NewsVenice Biennale
Christoph Büchel’s controversial migrant boat finally returns to Sicily after 2019 Venice Biennale display
The vessel was on loan from the town of Augusta, which intends to turn it into a memorial for the hundreds of migrants who died on board in 2015
NewsSponsorship
After staunch criticism, Science Museum defends oil company Shell’s sponsorship of its climate exhibition
Director Ian Blatchford says that the Science Museum Group "retains editorial control" over London show
NewsMemorials
France's planned slavery memorial on hold over debate about naming 200,000 freed slaves
Shortlisted proposals by artists including Adrian Piper, Julien Creuzet and duo Sammy Baloji and Emeka Ogboh did not adequately adhere to the requirements, campaign group says
NewsArt law
Vermont Law School can hide a mural that offended students behind a wall, court rules
A 1993 painting of the state’s historic role on the Underground Railroad depicts Black slaves as caricatures, while white abolitionists are idealised
NewsNational Trust
National Trust's report on colonial and slavery history did not breach charity law, regulator says
Research commissioned by the trust provoked complaints from Conservative politicians amid UK culture war around controversial monuments
NewsSponsorship
‘Things have to change’: third speaker pulls out of Science Museum Group climate talk in protest against oil sponsorship
Broadcaster Robin Ince joins George Monbiot and Mark Lynas in withdrawing from the Climate Talks event over the UK institution's funding from oil companies BP and Equinor
NewsControversies
Bank of England wades into UK's escalating culture war on controversial monuments, saying it will remove images of slave owners
“Retain and explain” or restrain and refrain? Culture chiefs raise the alarm on government’s policy to keep problematic statues ahead of crucial meeting
NewsRenovation
Cy Twombly foundation ‘absolutely prepared to take legal action’ after Louvre ‘destroys’ artist’s ceiling painting in renovation works
The US artist's foundation says that it was not consulted over the French museum's changes to the Salle des Bronzes—the Louvre argues it does not have to
NewsStatues
Keep problematic monuments and ‘explain them’, UK government to tell cultural leaders
Opponents argue that some public statues reinforce racism, chauvinism, sexism and homophobia
NewsControversies
Amid child sexual abuse accusations, Paris authorities turn off Claude Lévêque light sculptures
The French artist is under police investigation over claims that he abused minors under the age of 15
NewsExhibitions
Executed Chinese prisoners likely used in UK exhibition
Cadavers on display in 'Real Bodies' show were provided by Dalian-based firm known to have acquired corpses from police
NewsPublic art
UK government announces new laws to protect controversial historic monuments from 'woke worthies and baying mobs'
Proposed plans have been criticised as distraction tactics from the state's "lethally failed response to the pandemic and the consequences of a disastrous Brexit"
NewsControversies
Kamel Mennour gallery's representation of Claude Lévêque suspended after allegations of abuse of minors
According to French media reports, a police investigation has been launched into violations dating back to the 1970s
NewsTate Britain
Rex Whistler’s Tate Britain restaurant mural is ‘offensive’, ethics committee says, threatening closure
Tate now faces the dilemma of what to do with a room decorated by a major early 20th-century artist
NewsMuseums
Tate suspends curator for publicly criticising its decision to delay Guston show
Mark Godfrey has been disciplined after posting a long statement on his Instagram account describing postponement as "extremely patronising to viewers"
NewsControversies
Madrid's Prado museum accused of misogyny in open letter after misattributing work to female artist
Uninvited Guests exhibition has "been done from a misogynistic point of view and still projects the misogyny of the 19th century,” says one signatory
NewsPhilip Guston
'They fear controversy': open letter condemning museums for delaying Guston show signed by 100 artists and intellectuals
“The people who run our great institutions do not want trouble,” say signatories
AnalysisControversies
Philip Guston’s KKK paintings ‘are not asleep—they’re woke’: catalogue contradicts museum statement controversially halting show
Essays from African American artists such as Glenn Ligon and Trenton Doyle Hancock show that issues were being addressed
NewsPhilip Guston
Critics, scholars—and even museum’s own curator—condemn decision to postpone Philip Guston show over Ku Klux Klan imagery
Move is deemed “cowardly” and “patronising” after joint statement from host museums including National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC and London’s Tate Modern
NewsControversies
After allegations of child abuse imagery in their archive, Magnum photo agency announce major review
Experts call for a “transparent” investigation ran by an independent expert in child protection, and to “urgently investigate the conduct” of some its members
NewsControversies
Picasso murals ripped from Oslo building as legal battle intensifies
Daughter of the works' co-creator Carl Nesjar says safeguarding the sandblasted works is imperative
NewsPhotography
