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Comment
CommentMuseums
Letter to the editor | Necessity, not secrecy, will close NPG’s doors
Nicholas Cullinan, the director of the National Portrait Gallery, responds to criticism about the museum's three-year closure
Nicholas Cullinan
CommentAfrica
Why Africa’s future museums should forget Western models
The time is ripe for artists and curators to reconfigure what can actually be done within the walls of a museum
Clémentine Deliss
CommentIran
'The normalisation of cultural warfare cannot go unanswered'
Tristram Hunt, the director of the Victoria and Albert Museum, calls on the international community to condemn President Trump's threat to target Iran's cultural sites
Tristram Hunt
CommentArt market
Why the catalogue raisonné is the forger's bible
An international conference considered the challenges and risks— not to mention the sheer size of publications
Georgina Adam
CommentContemporary art
The five stages of an art world scandal
Creating the ultimate art shock takes more than sticking a banana to the wall
Ben Luke
CommentRedevelopment
'A catastrophe for the system of protecting historic buildings': the saga of London's Whitechapel Bell Foundry
Plans to turn the foundry that cast the bells of Big Ben, St Paul’s and Westminster Abbey into a boutique hotel have been put on hold—but they should never have gone ahead in the first place
Charles Saumarez Smith
CommentLawsuits
Dodgy dealers beware: anti-fraud lawsuits are on the rise
A spate of fraudulent agents in the dock this year give the art trade a bad image—even if only a few individuals are involved
Georgina Adam
CommentPolitics
Chile’s neoliberal ideology has co-opted artist’s creativity
The failed economic experiments of the 1970s laid the groundwork for today’s socio-economic crisis
Ignacio Gatica
CommentTurner Prize
Could the joint win sound the death knell for the Turner Prize?
Lawrence Abu Hamdan, Helen Cammock, Oscar Murillo and Tai Shani's decision to share the prize reflects the collective nature of their work, but how this could impact the future of the award remains to be seen
Louisa Buck
CommentPolitics
Art is fuelling the protest movements in Latin America
Demonstrators from Argentina to Puerto Rico are relying on traditional art forms, dances, and music to hold their leaders accountable
Gonzalo Casals
CommentArt market
Comment | Why are we seeing so many counterfeits?
Artistic fraudsters are still pushing their luck—creating works ranging from the barely believable to the downright hilarious
Georgina Adam
CommentGreen Vault
Why the Dresden jewel heist wasn’t worth a billion, but why the Germans are still really upset
Thieves stole Baroque jewels from the Green Vault earlier this week after breaking in through a window
Anna Somers Cocks
CommentVenice
Italy should call in the Dutch to help finish the Venice flood barriers
Following years of corruption and issues with Italian administration, an independent expert is the best bet to rescue the city from peril
Anna Somers Cocks
CommentArt market
'We felt we had to make a choice and we chose scholarship': why Galerie St. Etienne went non-profit
Jane Kallir explains why, after 80 years as a commercial enterprise, the New York gallery has become a foundation
Jane Kallir
CommentPrivate Museums
The Marciano masquerade is exposed
The art foundation, which has closed its doors, was never more than the shell of a museum
Jori Finkel
CommentMusic
What Kanye West got wrong so far in his Nebuchadnezzar opera
The image used in Ye's tweet is actually thought to depict Darius the Great. But why celebrate Nebuchadnezzar anyway?
Joobin Bekhrad
CommentHong Kong
'The future of Hong Kong is already set': Ai Weiwei responds to escalating violence against democracy protesters
In Hong Kong, university campuses have become literal battlegrounds in the protracted clash between police and protesters over the region’s future
Ai Weiwei
CommentVenice
Venice is in peril: Unesco should come to the aid of Venice as it did after the great flood of 1966
Its official international role, to which Italy signed up, enables it to mobilise world expertise and funds
Francesco Bandarin
CommentAuctions
The complicated history of Boccioni sculpture is no barrier to record price at Christie's in New York
Futurist bronze sculpture cast from another bronze in the 1970s sells for $16.2m—four times its estimate
Melanie Gerlis
CommentSavoy/Sarr Report
One year after the Sarr-Savoy report, France has lost its momentum in the restitution debate
It recommended the restitution of African artefacts in French museums, but the country has not returned a single item to Africa
Alexander Herman
CommentHong Kong
Hong Kong art market profits despite protestors’ pain
If not immune to geopolitical unrest, then perhaps art is a refuge for money that is struggling to find its way into other assets
Melanie Gerlis
Comment US politics
Museums must engage more with Indigenous peoples
There is a direct connection between how predominantly white curators have categorised Indigenous peoples as part of “natural history” and how we are misrepresented in contemporary art spaces
Joseph M. Pierce
CommentArt market
Piece by piece: the issues with fractional ownership of art
Billed as the next big thing, schemes to sell shares in works of art have yet to excite the market
Georgina Adam
CommentArt fairs
New York's Future Fair is a worthy idea—but there are flaws in its model
Despite its commendable 'galleries-first' mindset, the scheduled fair's profit-sharing programme is not as revolutionary as it might seem
Melanie Gerlis
CommentUK politics
'London’s resilience, creativity and innovation will help us to keep open for the world'
As the art world turns out in the capital during Frieze, Justine Simons, London's deputy mayor for culture and the creative industries, wonders what the rest of the world must be thinking
Justine Simons
CommentClimate Change
A sustainable art world: greenwash or genuine commitment?
