Latest
World's oldest wooden structure discovered in Zambia
A new report reveals that humans were building with wood 476,000 years ago, upending previous beliefs about our ancestors
Ex-dealer Robert Newland sentenced to nearly two years in prison for role in Inigo Philbrick’s art frauds
"He did his job, but his job turned out to be assisting a criminal fraud," a New York district court judge said
After provenance concerns were raised over Greek antiquities in Florida museum's exhibition, its curator was fired
The dismissal of Michael Bennett, a curator at the Museum of Fine Arts in St Petersburg, came after colleagues at another institution raised flags about provenance gaps
Former hospital president claims ‘unlawful’ dismissal over nude art event
The head of a New Jersey hospital was allegedly fired for ‘not intervening’ in a body painting display during a fundraising event
British Museum makes biggest-ever international loan for Ancient Egypt blockbuster in Melbourne
The National Gallery of Victoria’s Pharaoh exhibition will open next year with 500 pieces from the London institution's permanent collection
Art market
Hauser & Wirth to open in Basel—taking over Galerie Knoell's space in 2024
The mega-gallery will also welcome Knoell's founder as a senior director, in a move that will "extend its commitment in Basel"
What David Zwirner’s recent surprise losses reveal about the high-stakes art market
The dealer remains “cautiously optimistic” about the trade’s prospects this autumn
Private sector picks up the pieces as UK government cuts art education funding
While university arts departments are being dismantled, dealers and auction houses provide learning programmes
International galleries and collectors finally returning to Brazil’s ArtRio fair
The fair’s 80 exhibitors include a small but significant coterie of dealers from abroad while Brazilian collectors are out in force
Museums & Heritage
Restored Turkish bath reopens to the public as site for art and respite
The Çinili Hamam, which will open in Istanbul in September after a 13-year restoration and excavation, will operate once again as a traditional Turkish bath, as well as as a contemporary art space
After provenance concerns were raised over Greek antiquities in Florida museum's exhibition, its curator was fired
The dismissal of Michael Bennett, a curator at the Museum of Fine Arts in St Petersburg, came after colleagues at another institution raised flags about provenance gaps
Turner Contemporary should stay free, says Tracey Emin as councillor calls for entry charge
The UK county faces pressure to find £86m in savings
Unesco reiterates plea for UK government ‘not to proceed’ with Stonehenge redevelopment
The UN cultural body is requesting modifications to the controversial scheme, which will see a dual-carriageway tunnel running close to the ancient heritage site by next year
Dutch museum looted by Napoleon does not seek restitution
An exhibition at the Mauritshuis in The Hague has revealed that the Dutch are still missing 67 paintings looted by the French in Napoleonic times
Exhibitions
Nairy Baghramian goes beyond language at the Aspen Art Museum
In her solo show, "Jupon de Corps", the Iranian German artist takes on bio-political themes in a post-verbal dimension
Takashi Murakami: the pop artist on cartoons, capitalism and what he learnt from Star Wars
The Japanese artist, whose latest show opens in San Francisco this month, explains the connection between his colourful aesthetic and darker influences, including natural disasters and the pandemic
Female Land artists come out of the shadows at Dallas's Nasher Sculpture Center
The exhibition will shed new light on lesser-known, often ephemeral, works by women
The 2023 Bienal de São Paulo lodges kinetic critiques of racism and environmental degradation
Titled “Choreographies of the Impossible”, the 35th edition of the world’s second-oldest biennial doesn’t dance around charged topics, it dances about them
A brush with... podcast
A podcast that asks artists the questions you've always wanted to
A brush with... Claudette Johnson
An in-depth interview with the artist on her cultural experiences and greatest influences, from Toni Morrison's writings to Picasso's Les Demoiselles d’Avignon
The Week in Art
A podcast bringing you the latest news from the art world, every week
Is Saudi Arabia the next big cultural powerhouse?
