Vincent Noce

Musée D'Orsay ordered by Paris court to return four masterpieces by Renoir, Cézanne and Gauguin stolen during Second World War

The works were owned by influential French dealer Ambroise Vollard and will be returned to his heirs

Appeals court upholds antiquities trafficking charges against former Louvre director Jean-Luc Martinez and curator Jean-François Charnier

The appellate court judges’ decision came as a surprise, as the general prosecutor had asked for the charges—which relate to the acquisition of Egyptian antiquities by the Louvre Abu Dhabi—to be dropped

'A long overdue recognition': Paris's Arab World Institute to turn part of its building into an art museum

The new space, spanning all seven levels of the Institute's Jean Nouvel-designed building, was made possible in part thanks to a major donation of 1,677 works

French court orders Christie's to restitute a Nazi-looted painting sold in London

As the panel was looted in Paris, the magistrates claimed jurisdiction of the French courts over the High Court in London

Antiquities dealer Ali Aboutaam given 18-month suspended sentence by Geneva court

Decision brings the six-year investigation into the provenance of 15,000 antiquities from Phoenix Ancient Art to an end, with only a handful found to lack proper documentation

US considers rejoining Unesco despite more than $616m membership debt and Israel-Palestine controversies

America left the United Nations heritage organisation in 2019 after its members voted to accept Palestine as a member state

Maya Picasso, daughter of artist Pablo and important archivist of her father's legacy, has died, aged 87

Her relationship with her father is the subject of an ongoing exhibition at the Picasso Museum in Paris

Crime news

Following his arrest in Italy, Old Master forgery suspect Giuliano Ruffini is turned over to French authorities

After seven years of investigations, Ruffini has been handed over to French authorities, likely setting the stage for a trial in Paris

Damaged Salvator Mundi copy by unknown artist sells for €1m at Christie's

Dated to a century after Leonardo's death, the work does not come from the artist's studio

Paris gallerists—found guilty of selling Picasso works stolen by handyman—receive suspended jail sentences

Belle et Belle gallery has now been dissolved, closing the chapter on a decade-long criminal investigation

Suspected Old Master forger Giuliano Ruffini is arrested in Italy after turning himself in

The 77-year-old, wanted by French police for "fraud, money laundering and forgery of works of art", was released after ten days in custody

Crime news

Suspected Old Master forger Giuliano Ruffini—wanted by French police—cannot be found

The French dealer, who is under investigation for selling a series of allegedly forged paintings, has had a warrant out for his arrest since 2019

Antiquities trafficking charges against former Louvre director Jean-Luc Martinez and curator Jean-François Charnier could be dropped

The ruling of the examining chamber, expected next year, could overturn the investigation against both curators in a case implicating the Louvre Abu Dhabi and the Metropolitan Museum

Pierre Soulages, who found infinite possibility in black abstract paintings, has died, aged 102

The celebrated French artist remained committed to his singular formal pursuit for decades

Paris court dismisses bribery charges brought against Marlborough Gallery, French curator and artist’s family

The charges, brought ten years ago by a rival gallerist, revolved around allegations that a curator at France’s national museum of Asian art had received favours in exchange for organising a Chu Teh-Chun exhibition

Wanted in the US, Lebanese antiquities collector maintains his innocence, says his ‘big mistake’ was trusting New York art crime official

Lotfi addresses allegations that led to a warrant being issued for his arrest in a statement and interview, giving new details on the extraordinary story of the Metropolitan Museum's gold sarcophagus

French art dealer Didier Wormser stands trial for trafficking looted Egyptian antiquities

Owner of L’Etoile d’Ishtar gallery said artefacts from Saqqara necropolis “should be restituted to Egypt” but insists he purchased them in good faith

Exclusive: German museums latest to be implicated in far-reaching criminal investigation into antiquities trafficking

Case has so far seen Middle Eastern works seized from New York's Met and the indictment of a former Louvre director

Arrest warrant issued for dealer who sold ‘hundreds’ of looted Middle East antiquities—some of which ended up in the Met

Georges Lotfi has been accused of handling the types of materials he helped the police recover and repatriate for years

Billionaire battle rages on as Geneva court overturns dismissal of Dmitry Rybolovev's fraud case against art dealer Yves Bouvier

Rybolovlev is accusing Bouvier of having swindled €1.1bn from him through the €2bn sales of 38 works of art from 2003 to 2014

Paris court rejects wax sculptor’s claim he is the true creator of eight Maurizio Cattelan works

Daniel Druet, who created hyperrealist likenesses of Pope John Paul II, Hitler and others for Cattelan, was seeking €6m in compensation and to be declared the works’ “sole author”

Antiquities trafficking case escalates as Louvre Abu Dhabi joins civil action and Swiss collector files criminal complaint

In wake of scandal involving former Louvre director, France's culture minister forms taskforce to assess acquisitions procedures at museums

Egyptian antiquities connected to international trafficking ring seized from Metropolitan Museum in New York

Five objects worth more than €3m have been confiscated by authorities as part of a wide-ranging global investigation involving former Louvre director Jean-Luc Martinez

Louvre launches civil action as part of art trafficking case involving former director Jean-Luc Martinez

A number of objects purchased by the Louvre Abu Dhabi and the Metropolitan Museum of Art are now under scrutiny—including an ancient Egyptian marble head worth €35m

Former Louvre director Jean-Luc Martinez charged in connection with antiquities trafficking investigation

Martinez has been indicted for “complicity of gang fraud and laundering“ of objects purchased by the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Louvre Abu Dhabi

Former Louvre director Jean-Luc Martinez questioned by police as part of probe into alleged antiquities trafficking ring

Investigation focuses on purchases made by the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Louvre Abu Dhabi

Masterpieces from Morozov collection return to Russia from France—but three works have been retained

Around 200 valuable works had to be sent in five convoys of six trucks across Europe as war in Ukraine hampers shipping

Politicsanalysis

French elections: what's at stake for culture and the arts?

As Macron and Le Pen face off in the second round of the presidential battle, cultural policy is likely to continue taking a back seat