NewsRestitution
German Nazi loot panel rejects heirs' claim for Lovis Corinth portrait, keeping it in Berlin’s Stadtmuseum
The commission said the work's history touches four families who had been “oppressed, robbed, deported, driven to flee or murdered”
NewsUnesco World Heritage Site
Liverpool loses Unesco world heritage status—'really disappointed' mayor plans appeal
Committee finds that construction projects have reduced cultural value
NewsObituaries
Dealer Inge Baecker, a pioneer of the Fluxus movement, dies in German floods
The gallerist was ill at home in Bad Münstereifel, one of the worst-hit towns
NewsDisasters & destruction
German floods damage archives, soaking historic documents in mud
A team from the Cologne City Archive has sent emergency aid to Stolberg
NewsHumboldt Forum
Humboldt Forum opens in Berlin—finally for real
After almost two years of delays, the ambitious museum complex launches its first in-person exhibitions
NewsDocumenta
Documenta 15 to go ahead as planned in 2022 despite pandemic hurdles
After weighing postponement, the Kassel exhibition’s shareholders say decision to stick to timetable was “not easy”
PreviewExhibitions
The best art day trips you can take from Berlin, London and New York
From crumbling castles to beach huts and giant chalk drawings on the English coast, there's no need for PCR tests if you live near these local gems
NewsRestitution
France returns Pechstein painting looted in occupied Paris to heirs of Hugo Simon, a banker and leading figure in German cultural life
An exhibition at the Pompidou in Paris is currently paying tribute to the Jewish collector
NewsConservation & Preservation
Ageing plastic from Communist East Germany comes under the microscope in Getty research project
Scientists will study how Soviet-era household objects "made to last 30 or 40 years" can be preserved
NewsBenin Bronzes
Berlin museums board agrees to relinquish Benin bronzes 'regardless of how they were acquired'
The Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation aims for the first restitutions to Nigeria next year, requests “detailed timetable” for negotiations
NewsHeritage
East German palaces and castles to get €400m for renovation
Move addresses "investment backlog" for upgrades to cultural sites in Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia
NewsArt market
Chinese gold sculpture breaks German auction record at €14m—almost triple the previous high
A Chinese collector bought the 15th century gold and bronze Ming-dynasty sculpture of the god Vajrabhairava earlier today
NewsRestitution
'There has been a generational shift': Belgian government to collaborate with Democratic Republic of Congo to return colonial-era loot
Bilateral accord to include projects to conserve, research, and store restituted items
NewsArt market
Sotheby's launches sales in Germany—against stiff competition from local auction houses
The opulent Palais Oppenheim in Cologne will host exhibitions and sales from September. Sotheby's says move is due to growing client base in country, not Brexit
NewsStolen art
Interpol launches app to identify stolen art—and it has already been used to discover loot
Spanish police say they used the ID-art programme to successfully spot stolen Roman coins worth €200,000
NewsArt market
Bonhams consignor withdraws looted Nepalese sculptures from auction
The five figures of Hindu gods once adorned a gilded temple gateway in a Unesco world heritage site
NewsRestitution
Belgian experts frustrated at 'lack of initiative from museums and government' call for restitution of colonial-era acquisitions
New report provides guidelines for the return of artefacts to Africa, where Belgium controlled territory that was 80 times its size
PreviewExhibitions
Sky’s the limit: how Bronze Age people travelled and traded much further afield than commonly thought
The Nebra Sky disc, the oldest surviving representation of the cosmos, will be one of the star artefacts in an exhibition exploring Unětice culture and its far reaching links
NewsDiscoveries
Eerily life-like marble skull—hidden in plain sight in a German castle—was made by Bernini for the Pope, research reveals
Sculpture is now on show at the Semperbau in Dresden
NewsFunding
Germany pledges €2.5bn in aid for cultural events
The funding, available for small events from 1 July, will also include cancellation insurance for large events planned from September
NewsMuseums & Heritage
Germany launches African museum exchange programme to discuss returning looted objects
New government initiative MuseumsLab aims to foster more international co-operation and consider topics including decolonisation and restitution
NewsMuseums
Calling all numismatists! Biggest coin database in German-speaking world to go live today
The new resource provides images and data on 90,000 coins
NewsMuseums
German museums to receive up to €25,000 for research into their Benin bronzes ahead of restitutions next year
Grants are available for institutions with individual Benin artefacts or small collections
NewsRestitution
Germany pledges to return Benin bronzes to Nigeria starting in 2022
“We are facing up to our historical and moral responsibility”, says culture minister Monika Grütters
NewsBenin Bronzes
Global survey: where in the world are the Benin bronzes?