Plus, Michelangelo at the Albertina in Vienna and Julianknxx at the Barbican in London
Diary
Defeated French general or noble Parliamentarian? Theresa May portrait divides opinion
The £28,000 portrait of the MP for Maidenhead will hang in Portcullis House
Performances at the Royal Academy (and flights) are off limits for Marina Abramovic following an embolism
The godmother of performance art also plans all-women tea party at the RA
Uma Thurman kills it as dodgy dealer in Hollywood's latest art-themed film
'Preposterous' plot involves a New York art dealer who teams up with a hitman to launch a money laundering scheme
‘Royal Academy who?’ Rejects rejoice at getting own show
The walk of shame exhibition featuring vetoed works will now be an annual event
Books
Coco Fusco on her new monograph, her activism and why she remains sceptical of the art world
The artist also discusses her “meditation on death”, a film shot around and above Hart Island in the US
Obituaries
Fernando Botero, the Colombian artist beloved for his rotund figures, has died, aged 91
Botero re-imagined art historical motifs but also responded to current events, including a series of visceral paintings in response to the Abu Ghraib torture scandal
Remembering Jamie Reid, a protest artist to the end and the man behind the shocking visual impact of the Sex Pistols
The artist's gallerist recalls a visionary who built creative communities in London and Liverpool and had a profound effect on British popular culture
Remembering Kavita Singh, acclaimed historian of Indian art and museology, who has died, aged 58
An expert on Mughal, Rajput and Deccan painting traditions, she was unafraid to address rising nationalism in state-led cultural institutions
Remembering Françoise Gilot, who showed that being a muse of Pablo Picasso did not preclude being a great artist herself
The French painter and memoirist, who worked in Paris, London and the United States, showed elegance and ferocity in her work and a remarkable versatility as a colourist
Angela Flowers, dealer at the heart of British art for 50 years, has died aged 90
Flowers built a global empire from Hong Kong to Hackney and always championed artists
Technology
News, background and analysis on the latest tech developments—artificial intelligence tools; Web3, the blockchain, NFTs; virtual and augmented reality; social media platforms—and how they affect the art market, museums, artists and curators.
Mexico’s Sfer Ik launches $100,000 award to support creation of AI art project
The Tulum-based art space is putting out an open call, with the winner receiving cash and a two-month residency
TikTok art star’s cross-over moment
UTA Artist Space, the visual art branch of Hollywood’s United Talent Agency, is opening a New York pop-up with a solo show by viral artist Devon Rodriguez
Fresh light on Wren: new installations interact with the domed spaces of two of the architect's greatest buildings
300 hundred years after the death of Christopher Wren, the London Design Festival has commissioned new pieces of light art for St Paul’s Cathedral and St Stephen Walbrook
Instagram’s new tools prove ‘shadowbanning’ is real—and now artists are trapped
Many users are beginning to wonder if the platform's guidelines have any positive value
Pulling at loose Threads: should the art world sign up to the latest social media app?
Art world figures are forging new personalities on the new 'Twitter clone' from Meta
Book Club
An expert’s guide to Roy Lichtenstein: five must-read books on the American Pop artist
All you ever wanted to know about Lichtenstein, from an encyclopaedic career survey to a collection of his unexpectedly witty mirror paintings—selected by the art dealer Irving Blum
Coco Fusco on her new monograph, her activism and why she remains sceptical of the art world
The artist also discusses her “meditation on death”, a film shot around and above Hart Island in the US
September book bag: from a queer Claude Cahun graphic novel to veteran critic Richard Cork’s encounters with artists
Our roundup of the latest art publications
How almost meeting Alberto Giacometti the week he died inspired a new biography
A 60-year “obsession” began when Michael Peppiatt set out for Paris with a letter of introduction from Francis Bacon
‘We never even bid one dollar’: Sheikha Al-Mayassa discusses Salvator Mundi and controversy around Damien Hirst’s foetus works in new book
An extract from a new publication about collectors by Dani Levinas features rare insights from the chair of Qatar Museums
Louvre Abu Dhabi x The Art Newspaper
Letters of Light: joining the threads through the written word
A new exhibition at Louvre Abu Dhabi brings together some of the oldest and most important religious manuscripts from Judaism, Christianity and Islam to show the deep connections between the three faiths