Latest
Bonhams owner floats sale of auction house at $1bn
Epiris private equity group, which owns the auction house, has reportedly approached JP Morgan Chase & Co to advise on the deal
US authorities subpoena auction houses in effort to crack down on violations of Russian sanctions
Prosecutors in New York are seeking auction house sales information going back years in order to track potentially illicit transactions by sanctioned Russian collectors
Detroit arts organisations receive $23m in grants for digital initiatives from the Knight Foundation
The philanthropic organisation has named ten grantees of tech-focused investments
UK culture ministry shake up: Lucy Frazer named secretary for 'refocussed' department
Prime minister Rishi Sunak has overhauled the country's Department for Culture, Media and Sport Digital, dropping "digital" from its mandate
Museums & Heritage
Huge earthquakes in Turkey and Syria devastate heritage sites including 2,000-year-old castle
Gaziantep Castle has been heavily damaged by quakes that have killed more than 1,000 people
Ancient Pompeii site installs 'invisible' solar panels that look like Roman terracotta tiles
New invisible technology is being used to generate electricity at the archaeological site—and will also be used for other historic buildings in Italy, Portugal and Croatia
Art damaged in Brazil's revolt could become part of a memorial
Attack by far-right supporters of former president Jair Bolsonaro has left some works of art beyond repair
‘Extreme right’ attacks contributed to resignation of Madrid’s Reina Sofia museum director, open letter says
The museum community has leapt to the defence of the former leader of Spain's national museum of 20th-century art after a series of prominent articles accused him of internal rule-breaking and "political propaganda"
Art market
Art Dubai will donate 50% of ticket sales to earthquake relief efforts in Syria and Turkey
“When there is a humanitarian disaster like the one unfolding in Turkey and Syria, a swift response is important,” says a spokesperson for the fair
‘Post-Brexit post-Covid fightback for London’: Masterpiece founders launch new fair in place of cancelled event
The London Summer Art Fair will open in June with around half the dealers of Masterpiece
Unusually large Brueghel the Younger painting—rediscovered in France—offered at Paris auction for €600,000
The work, depicting a village scene, is being sold at Hôtel Drouot
Biggest-ever India Art Fair aims to diversify pool of South Asian collectors
With the top level of the region's art market back in rude health, the Delhi fair is doubling down on fostering a new generation of buyers
Book Club
‘That’s not enough’: Willem de Kooning’s advice to a young Wayne Thiebaud
An excerpt from one of Thiebaud’s final interviews, which features in the catalogue of a survey at the Fondation Beyeler, reveals how the US artist arrived at his signature style
An expert’s guide to Johannes Vermeer: five must-read books (and a website) on the Dutch Old Master
All you ever wanted to know about Vermeer, from a “legendary” show catalogue to an illustrated book for kids—selected by the curators Pieter Roelofs and J.M. Gregor Weber
Q&A: Jennifer Higgie on her new book about spiritualism and its importance to early Modernist women artists
The former editor of Frieze magazine says the idea that modernity had to be rational, cool and atheist was detrimental to art
What will museums of the future be like? Three key takeaways from a new book
András Szántó spoke to 21 architects about how museum architecture is shaping up, here are some of his findings
Exhibitions
Magnificent masterpieces by Donatello head to London's Victoria and Albert Museum
The first major UK exhibition dedicated to the radical Italian Renaissance master will also include important works from the museum's own collection
Abstract Expressionism’s forgotten women and their international contemporaries emerge from the shadows
An ambitious exhibition at London’s Whitechapel Gallery will celebrate the female artists from around the world who, against the odds, helped redefine art in the post-war period
Peter Doig: the painter making prints from poems, and swapping the Caribbean for the Courtauld
The Scottish-born artist tells us about his connection to the works of Cézanne, Matisse and Pissarro, and his fruitful collaboration with the Saint Lucian poet Derek Walcott
Oxford exhibition unearths the fascinating story of Minoan culture and its discovery
Ashmolean Museum show will reveal how the excavations of its former keeper 100 years ago helped popularise a Minoan world of mythological minotaurs and labyrinths
The art of the obit: Adam McEwen on his hypothetical obituaries of living celebrities who are ‘guides to life’
The Art Newspaper’s obituaries editor speaks to the New York artist about how his journalistic training informs his tributes to figures like Greta Thunberg and Dolly Parton
The Week in Art
A podcast bringing you the latest news from the art world, every week
What will happen to Ukraine's museum collections after the war?
