Vincent Noce

Vote on Icom's new museum definition postponed

Decision over the controversial update was made at the general assembly in Kyoto on the weekend

What exactly is a museum? Icom comes to blows over new definition

As 50-year-old statement is overhauled, feuds over new description could "seriously weaken" the International Council of Museums

Isenheim altarpiece restorers invite visitors in

Laser imaging comes to aid of restoration of 16th-century paintings and sculptures

Biennale Paris vetting committee co-presidents withdraw two months before the fair is due to open

Chairmen of the CNE and the SFEP say the fair's vetting experts disagree over the admission of two exhibitors to this year's edition

France retreats from report recommending automatic restitutions of looted African artefacts

Suggestions from controversial Savoy-Sarr report were all-but buried at a conference held in Paris

Château de Versailles buys back €4m royal commode that left France after Louvre missed its royal mark

The piece of furniture by Bernard II van Risenburgh, which left for the US almost four decades ago, was commissioned by Louis XV for his stepdaughter

The Mona Lisa is on the move this summer at the Musée du Louvre

The Leonardo painting, which is seen by thousands of visitors each day, is temporarily leaving its home during renovations to the gallery

Ignored by the Louvre, 'lost' Caravaggio bought in private sale is destined for 'important museum'

Estimated to sell between €100m-€150m at auction on Friday, an anonymous buyer has snapped up the disputed painting that was discovered in a French attic

Former Louvre director donates his collection to forthcoming museum devoted to the 'Sun King'

Pierre Rosenberg has pledged his collection of works by Charles Le Brun and other artists to the new museum

Court case over three Derain paintings will test France's promise to speed up Nazi-era claims

Grandchildren of art dealer René Gimpel accuse French culture ministry of blocking restitution of works hanging in state museums

French exhibition aims to reveal naked truth about 'nude Mona Lisa'

New research suggests work could be a prototype of an idealised “Venus” portrait designed by Leonardo himself

More grief for Aristophil investors as French government seizes hundreds of documents

Around 18,000 people invested in the now bankrupted company's manuscripts collection, but state says many items of historical importance should never have been sold

Louvre struggles to gain loans for Leonardo show

High-level diplomacy is being used to secure the artist’s most important works for blockbuster anniversary show in Paris

Frans Hals court case may be settled but it raises questions over science, scholars and contracts

After settling with dealer Mark Weiss, Sotheby’s is still trying to recoup losses after refunding US buyer of the painting

Two art dealers sentenced over 'fake-genuine' Rodin sculptures after 18 year legal battle

US dealer Gary Snell and Paris-based Robert Crouzet found guilty in French court of making and selling copies of works by the French sculptor

Louvre bids to buy Rembrandt masterpiece from Rothschild collection in France

The state has deferred the painting's export licence giving the museum 30 months to find the funds

Notre Dame will be rebuilt, President Macron confirms

As the extent of the damage continues to be assessed, investigation into cause of devastating fire begins

Court case over 'modern forgery' Frans Hals concludes but judgment reserved until summer

Sotheby's James Martin stands by his assertion that the painting is a fake following hours of interrogation challenging the independence of his scientific analysis

Sotheby’s settles claim against London dealer Mark Weiss in Frans Hals case

Settlement came day before trial was due to start, but its suit against financier will continue

Thirty years on, Louvre's pyramid scheme pays off

I.M. Pei’s controversial entrance symbolises the Parisian museum’s spectacular growth

Jean Nouvel: 'desert rose' Qatar museum blooms against the odds

We speak to the French architect about the search for a national landmark and the hurdles that faced the mammoth project

Matisse expert and archivist Wanda de Guebriant has died, aged 69

The only authorised authenticator of the artist’s work started her 40-year career as an assistant to Matisse’s daughter, Marguerite Duthuit

Obituariescomment

When Karl Lagerfeld sold his art collection

The fashion designer, who died this week at the age of 85, spent lavishly on decorating his houses in the style of the Ancien Régime

Serial art thief Stéphane Breitwieser arrested—again

Having served a six-year jail sentence, he came under suspicion again after offering a 19th-century paperweight on eBay

Beirutnews

Beirut Museum of Art vows to carry on as honorary chairman Carlos Ghosn remains in jail

Museum board says fundraising campaign to build delayed private museum is not dependent on the scandal-hit auto executive

Aliph, the global fund to protect cultural heritage, announces its first projects in Iraq and Mali

Launched in 2016, Aliph will finance restoration work with technical support from the Louvre and Smithsonian Institution

Restitutionanalysis

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

Forensic examination of all Modigliani works in French museums gets under way

Comprehensive analysis of 29 pieces from ten institutions could be “the best weapon against forgery”