Gareth Harris

Gareth Harris is the Chief Contributing Editor of The Art Newspaper

Louise Bourgeois’s mammoth spider will return to Tate Modern for the gallery's 25th anniversary

A new “capsule collection” trail will also feature works by Mark Rothko and Dorothea Tanning

On the record: UK artist Peter Doig to mix music and art in new London show

From October 2025, Serpentine Galleries will host "House of Music"— a “multi-sensory environment” pairing the artist's paintings with music and film

UK strikes culture partnership deal with Saudi Arabia

The new bilateral agreement is intended to help Saudi Arabia “fulfil its ambition to become a global visitor destination”

‘As long as we can work, we will’: Lebanon galleries re-open following Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire

Since the agreement came into force on 27 November, spaces have been trying to return to some semblance of normality

Saudi Arabia to give €50m towards Centre Pompidou refurbishment

France will also help develop a raft of new museums in the kingdom, including a photography institution

‘One of a kind’: Barbican and Fondation Giacometti to collaborate on 2025 exhibition series

Historic pieces by the acclaimed Swiss sculptor Giacometti will be brought together with works by three leading contemporary artists at the Brutalist London venue

Some of our favourite books of 2024—picked by The Art Newspaper’s books team

Our literary editors share what has delighted them this year, from art-themed novels to edifying histories

France returns ancient artefacts to Ethiopia in diplomatic ‘handover’

The French culture minister insists the move is “a handover, not a restitution, in that these objects have never been part of French public collections”

Seven years on from Emmanuel Macron’s pledge to return Africa’s heritage, frustration grows about the lack of progress

An Ivorian drum will be returned—though only under a special “deposit agreement”—while a crucial colonial bill has stalled

Hew Locke to ‘disrupt’ statue of Belgium monarch who oversaw brutal Congo regime

The British-Guyanese artist will place five masts in front of the depiction of Leopold II, whose administration was characterised by “systematic brutality and atrocities”

Welsh government hopes to boost tourism and heritage with proposed ‘tourist tax’

Wales may follow cities such as Venice in introducing the controversial levy

Venice Biennale reveals 2024 visitor figures

Overall visits were down on 2022, but organisers report an uptick in attendees from underrepresented groups

UK artists earning an average of just £12,500 per year, says new report

The document warns that visual arts is now a 'privileged profession', where 'only those with certain economic advantages can afford to pursue and sustain a career'

Controversial Science Museum sponsor charged in US over alleged bribery scheme

Gautam Adani—who lends his name to the museum's Adani Green Energy Gallery—was indicted in New York on charges including securities fraud

Tracey Emin helps win fight to protect famous Margate tower block

Council rejects proposal to replace windows in Arlington House, a Brutalist seafront building

Looted Etruscan treasures seized after ‘tomb raiders’ post works online

Italian police used wire taps and drone surveillance to intercept the thieves

Three climate activists charged following Stonehenge paint protest

The members of Just Stop Oil are set to appear in court next month

UK's National Lottery at 30: who are the culture sector's winners and losers?

National Lottery players raise more than £30m every week and fund over 700,000 projects across the UK—but when it comes to funding the arts, some say the scheme is in need of an overhaul

Unesco steps in to protect Lebanese heritage sites

Following an “extraordinary” meeting, the heritage body has put 34 historic sites on its enhanced protection list

‘Like Picasso, everything he touched was wonderful’: the art world pays tribute to Frank Auerbach

Curators, institutions and critics remember a “humble giant of figurative painting” who worked from the same London studio for 70 years and made his home city, its art collections and inhabitants the subject of his unique output

Roman knife handle discovered in the UK is testament to gladiators’ celebrity status

As gladiators return to the big screen, English Heritage announces plans to show the artefact at Hadrian’s Wall

Catch them if you can: shows to see before the Venice Biennale closes

Ahead of the Biennale's closing week, we highlight the talking-point exhibitions and events that there's still time to catch

British Museum receives ‘highest value object donation in UK museum history’

A private collection of 1,700 ceramic items was given by the Sir Percival David Foundation

Vatican launches AI-generated version of St Peter’s Basilica

Co-developed by Microsoft, the project also identified conservation issues at the world-famous church

Fake Banksy haul seized by Italian police

Vast Europe-wide art fraud operation led to 38 suspects being arrested

Versailles and Palace Museum treasures head to Hong Kong

France and China will mark their diplomatic anniversary with a blockbuster exhibition on cultural exchanges

Crowd control measures to be introduced at the Trevi Fountain and Pompeii

The introduction of an entrance fee has been proposed at the Rome landmark