World Press Photo—which has all-white supervisory board—accused of structural racism
Photographers have criticised the Amsterdam-based photojournalism organisation, which states its core values are “accuracy, diversity, and transparency”
NewsAustralia
Sydney's Powerhouse Museum saved from sell-off, but debate rages on
NSW government scraps controversial billion-dollar relocation plan but faces questions from community groups and parliament
NewsArt schools
Danish art school on brink of closure after director resigns following misconduct allegations
Open letter from current and former students accuses Fatamorgana's founding director Morten Bo of “unpleasant, degrading, discriminatory” behaviour
NewsControversies
Musée d'Orsay cuts ties with Montreal Museum of Fine Arts over sacking of director Nathalie Bondil
International museum leaders speak out against the treatment of "the best, most dynamic, and most innovative art museum director in North America"
InterviewControversies
With demolition of Oslo's Picasso-Nesjar murals imminent, Norwegian sculptor’s daughter speaks out
Carl Nesjar’s daughter talks about the Norwegian sculptor’s long collaboration with the Modern master and shares exclusive images of the pair
NewsControversies
Mary Rose Museum 'appalled' by David Starkey's racist remarks as British historian steps down as trustee
Tudor specialist has been widely condemned for remarks on slavery and Black Lives Matter in YouTube interview
NewsControversies
Pace Gallery shuts down homophobic slurs on Instagram over Peter Hujar photographs
In Pride Month post, gallery speaks out against "individuals who wish to degrade marginalised communities"
NewsControversies
Racism on walls of UK government? British Empire murals spark controversy
Politician raises concerns over Sigismund Goetze painting in the Foreign Office depicting Africa as a naked boy
NewsMonuments
Statues of slavers around London could be pulled down under mayor’s new diversity plan
Sadiq Khan wants to review and improve "the diversity of public landmarks" after protestors toppled the statue of Edward Colston in Bristol
NewsAppointments
'As reassuring as Mr Bean'? London's National Portrait Gallery appointment attracts criticism
Conservative MP Chris Grayling has been named a trustee of the museum
NewsControversies
Director of France’s national furniture collection defends plans to sell 100 items at auction to aid healthcare workers
Move prompts fears that works from national museum collections could be sold off too
NewsControversies
'Intrusive addition': Antony Gormley’s memorial to mathematician Alan Turing draws fire
Some critics support the proposed sculpture for Cambridge University while others question the competition process
NewsBritish Museum
British Museum mistakenly cites ‘all rights reserved’ as biggest postcard producer in Turkey
The error comes as the London institution launches a revamped version of its online catalogue
FeatureMarcel Duchamp
Was Duchamp’s Fountain a misogynist vaginal pun?
Waldemar Januszczak gives a taste of a forthcoming BBC programme in which he focuses on a little-explored aspect of the artist's controversial work
Newscoronavirus
Coronavirus in Italy: Ai Weiwei criticised for 'insensitive' pasta meme and Raphael blockbuster closes
An emergency decree means that all museums in the country are on lock down until 3 April
NewsOld Masters
Old Master scandal dealt fresh blow as Court of Appeal rejects arrest warrant
French investigation into Giuliano Ruffini, the prime suspect in the case, is hampered by Milan ruling
NewsControversies
Russian artist Pyotr Pavlensky caught up in politician sex tape scandal is arrested in Paris
Dissident wants to create a “political porn” website focusing on behaviour of people in power
NewsControversies
Embroiled in Palestine row, artist Zineb Sedira says she will not stand down as France’s representative at 2021 Venice Biennale
Pro-Israel arts group protested to French culture ministry about her appointment
NewsControversies
Luanda Leaks: Isabel dos Santos—who owns vast African art collection—accused of making her $2.2bn fortune by exploiting Angola
Dos Santos and her husband Sindika Dokolo own around 3,000 works by artists including William Kentridge and Zanele Muholi
NewsBritish Museum
Climate activists urge British Museum to reject BP funding, as Arctic exhibition announced
Planned show seeks to raise awareness of climate change, but London museum dogged by controversy over partnership with oil and gas giant
NewsPalais de Tokyo
Artists criticise Palais de Tokyo partnership with Qatari museum over LGBTQ rights
Mathaf's guest show at Paris contemporary art centre marks Qatar-France 2020 Year of Culture
NewsControversies
Russian collecting couple arrested in Belgium
Igor and Olga Toporovsky linked to controversial show of Russian avant-garde works in Ghent
NewsControversies
Artist defends anti-racism football campaign that uses images of monkeys
Italian football league—which commissioned the paintings made by Simone Fugazzotto—have now apologised saying they are "inappropriate"
NewsArt market
Sotheby's wins case over 'modern forgery' Frans Hals
Consigner of problematic painting must repay auction house for reimbursement to American client
NewsCensorship
Artists call for Kyrgyz minister of culture’s resignation in wake of censorship scandal