Frieze has long prided itself on its eco-credentials, but these small gestures are negligible in the face of the planet's immediate climate crisis
Louisa Buck
CommentMuseums & Heritage
A victory for righteousness or just a performance of it?
We need to acknowledge the complexity of our time and not hide in simple political polarities, says the director of the Art Gallery of Ontario
Stephan Jost
CommentMuseums & Heritage
'We are in a time of crisis: now is the time to assert our moral and ethical principles'
Cultural institutions need to decide what they stand for, says London's ICA director Stefan Kalmár
Stefan Kalmár
CommentArt market
Global recession looms—but there's a new twist
Burgeoning private museums offer cause for hope among economic uncertainty and geopolitical turbulence
Georgina Adam
CommentMuseums & Heritage
Making the Art Institute of Chicago a more inclusive place is about more than just architecture
The museum’s director James Rondeau on why the institution is bringing Barcelona architects Barozzi Veiga on board to rethink the whole campus
James Rondeau
CommentMuseums & Heritage
It's back to school for the art world—here's why you shouldn't just rush to the blockbusters
From William Blake at Tate Britain to Gauguin at the National Gallery, London's museums are opening their biggest exhibitions this month—but how much are you really able to enjoy them?
Ben Luke
CommentMuseums & Heritage
Why it is vital to promote cultural inclusion at New York's institutions
The arts sector must engage in constant dialogue with communities, says the city's commissioner of cultural affairs
Tom Finkelpearl
CommentRestitution
Icom Kyoto 2019 conference: key takeaways from the decolonisation and restitution panel
Discussion argued for community empowerment, new skillsets, and focus on contemporary colonialism
Tonya Nelson
CommentUK politics
Politics requires a science degree? Why Boris Johnson's chief strategist is wrong about arts education
“If you are interested in politics you will be far better off if you study maths or physics,” writes aide Dominic Cummings in his blog
John McTernan
CommentMuseums & Heritage
Collectors are now collecting museums, not the other way around
Seats on boards offered by major museums are increasingly being used to serve the narrow agendas of the ultra-rich
Felix Salmon
CommentYoko Ono
Yoko Ono controversy | Government agencies cannot dictate museum programming
The revelation that New South Wales's tourism chief questioned the Sydney MCA's inclusion of a Yoko Ono show crosses a dangerous line
John McDonald
CommentVenice
Don’t believe what you read in the papers: Venice won't lose its cruise ships any time soon
A lack of a long-term plan combined with the economic benefits brought by the luxury liners means a cruise ship ban will take long to implement
Anna Somers Cocks
CommentArt market
An increasingly polarised marketplace needs a third way
The divide between primary and secondary markets blur as sales skew in favour of a few recognised, bankable artists
Melanie Gerlis
CommentLaw
Why this Cézanne painting could hold the key to solving thorny heritage disputes
Innovative agreement to share contested work from Gurlitt trove provides a roadmap for similar legal cases
Sharon Hecker
CommentExhibitions
Museums cannot ignore artists’ values
Artists are increasingly concerned about the ethical principles of the museums and galleries in which they show their work
Ben Luke
CommentUnesco
A former Unesco chief denounces its failure to protect Venice at Baku meeting
“Where have the ethics and sense of a global mandate to protect the world’s heritage gone?”, asks Francesco Bandarin
Francesco Bandarin
CommentWhitney Biennial
Whiteness must undo itself to make way for the truly radical turn in contemporary culture
The New York-based artist Xaviera Simmons responds to art critics who thought the 2019 Whitney Biennial was "not radical enough"
Xaviera Simmons
CommentVenice
The Turkish shareholders in the port of Venice want to keep cruise ships coming—and the mayor supports them
The World Heritage Committee is meeting in Baku and intends to dodge declaring Venice endangered for the third time
Anna Somers Cocks
CommentPolitics
'Marmite' Boris Johnson or 'deep cuts' Jeremy Hunt—which would be good for the arts?
The former UK minister for culture, Ed Vaizey, weighs in on which of the two candidates for prime minister would best serve the arts
Ed Vaizey
CommentCensorship
'Museum directors have lost panache and grit': 30 years on, the legacy of the Corcoran's Robert Mapplethorpe cancellation
New exhibition at the George Washington University looks back the censorship of the photographer's work—but what impact did it have on the art world?
Brian Allen
CommentMuseums & Heritage
Mission statements and paychecks: let's put our money where our mouths are
A call for concrete action on art world salaries
Michelle Millar Fisher and Art + Museum Transparency
CommentHong Kong
Hong Kong demonstrations are driven by creative spirit
The city's artistic response to the political unrest proves that the best work often comes at times of crisis
Vivienne Chow
CommentArt market
The Trump administration’s tariffs will not hurt China but they will hurt the US art trade
Art organisations join other US businesses at a series of hearings this week in Washington, DC on the proposed 25% tariff on $300bn worth of Chinese goods
Peter K. Tompa
CommentArt market
Sotheby's newfound privacy gives it greater freedom, but at what cost to the rest of us?