Around 160 institutions hold looted Benin artefacts, but how many are prepared to give them back? We asked museums in five countries for their position on restitution
NewsRestitution
'We've had a lot of museums reaching out': how Nigeria is getting ready to receive the world’s Benin bronzes
With institutions across the globe rethinking their views on restitution, the African country’s focus is now on making a home for its heritage
NewsCovid-19
Museums weigh in on the vaccine passport debate, as countries are under pressure to open up their economies
As Israel and Denmark introduce Covid-19 status certificates, institutions are concerned that government schemes may keep visitors away
PreviewExhibitions
Rocket man: Uli Sigg on how he began collecting art while working in North Korea
“There will be some protests,” predicts the Swiss collector ahead of a Kunstmuseum Bern show of works from both sides of the Korean border
NewsGermany
German parliament’s “emergency brake” closes Kusama show, threatens Gallery Weekend
Measures to counter the third wave of the pandemic force museums in high-incidence areas to close
NewsRestitution
Sotheby's to sell $2m Meissen porcelain collection restituted by Dutch government to heirs of Jewish industrialist
The collection of 18th-century porcelain was previously exhibited in Dutch museums
NewsRestitution
Dutch museum settles with Jewish businessman's heirs on painting sold in Nazi era, defying government panel
The agreement overturns the Restitution Committee's 2013 rejection of the claim, which argued the painting was worth more to the museum than the heirs
NewsRestitution
UCLA’s Fowler Museum to reach out to Nigeria about returning its Benin bronzes
As restitution momentum builds, director of Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art says it could lead discussions for the return of looted Benin objects in US museum collections
InterviewExhibitions
Humboldt Forum to show Britain’s 1897 violence and plunder in Benin exhibition next year
The exhibition will include around half of Berlin’s collection of Benin bronzes as Germany lays groundwork to return them to Nigeria
NewsRestitution
German Nazi-looted art panel recommends return of Franz Marc’s Foxes to heirs of Jewish banker
The decision on whether to return the painting, which hangs in Dusseldorf’s Kunstpalast, will be made by the city assembly in April
NewsRestitution
German culture minister seeks 'national strategy' on Benin bronzes, including restitution
Monika Grütters says she will meet museum directors and trustees next month
NewsBenin Bronzes
University of Aberdeen to return Benin bronze looted by British troops to Nigeria
The sculpture of an oba’s head was “acquired in a way that we now consider to have been extremely immoral,” the university says
NewsRestitution
‘The movement is unstoppable’: African scholars and activists hail German plan to return Benin bronzes
“There is simply no moral ground for the confiscation of African artefacts in Western museums,” says the Cameroonian philosopher Achille Mbembe
PreviewExhibitions
Birthday Beuys: Stuttgart kicks off Joseph Beuys centenary events and exhibitions
Exhibition at Staatsgalerie revisits the artist's curated opening of the museum's new building, while 20 other institutions are planning shows on the artist
NewsRestitution
Germany moves towards full restitution of Benin bronzes
The head of the German foreign ministry’s culture department visited Nigeria last week for discussions with the Edo State Governor
NewsMuseums
Museums in Poland and Germany forced to close—again—as third pandemic wave hits Europe
Some countries are operating a system based on regional coronavirus case numbers while others have gone into full lockdown
NewsMuseums
Gerhard Richter to loan Holocaust works—that he vowed never to sell—to new Berlin museum
Loan of over 100 works to future museum of Modern art encompasses Richter’s Birkenau series, the fruit of a decades-long quest for an artistic response to the Holocaust
NewsArt market
Berlin dealer Johann König opens new space in Seoul
Opening next month, the new space will include a sculpture garden on a roof terrace
NewsRestitution
Forging ahead with historic restitution plans, Dutch museums will launch €4.5m project to develop a practical guide on colonial collections
Researchers will consider “various modes of return” for museum objects and how the process can help to reconcile with colonial past
NewsObituaries