Open letter argues that censorship of the exhibition Feminnale violated a number of constitutional protections
NewsControversies
German art activists apologise for upsetting Holocaust survivors with monument containing human remains
Centre for Political Beauty concedes “mistakes,” says it will veil monument
NewsControversies
Art activists anger Holocaust survivors with Berlin monument containing ashes
Centre for Political Beauty says action targets conservatives open to allying with far right
NewsBiennials & festivals
Moscow Biennale opening marred by 2017 controversy
Event’s president Julia Muzikantskaya accused of allegedly threatening artists and withholding payments
NewsControversies
Aichi Triennale show embroiled in censorship row reopens—but only for visitors selected by lottery
Visitors had to sign a consent form promising not to post works on social media
NewsControversies
Candice Breitz pulls work from South African museum that is exhibiting convicted murderer's art
Curator at newly opened Javett Art Centre defends decision to show drawing by artist who killed a sex worker in Cape Town in 2013
NewsPublic art
Officials reject reports of permanent Prince Philip statue for London's Fourth Plinth
Mayor of London’s office says contemporary art series will continue with Heather Phillipson sculpture planned for 2020
NewsMusée du Louvre
Bad bedfellows? French politician blasts Louvre over partnership with Airbnb
Paris deputy mayor Ian Brossat says that teaming up with the online rental giant is “disastrous and shocking”
NewsControversies
Nazi design exhibition at Dutch museum braces for protests
The show called Design of the Third Reich features the Volkswagen Beetle and Riefenstahl’s films
NewsControversies
Eleven artists withdraw or modify their works at Aichi Triennale in ongoing censorship row
Cuban activist Tania Bruguera closes down her exhibit while other artists reconfigure works to reflect the controversy
ArchiveMusée du Louvre
Louvre curators condemn “collections for rent” schemes ahead of plans to open a branch of the Paris museum in Abu Dhabi
Deal “is about petrodollars and military relations”, says senior member of museum staff
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?
NewsExhibitions
Photograph using ‘redface’ pulled from Brooklyn show
The work by the Taiwanese artist Ching-Yao Chen features him and three women wearing feathers, buckskin and body paint
NewsAppointments & departures
Serpentine Galleries chief Yana Peel resigns
She was in the post for three years
AnalysisArt Basel 2019
Art Basel: where political cartoons still have a home
As the New York Times bans satirical illustrations, Art Basel has plenty on show, from the 1920s to today
NewsNational Portrait Gallery
Artists call for National Portrait Gallery to drop BP sponsorship
Gary Hume says funding for the arts is 'outweighed by the need to act urgently on the climate crisis'
NewsControversies
Artist defends controversial mural of New Zealand prime minister embracing Muslim woman
Loretta Lizzio's memorial image of Jacinda Ardern unveiled in Melbourne divides public opinion
NewsMuseums & Heritage
Uzbekistan’s troubled Nukus Museum embroiled in new row
Museum seeks fourth director in as many years amid claims its renowned avant-garde collection is being “mistreated”
NewsVenice Biennale 2019
Deadly boat that sank with hundreds of migrants on board becomes work of art at Venice Biennale
Swiss artist Christoph Büchel's Arsenale project is a symbol of global immigration crisis
NewsPolitics
US museum criticises use of Gérôme’s Slave Market in German right-wing campaign
Anti-immigration party AfD is using provocative 19th-century work on its posters for the upcoming European elections
NewsAnthony d'Offay
Artists protest Tate decision to resume ties with Anthony d’Offay
Over 35 artists and curators have signed an open letter to the institution asking it to reveal details of its investigations into allegations of sexual harassment made against the retired dealer
NewsCopyright
Ai Weiwei denies his porcelain works borrow from Lebanese artist's prize-winning vases
Raed Yassin says there are "striking similarities" between his ceramic series on the Lebanese civil war and Ai's pieces on the Syria war and refugee crisis
NewsControversies
Gaetano Pesce's anti-patriarchy sculpture outrages feminists in Milan
Work created for Milan Design Week perpetuates violence against women, critics say
NewsCaravaggio
Attic to auction: a timeline of the 'Lost Caravaggio'
The painting, thought to be the second version of the Baroque artist’s Judith Beheading Holofernes will be auctioned this June with an estimate of £86m-£129m
NewsForgeries
Fake Marsden Hartley found in medical giant’s collection points to a larger scandal
Abbott Laboratories suspects fakes found their way into its collection during conservation process
NewsControversies
Nan Goldin’s anti-opioid activist group storms New York museums
Pain held demonstrations at the Guggenheim and the Met over the weekend
NewsControversies
Tory peer involved in controversial sale of Iraqi antiquities
Reliefs from Ashurnasirpal II’s Nimrud palace, fixed to the walls of a Scottish mansion, have been removed, stripped and sold abroad
NewsControversies
'Too conservative' to direct France's arts academy? Jean de Loisy hits back at critics