Former public company status left the auction house at a disadvantage to rival Christie's, but its quarterly finance reports provided rare insight in a secretive market
Georgina Adam
CommentData
A crisis of faith: is Big Data the art world’s new religion?
The rise of Big Data means that connoisseurship is being replaced by "intel", which has far-reaching implications for the art world
Margaret Carrigan
CommentLacma
LACMA is building an institution for the 21st century
Museums were never “encyclopaedic”—nor should they be, Michael Conforti says
Michael Conforti
CommentMotherhood
When life happens, just remember that art fairs will be 'fine without you for a while'
Melanie Gerlis asks whether the art world is compatible with parenting
Melanie Gerlis
CommentEnvironment
Are we worried enough about the planet to give up jetsetting to art fairs?
A truly environmentally friendly art world requires that we give us the 'freedom, privilege and progress to which we are so accustomed'
Anna Brady
CommentIn the frame
What art did the Queen show Donald Trump?
We take a look at the art that Her Majesty dug out of the Royal Collection for the US president
The Art Newspaper
CommentLacma
Lacma’s $650m plan won’t wash
Community lawsuit brings welcome last stand against museum’s alarmingly secretive building project
Joseph Giovannini
CommentArtists
Abortion will happen—whatever the law says
The artist Paula Rego on why her abortion works are the best thing she's ever done
PAULA REGO
CommentRestitution
British Museum must recognise its own powers in matters of restitution
Case of Ethiopian tabots shows that trustees' hands are not tied when it comes to the disposal of certain items from the collection
Alexander Herman
CommentLeaders
Comment | Cupid ‘outing’ in Vermeer painting is the right move
The uncovered figure changes the composition of Girl Reading a Letter at an Open Window
Martin Bailey
CommentRestitution
Polish government must stop dragging its heels on restitution
Serious roadblocks remain for claimants looking to reclaim works looted by Nazis
James Palmer
CommentLitigation
The elephant in the room: the rise of art-related lawsuits
Worthy causes can often disguise more opportunistic motives
Jane Kallir
Comment
How Notre Dame abounds in the collective artistic imagination
Matisse's 1900 painting of the gothic cathedral risked taking on elegiac significance before the fire was extinguished
Ben Luke
CommentNews
Notre Dame presents an opportunity for respect, not re-invention
Simon Jenkins
CommentArt market
Forget millennials —the art market should be looking at Gen Z
People under the age of 22 account for 40% of consumers
Melanie Gerlis
CommentArtists
Can artists live off art alone?
Only 2% of artists earn more £50,000, a report by the Arts Council England finds
James Doeser
CommentTbilisi Art Fair
Why I agreed to join the advisory board of the art fair in Georgia (no, not the southern US state)
It has art schools, tradition, a culturally rich catchment area, and a true-grit backer
Anna Somers Cocks
CommentMuseums in the changing world order
Museums in the changing world order: the rise of authoritarian nationalism
In the third part of a new series, Adrian Ellis looks at the cost of state support in illiberal democracies and the insidious erosion of institutional independence
Adrian Ellis
CommentVenice Biennale 2019
Why is the Venice Biennale still so important?
Historical importance, glamour, big spenders—it continues to be an art festival like no other
Jane Morris
CommentThe Shed
The Shed needs to come out of its comfort zone and generate some heat
The visual art presentations strike a respectful note rather than spark the irreverence the arts centre needs most
Linda Yablonsky
CommentCathedral of Notre Dame
Notre Dame should be rebuilt as it was
The cathedral’s 19th-century additions are as much part of its history as its Gothic vaults, says a former director of Unesco’s World Heritage Centre
Francesco Bandarin
CommentObituaries
What Jayne Wrightsman did when you criticised her style
Anna Somers Cocks recalls a telling episode in her relations with the Met’s benefactor, who died on 20 April
Anna Somers Cocks
CommentLeaders
Gilded coffin gives Met a golden opportunity
To prevent similar high-profile losses in the future, the Met should hire a permanent, full-time provenance curator
Rick St. Hilaire
CommentVenice Biennale 2019
Ralph Rugoff is creating a Venice Biennale for right now
By only showing living artists, the artistic director's exhibition will reflect this time of emergency
Jerry Saltz
CommentHavana Biennial
The 2019 Havana Biennial is a smokescreen for government censorship
Art fares poorly when parroting official narratives, especially when that messaging is opposed to the values of free speech and an open society
Christian Viveros-Fauné
CommentCathedral of Notre Dame
In Notre Dame, we find a heritage that invites us to breathe and reflect
A spire competition is the wrong approach
JORGE OTERO-PAILOS
CommentCathedral of Notre Dame
Around the world, the Notre Dame fire inspires sadness, solidarity and anger
The Art Newspaper network, which includes the Giornale dell’Arte, The Art Newspaper France, The Art Newspaper Russia, and The Art Newspaper China, has gathered together comments from three continents
The Art Newspaper
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