Paul Klee’s grandson Alexander Klee, artist and arts patron, dies aged 80
Bern's Zentrum Paul Klee will devote an exhibition to the artist this summer
NewsArt market
Sotheby’s to auction Karl Lagerfeld’s collection in Monaco
The fashion designer, who died in 2019, was an enthusiastic collector of art and design
NewsMuseums
'It feels slightly surreal!' German museums can open from Monday—but with complicated caveats
In a surprise ruling, the government prioritises museum openings ahead of restaurants and sports facilities
NewsMuseums & Heritage
Swiss museums can reopen from 1 March as country eases lockdown restrictions
Fondation Beyeler will shows Arp and Rodin while Kunstmuseum Bern has a show on Latin American political art
NewsHeritage
Bavarian frescoes are confirmed to be among the oldest in northern Europe
New examinations of John the Baptist wall paintings in Augsburg cathedral date them to more than 1,000 years ago
NewsPorcelain
'Rarest' royal Chinese porcelain bowl—at least 900 years old—discovered in Dresden state collection
It is the 88th known surviving piece of Ru ceramic, one of which sold for $37.7m at Sotheby's in 2017
NewsRestitution
German Nazi loot panel urges return of Schiele work at Museum Ludwig to Jewish dentist’s heirs
In a unanimous decision, the government’s advisory commission says it is likely the work was sold under duress
NewsRestitution
Germany proposes law change to ease Nazi-loot returns from private foundations
Law change follows refusal by some foundations to restitute property lost due to Nazi persecution
NewsGermany
Germany doubles pandemic aid for arts with an extra €1 billion funding
Some galleries received funding in the first package for exhibitions they can’t open in lockdown
NewsRestitution
Netherlands takes lead in Europe’s efforts to return artefacts to former colonies
The Dutch government adopts a committee’s “radical” guidelines, putting it at the forefront of European efforts to return colonial-era museum acquisitions
NewsImports and Exports
Roman bust seized in Germany after confusion around import laws for artefacts in transit
The bronze was taken because German law requires archaeological objects have export licences from the country of origin—but it was only travelling through to Austria from the US
NewsRestitution
German panel urges restitution of a Heckel painting to the heirs of a Jewish journalist persecuted by the Nazis
Heirs plan to donate the work to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
NewsHolocaust
Babyn Yar: site where 100,000 victims were shot by Nazis to get one of world’s largest Holocaust memorial centres
“We do not want to create a big building that sits heavily” on this sensitive ground, says Robert Jan Van Pelt, one of the minds behind the project in Ukraine
NewsNazi loot
An arms dealer casts a shadow over Kunsthaus Zurich
Petition calls for more transparency in planned display of the collection of Emil Georg Bührle, who bought Nazi-looted art with a fortune built on weapons
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
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
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
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
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
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
InterviewArt market
A crisis hits the art market once a decade. What is different this time? Christie's president Dirk Boll assesses the impact of the pandemic
As his new book is published, the auction house chief compares coronavirus fallout to previous economic disasters
NewsArt market
European auction houses weather crisis as customers spend millions on art online
Expecting the worst, French, German and Austrian auction houses have been surprised by how well sales have held up through the pandemic
NewsArchitecture
Berlin’s residents rally to save city’s Brutalist building that was once a laboratory for animal experiments
Thousands signed petition to protect bleak concrete structure—nicknamed the Mouse Bunker—from demolition
NewsRestitution
Amsterdam court rejects heirs’ claim for Kandinsky painting in the Stedelijk Museum
Ruling upholds controversial decision by the beleaguered Dutch Restitutions Committee but counters an independent review
NewsHumboldt Forum
What exactly is the Humboldt Forum?
From the building, to the name and the cost, we bring you the Berlin art complex in a nutshell
NewsHumboldt Forum
Humboldt Forum: the empire strikes back?
