials in EU, but UK lockdown is posing greater problems, members of the trade say
NewsChora Museum
Has Turkey halted plans to turn Chora museum into a mosque?
Experts ponder the significance of the sudden scrapping of Islamic prayers by Turkish authorities at Istanbul’s historic landmark
NewsRacism in the art world
Meet the experts who root out racism and exclusion in the arts
Racial equity consultants are helping to roll out strategies and training for museum staff and executives
NewsPalmyra
New hope that ancient Palmyra will be rebuilt after Isis damage
Deal between the Syrian government and Russian masonry body builds on country’s research into state of archaeological site
NewsProtests
US Capitol’s works of art survive amid right-wing rampage in Washington
The authorities say that cleaning and conservation will be needed, however, after art was damaged by tear gas, pepper spray and fire extinguishers
NewsCommissions
This Victorian house in London hides remarkable Islamic interiors—now it is getting its first contemporary work
Leighton House Museum—which was once the home and studio of artist Lord Leighton—is undergoing restoration and will reopen in 2021
NewsCollectors
Moderna vaccine billionaire Timothy Springer explains his love for Chinese scholar rocks
Gongshi—whose unusual forms are created by years of river erosion—have long been highly prized in Asia. Now they are garnering admirers in the West
NewsMuseums
Opening of Pinault's Bourse de Commerce postponed as French museums told to remain closed
Scheduled to reopen this week, cultural institutions must keep their doors shut after an increase in Covid-19 cases
NewsPablo Picasso
This Picasso photo puzzle has stumped experts. Can you help solve it?
The identity of those posing with the master remains a mystery a century after the picture was taken
NewsConservation & Preservation
From lockdowns to looting: how Covid-19 has taken a toll on world's threatened heritage sites
Sites of major importance—many in regions already ravaged by conflict—are contending with security problems and funding shortfalls
NewsMusée du Louvre
The Musée du Louvre—the world’s most popular art museum—saw 72% drop in visitors last year
Despite kicking off 2020 with a record-breaking Leonardo exhibition, like many museums around the world, the Parisian institution was adversely affected by coronavirus lockdowns
NewsExhibitions
Death row inmate designs garden installation by instructing university students through letters
Timothy Young, currently incarcerated in San Quentin State Prison, is a key contributor to the University-led art project, Barring Freedom, that aims to put the US criminal justice system in the dock
NewsConservation & Preservation
Volunteers plan to return ‘Albert Hall of the North’ to its glory days
After years of neglect, ornate Victorian auditorium in northern seaside town of Morecambe is being saved
BlogAdventures with Van Gogh
Treats for Van Gogh fans in 2021: exhibitions, museum openings and books
We look ahead at the events to enjoy this year—assuming coronavirus doesn't scupper them
AnalysisArt market
Blue-chip artists move over, here come the red chips
Art as a blue-chip investment has had its day, as buyers chase the latest "red-chip" names
NewsBrexit
Will new EU lighting rules pull the plug on neon art?