A petition protesting his appointment at École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts has been signed by 60 arts professionals
News
Protesters stream into Whitney, calling for removal of board vice chairman
They assailed the trustee's business ties to the tear gas fired by US border agents
NewsControversies
Smoking pipe, razor and revolver removed from Van Gogh sculpture in London's Brixton
Controversial items relating to the artist's life were scrapped from original design over fears they could be linked to drug, knife and gun crime
NewsPhilanthropy
Sackler family—major cultural patrons—amassed $31.2m in offshore HSBC bank accounts, investigation finds
Mortimer Sackler opened a handful of accounts in Switzerland one month before federal prosecutors filed a lawsuit against Purdue Pharma in 2005
NewsSaudi Arabia
Columbia University cancels talk with Saudi artist Ahmed Mater amid scrutiny over the kingdom’s cultural funding
The Metropolitan and the Brooklyn museums have also decided not to use money from the Crown Prince’s arts organisation for related events
NewsCensorship
Wolfgang Tillmans and Tania Bruguera pledge support for censored Serralves Museum director
João Ribas has stepped down following censorship row around Robert Mapplethorpe show
NewsBerlin
Ambitious project to build replica Berlin Wall blocked by city authorities
Russia film-maker Ilya Khrzhanovsky’s giant installation based on 700 hours of film faces insurmountable bureaucratic hurdles
NewsControversies
Authorities destroy sculptures in the Maldives
Destruction of Jason deCaires Taylor's Coralarium installation came after condemnation by local Muslim leaders and politicians
NewsSexual harassment
Belgian culture minister investigates Jan Fabre following allegations of sexual harassment
Twenty dancers sign letter saying that “humiliation” is rife in the artist's Troubleyn troupe
PreviewExhibitions
Brillo Boxes ‘faked’ by museum director included in new Andy Warhol show
Pop artist's fist institutional exhibition revisited 50 years on at Stockholm’s Moderna Museet
NewsPublic art
Anger over plans to 'banish' suffragette statue from Parliament to remote Regent’s Park site
Proposal to move Emmeline Pankhurst sculpture comes months after new Millicent Fawcett work was unveiled to celebrate centenary of female suffrage
NewsCommercial galleries
Artist withdraws work from gallery group show inspired by Peter Sellers brownface film
An op-ed criticising the exhibition for its dismissal of the movie's racist overtones has prompted some reflection
NewsMarina Abramovic
‘We’re all in the same boat’: Marina Abramovic poster angers Italian right-wing politician
Trieste deputy mayor Paolo Polidori calls image commissioned for sailing regatta “political propaganda”
BlogIn the frame
Catnapped: abduction of moody moggie Begemot from Moscow museum sparks media frenzy
NewsProtest
Peter Kennard among artists to remove their art from London's Design Museum in protest over arms event
Directors Deyan Sudjic and Alice Black say ‘professional activists exploited the situation’ and they stand by their ‘curatorial independence’
NewsLaw
Publishing company American Image Art strikes back in Robert Indiana case
Defendants in the much-publicised lawsuit allege the Morgan Art Foundation “duped” the US artist into giving up certain rights to his art
NewsControversies
Shepard Fairey joins group of artists demanding their work be removed from the Design Museum after ‘arms trade’ event
The London institution says it did not endorse the private event organised by the Italian aerospace company Leonardo
NewsControversies
Conflict-of-interest scandal at publicly funded UK arts centre Firstsite
Chairman and trustee resigned amid investigation into more than £90,000 spent on consultancy firm they directed
News
$890m Sydney museum move could be most expensive gallery relocation in history
Critics fear that plan will lead to parts of the Powerhouse Museum’s collection being sold off
NewsArt schools
Director of France's beleaguered national arts academy criticises culture minister for lack of support
Jean-Marc Bustamante has not had his contract renewed at ENSBA, where teachers have been accused of sexual harassment
NewsAfrican art
Contested Asante trophy head to shine in new Wallace room
Seized during the Ashanti war and long held by the London museum, the prized Ghanaian work is to be displayed in a new permanent gallery
NewsControversies
Beatrix Ruf, former Stedelijk Museum director, cleared of alleged conflicts of interest
Report commissioned by Amsterdam city council finds that she complied with Dutch regulations
NewsControversies
Once bitten, twice shy: Canadian artist caught using comedians' photos without permission promises no more funny business
Despite controversy over public art project in Calgary, Derek Michael Besant has been commissioned to create a similar work in Ottawa
News
German museum and auctioneer Im Kinsky tussle over looted glass goblet
Object was returned to consigner not museum from where it was looted at the end of Second World War
CommentControversies
Don't be angry that Tate's 'Head of Coffee' gets £39,500—be mad that salaries in both hospitality and the arts aren't higher
The London museum's job advert has upset the art world but these industries should not be pitted against one another, says barista Celeste Wong
Celeste Wong