The imperial origins and plundered artefacts of the Berlin art complex seem out of place in today’s Germany
NewsMuseums
Kunsthaus Zurich counts down to ‘quantum leap’ for Swiss art scene after Chipperfield expansion
City hopes the $230m new building will raise its profile as an art destination to match Basel
NewsMuseums
Smithsonian and Berlin museums join forces to investigate Asian art provenance
The programme includes webinars examining dealers and collectors
NewsNazi loot
Dutch policy on Nazi-looted art should be more humane and transparent, panel finds
The government's treatment of claims for art plundered by Nazis has come under fire for placing interests of museums over "legal redress for injustice"
NewsHumboldt Forum
Opening of Humboldt Forum delayed again as coronavirus lockdown extended—but you can view it online
New Berlin arts complex suffers renewed setback in its problem-beset opening plans
NewsGermany
Record culture budget approved by German parliament
The budget for 2021 allocates funding to preserve Berlin museum buildings, renovate the Bayreuth Festival theatre, boost provenance research and grant free admission to the Jewish Museum Berlin
NewsMuseums
Why us? European museums cry foul over second lockdown
Shops remain open in many countries even as museums are plunged once more into Covid-19 deep-freeze
NewsRestitution
Chair of Dutch Nazi-loot committee resigns ahead of report on restitution policy
Alfred Hammerstein’s departure follows criticism of Dutch committee’s decisions
NewsDocumenta 15
Dozens asked to participate in Documenta 15—only to realise invitations are fake
Documenta organisers have warned about scam emails and requests recipients to contact them
NewsLooted art
Jewish collections looted by the Nazis to be examined and traced in new database
The Jewish Digital Cultural Recovery Project will begin with a pilot scheme focusing on the Old Masters collection of Adolphe Schloss, which was seized by the Gestapo
NewsThefts
German police arrest three suspects in Dresden jewel heist investigation
More than 1,600 police officers take part in raids in Berlin to solve violent theft from Dresden’s Green Vault
NewsHeritage
Unexploded bombs: the major hitch in this German castle's restoration
Gardens of the Babelsberg Palace in Potsdam must be probed for undetonated explosives before further renovations can take place
NewsMuseums
German museum chiefs say enforced November closure is 'wrong decision'
More than 40 directors sign an open letter to regional governments saying museums should not be included in month-long coronavirus lockdown
NewsMuseums
Louvre and French museums close, while German museums await clarity in second coronavirus lockdown
Closing German museums would be “a hard blow for the institutions and society,” the country's museums association says
NewsJohannes Vermeer
Blockbuster Vermeer exhibition—including restored 'hidden Cupid' painting—announced at Dresden's Semperbau
The show promises to be “one of the most spectacular” in the newly renovated museum's history
NewsMuseums
Berlin’s Neue Nationalgalerie to open after six-year renovation with Calder exhibition
Mies van der Rohe’s steel-and-glass building is undergoing modernisation by David Chipperfield, including new air-conditioning, security, lighting and visitor facilities
NewsMuseums
Mondrian’s heirs file US suit to recover four paintings worth $200m from a German museum
The complaint also demands compensation for four further works by Mondrian no longer at the Krefeld museum
NewsMuseums
Attacker sprays oil in Berlin museums, damaging sarcophagi, sculptures and frames
Sixty-three objects were sprayed with an oily liquid on 3 October at the Pergamon, Neues Museum and Alte Nationalgalerie
NewsGerman Museums
Germany to create central digital platform for museum objects acquired in colonial context
Measures agreed by government and states include a set of common standards for digital registers
NewsRestitution
Nazi-looted Dutch Old Master to be auctioned in settlement between heir and current holder
The Golden Age work by Aelbert Cuyp was looted from Jacques Goudstikker and acquired by Hermann Göring
NewsArt education
European academies issue joint manifesto to protect freedom of arts
Signatories of the “Berlin Manifesto” include the Académie française and Arts Council England. It has been endorsed by Wim Wenders, Ken Loach and A. L. Kennedy among others
PreviewExhibitions
Easy rider: when Wassily Kandinsky and Gabriele Münter went on tour
The artists' collaboration—first as teacher and student, then as a couple—is explored in a new exhibition at the Lenbachhaus in Munich
NewsRestitution
Dutch government committee recommends return of colonial-era artefacts
The report calls for a new panel to advise the minister on repatriations and a new provenance research centre
NewsArt market
Deutsche Bank to auction Kandinsky and Schiele works from collection
Three works are to be sold at Christie’s in Paris this month; further sales to follow
NewsMuseums
Berlin’s Humboldt Forum to open in phases beginning in December
Plans include a show about ivory and a “critical approach” to colonial legacies
NewsDiscoveries
Sculpture by Arno Breker—one of Hitler’s favourite artists—found buried in Berlin museum garden
Missing for 75 years, the large marble head, one of the artist's best-known works, was uncovered by chance during construction work at Kunsthaus Dahlem
NewsPrussian Cultural Heritage Foundation
Meet the man overhauling Berlin's 'dysfunctional' museums in wake of bombshell report
Head of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, Hermann Parzinger, responds to an expert panel’s call to dismantle Germany’s biggest arts body
NewsObituaries
Erich Marx, Berlin collector and patron, dies age 99
His collection of works by Warhol, Twombly, Beuys and Kiefer is on long-term loan to the Berlin museums
NewsContemporary art
Berlin Art Week: shows in disused airports and nightclubs defy gloomy predictions
From Berghain's lockdown exhibition to the Brücke Museum's Vivian Suter display, here's what to see in the reigning contemporary art hub this week
NewsRestitution
Berlin returns tattooed Maori heads to New Zealand
Human remains in museums have attracted widespread criticism