Artists producing neon works may fall foul of stricter EU lighting regulations that come into force this year
ArchiveThree to see
Our picks of the must-see shows to see in New York in January
From new paintings by Ed Ruscha to the Studio Museum in Harlem’s artists-in-residence focus on longing
BlogThe Buck stopped here
Patti Smith lights up London's Piccadilly Circus with birthday wishes for Greta Thunberg
FeatureBook Club
The Nazi art dealer who supplied Hermann Göring and operated in a shadowy art underworld after the war
A new book by Jonathan Petropoulos explores Bruno Lohse’s devotion to Hitler’s number two
BlogBook Club
An expert's guide to Francis Bacon: five must-read books on the post-war painter
All you ever wanted to know about the artist, from a deep dive into his chaotic studio to accounts of his exploits in seedy Soho—selected by the art historian Michael Peppiatt
NewsPublic art
Vandals apprehended after covering Richard Serra’s vast desert sculpture in Qatar with graffiti
Government organisation Qatar Museums has launched campaign to encourage locals to respect public works
NewsVenice
Culture war erupts over Venice mayor's closure of Doge's Palace and other civic museums until April
Luigi Brugnaro's "entrepreneurial" decision violates Venice's historic agreement with Italian state to keep the landmark open to the public
News US politics
Storming of US Capitol: art world condemns police hypocrisy in pro-Trump riot
Artists Dread Scott and Glenn Ligon among cultural figures pointing out stark contrast in how law enforcement handled the mob compared with Black Lives Matter protestors
NewsArt market
French High Court orders retrial of Wildenstein art dynasty tax fraud case
Guy Wildenstein and his nephew were accused of hiding assets worth hundreds of millions but were acquitted in 2017 and 2018—now they are wanted back in court for a third trial
NewsArt market
Lawsuit claims $100m damages in tangled case of hidden Russian art worth $60m
Shchukin Gallery and its lawyers file new lawsuit against Russian financier Rustam Iseev, his lawyer and a New York Supreme Court judge in bid to uncover location of paintings
CommentArt market
How will US money laundering crackdown actually impact the art market? A lawyer explains
Congress is increasing its regulation of antiquities trade and while its powers are limited for now, change will come so the art industry must prepare
PreviewThe Year Ahead 2021
The biggest art exhibitions opening around the world in 2021
The new year's must-see shows include Vermeer and Botticelli blockbusters; major Jasper Johns and Yayoi Kusama retrospectives; and sweeping surveys on Iran, slavery and queer art
NewsMuseums
Closure of London's Florence Nightingale Museum fuels fears that the pandemic will force smaller UK institutions to shut
Williamson Art Gallery & Museum in Birkenhead is also under threat of closure as part of cost-cutting measures by local council
NewsArt market
In a swift post-Brexit move, UK rejects EU’s strict import rules on cultural property
The rules, aimed at preventing trafficking, have been opposed by the trade and UK government's decision not to continue may put EU art market at a disadvantage
NewsEducation
Oxford University’s All Souls College drops Christopher Codrington’s name from its library—but refuses to remove slave owner’s statue
Decision comes as scrutiny mounts over the university’s colonial legacy, including at Oriel College where a commission on Cecil Rhodes monument has been delayed
NewsIndia
India's Supreme Court approves Modi's £2bn 'vanity project' to redevelop Delhi parliament complex
The reconstruction of the Central Vista is a significant step in the prime minister's efforts to sever the nation from its colonial past
NewsRestitution
Dresden poster campaign draws attention to looted Benin bronzes in city’s museum
Initiative by the Nigerian artist Emeka Ogboh is supported by Dresden’s state museums
NewsArtist foundation
Paying it forward: McArthur Binion is using his later-in-life success to help younger artists
The artist’s foundation is supporting the community in Detroit through micro-grants and residencies
NewsDiscoveries
Is this ‘enormously powerful’ painting of Jesus Christ by El Greco? Spanish expert questions new attribution
Art history scholars disagree over possible discovery of work by Renaissance master, which is owned by private collector
CommentArt market
A Covid-19 silver lining? Let’s not return to family-unfriendly art business as usual
The industry could work better for mothers and fathers if it doesn’t go back to the out-of-hours, out-of-town way things were
PreviewPinault Collection
Bourse de Commerce: opening of Pinault's long-awaited Paris museum is—pandemic permitting—finally around the corner
Two decades since the billionaire started planning a home for his collection in the French capital, the spectacular space is due to open on 23 January
NewsArt market
In the battle against antiquities trafficking, Germany develops app to identify looted cultural heritage
Government-funded image-recognition software will enable law enforcers to work with international organisations
FeatureCoronavirus resources
Locked down with kids? Check out these arty resources to keep them entertained and educated
Organisations and museums offer plenty of online art projects for parents
CommentMuseums
Could 2021 be the year of the African museum?
While the West continues to grapple with its colonial past, institutions from Togo to Cairo are creating more expansive models to celebrate art
Nana Oforiatta Ayim