China

China closing or repurposing mosques in northern Muslim regions, Human Rights Watch finds

Move is part of a "systematic effort to curb the practice of Islam" in the country, says the organisation's acting director

Booksreview

The bumpy road to acceptance of China's LGBTQ+ artists is explored in a new anthology

Against a backdrop of growing censorship, a book charting the struggle of the community to gain mainstream recognition offers some hope

Blocked show on Genghis Khan finally opens in France

The exhibition in Nantes was postponed after interventions by Beijing authorities

Economic turmoil in China hits the country’s commercial galleries

Though the wealthiest collectors remain untroubled by recent jolts to the economy, many galleries and younger collectors are being hit hard

Art marketanalysis

Lacklustre results for highly anticipated auction from Long Museum collection in China—experts weigh in on why

Despite a slew of records set for Western art in Asia, including new highest prices for Modigliani and Mark Bradford, the Hong Kong sale made below its low estimate

Kwer'ata Re'esu: the astonishing story of Ethiopia's most treasured icon

Plus, the AI copyright debate in the US and the end of China’s museum boom

Sponsored byChristie's
Booksreview

A deep dive into the history of China’s art market

From the devastation of the Cultural Revolution to the transformation of the contemporary art scene

What's behind China's spate of museum closures and downsizings?

As the country's economy takes a nosedive, its institutions face fiscal freeze and covert control amid an increasingly chaotic and arbitrary government censorship regime

Diaryblog

Escape from the British Museum—tale of a teapot returning to China goes viral

Two social media influencers—Pancake Fruit and Summer Sister—are behind the series posted on Douyin

The Week in Art | Special 250th episode: what’s next for the visual arts?

We ask leading art world figures about their hopes and concerns, and discuss what the future has in store for museums, the art market and artists with our long-term contributors Cristina Ruiz, Georgina Adam and Louisa Buck

Sponsored byChristie's

Couple behind Shanghai's Long Museum to sell part of their collection at Sotheby's

Paintings by Modigliani and Kusama among the 50 works to be offered in Hong Kong—with more potentially coming to the block in New York

National Gallery London masterpieces show in Shanghai sets record for visitor numbers

Beating the most popular paid-for exhibition on home turf, it has been a big win for the museum—but ethical questions linger

British Museum accused of using translator’s work without permission

Vancouver-based Yilin Wang says the London institution included their translations of Chinese poet Qiu Jin’s poems in its latest show—but did not credit her

Pop-up museum commemorating Tiananmen Square Massacre opens in New York

A similar institution in Hong Kong was forcibly shuttered in 2021 following the passage of the city’s restrictive security law

Beijinganalysis

'The economy is bad, the mood is worse': Gallery Weekend Beijing returns under renewed fears of censorship

This is the event's first edition since China lifted its Covid restrictions

Sotheby's veteran Kevin Ching joins Christie's as chairman of Asia

Ching will be based in Hong Kong and starts the new role on Wednesday

Pillar of Shame sculpture seized by police in Hong Kong

Work commemorating Tiananmen Square tragedy is confiscated as part of "incitement to subversion" case

Asia Week New York bounces back from Covid-19 restrictions with $131m in sales

A print of the "Great Wave" by Hokusai sold for a record-breaking $2.8m at Christie’s during the series of exhibitions and auctions

M+ becomes one of the most-popular art museums in Asia, despite Covid closures

The new Hong Kong museum attracted more than 2 million people in its first full year

Will China’s museums still come out on top despite harsh Covid rules?

For much of 2022, Chinese cities were either in lockdown or braced for one

Half of Van Gogh’s most expensive paintings have sold to Chinese collectors

The burgeoning growth of the East Asian market pushes up prices for the artist’s work

Art Basel in Hong Kong bounces back as Covid restrictions lifted

The art fair will have 177 galleries this year, compared with 134 in 2022, but still fewer than before the pandemic

Chinanews

As 2023 dawns, the blank A4 sheet—brandished by protestors in China—is a potent political and artistic symbol

The white-paper revolution echoes art history, recalling Robert Ryman and the Philippines-based artist Kiri Dalena

Fairsnews

China’s art fairs get unexpected end-of-year boost as Covid-19 restrictions ease

Shanghai Art021, which was dramatically shut in November because of a single Covid case, is staging a two-location pop-up this month

Chinanews

Chinese government investigates sexual assault claims in art institutions

Enquiry prompted over wave of accusations at a major Beijing arts school

Art marketanalysis

Despite Shanghai fairs Art021 and West Bund shutting early due to Covid concerns, dealers report decent sales

Collectors were fewer and more local, but the moderate success of some galleries attests to the city’s enduring commercial cache

Chinanews

Trove of terracotta figurines discovered in ancient Chinese tomb

An archaeological team from the Datong Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology has unearthed a trove of well-preserved figures that provide a glimpse at life in the region 1,500 years ago

Chinaanalysis

‘Walls close in’ on China's art world as President Xi Jinping lays out cultural agenda

An "ideological tightening" is spreading through the country as its leader begins a norms-defying third five-year term

Shanghai's Art021 fair closes after just one day, apparently due to a single positive Covid-19 case

Event's founders says the decision was made to "effectively protect the health and public health safety of the exhibitors"

Shanghai looks to West Bund and Art021 fairs for economic boost as fresh lockdowns leave buyers cautious

Week-long hotel quarantines are still required of all international and Hong Kong arrivals to the mainland, deterring all but the most determined dealers