Plus, Okwui Enwezor’s Sharjah Biennial and Ming Smith at New York's Museum of Modern Art
Adventures with Van Gogh
Adventures with Van Gogh is a weekly blog by Martin Bailey, our long-standing correspondent and expert on the artist. Published every Friday, his stories range from newsy items about this most intriguing artist to scholarly pieces based on his own meticulous investigations and discoveries.
Hidden in a London attic, I discovered a Bible inscribed by Van Gogh
Vincent and his young English friend Harry Gladwell read the book cover-to-cover in their Paris lodgings—possibly praying to avoid the temptations of Montmartre
Diary
Special investigation: Serious concerns over fate of Ukraine’s museum works taken by Russians
The Art Newspaper probes the complex issues arising from the removal of the Kherson Museum’s collection, sent to Crimea for “safekeeping”
Unesco adds Ukrainian city of Odesa to World Heritage List of endangered sites
The decision "recognises the outstanding universal value of the site and the duty of all humanity to protect it", the UN cultural organisation states
'Scythian gold is at the heart of Russia’s identity war'
Art historian and curator Konstantin Akinsha asserts that Russian attempts to claim succession from the ancient Scythians date back to the 18th century
A brush with... podcast
A podcast that asks artists the questions you've always wanted to
A brush with... Tess Jaray
An in-depth interview with the artist on her cultural experiences and greatest influences, from Henri Matisse to W.G. Sebald
Media
Documentary about Nan Goldin and her opioid crisis activism earns Oscar nomination
Laura Poitras's film, which follows Goldin's campaign against members of the Sackler family, has been nominated in the Best Documentary Feature category
Artist Ai Weiwei reads Dalai Lama's new letter to the world: 'The Art of Hope'
The video and message are part of the digital art platform Circa's new art commissions for public screens and billboards around the world
Can this ‘art world outsider’ draw in an art-curious YouTube crowd?
Hosted by a science writer and actor, the Getty’s "Becoming Artsy" video series ditches the traditional documentary delivery of art history in favour of emotion, drama and fun
Playing with history: how heritage and archaeology are transforming video games
Gaming offers educational and licensing opportunities for historic sites and cultural institutions
Books
The fine art of satire: an indispensable guide to the life and imagination of James Gillray
A monumental biography of the political caricaturist who is one of the greatest draughtsmen in the history of British art
Obituaries
'Godmother of Miami's art scene', Mira Lehr, has died aged 88
Lehr was the co-founder of the Continuum women's art collective and used her art to address the challenges of global warming and rising sea levels
Alfred Leslie, rising star of Abstract Expressionism who embraced figuration, has died, aged 95
After rising to prominence in New York’s AbEx scene of the 1950s, Leslie devoted much of his career to honing a style of monumental figuration that was decades ahead of its time
'A south London version of the fabled homunculus': Norman Rosenthal remembers the multi-talented artist Tom Phillips
In a six-decade career, the British artist also composed and performed music, published books and was an expert on African art
Remembering Vivienne Westwood, godmother of punk and designer to the art tribe, who has died aged 81
The outspoken and original couturier referenced historical costume along with portraiture and campaigned for free access to museums
Green is the New Black
In this monthly column, our correspondent Louisa Buck looks at how the art industry is responding to our climate and ecological crisis
The Year Ahead: 2023
After three years of uncertainty, the outlook for the art world in 2023 seems bright—and The Art Newspaper is excited to bring you this guide to the year ahead, including the best exhibitions, fairs and biennials worldwide.
Van Gogh in 2023: a bumper year of exhibitions, openings, books and an Amsterdam birthday party
The Van Gogh Museum is celebrating its 50th anniversary—and everyone is invited
A guide to the dozens of exhibitions worldwide marking the 50th anniversary of Picasso's death
Celebration Picasso 1973-2023, organised by the governments of Spain and France, explores the many sides of the Spanish artist's life and work
The must-see exhibitions in 2023: from the biggest ever show of Vermeer paintings to a history of hip-hop
We take a look at the most exciting shows around the world this year
Art market predictions for 2023: wet painting is out but guarantees are here to stay
Auctioneer Simon de Pury looks into his crystal hammer
2022: The Year in Review
The Art Newspaper team looks back on the first "post-Covid" year, which was tumultuous in the art world—and beyond
Exhibitions in 2022: the best shows and major trends of the year
Big hitters were the subject of major shows, from Donatello in Florence to Faith Ringgold in New York and Alice Neel in Paris
The art market in 2022: art fair shake ups, single owner auctions and an NFT winter
Despite headline figures of record sales, is the art world's bull market coming to an end?
The Year in Art: We take a look at 2022’s biggest stories—and what they mean
Plus, our writers sit down to discuss their favourite works of the year