Controversies

Israelnews

Artforum reportedly fires editor David Velasco over Israel-Hamas open letter

The publication of the letter, which called for a ceasefire to the Israeli bombing of Gaza, was "not consistent with Artforum’s editorial process", the magazine's publishers said in a statement

'Museums should be safe spaces to explore issues and not used as pawns in political agendas'

The simplification of complex issues is enabled by weak or fearful cultural institutions and and strident self-righteousness

Dutch exhibition on Black culture and ancient Egypt faces social media backlash

The National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden has reportedly been criticised for “portraying Tutankhamun as Black”

'Public sculptures are tricky to get right: would making them temporary help?'

Public art is often lauded for bringing art out of hallowed gallery spaces and inviting everyone to see and opine on it. But it’s also fiendishly difficult to do well

Report into Documenta 15 backs claims of antisemitism

The 2022 edition of the German exhibition became mired in controversy after criticism that some works included antisemitic images

Chiara Zampetti Egidi. With additional reporting by Kabir Jhala

London artists face eviction from studios of ten years

Landlords have given the community of 25 artists and small businesses one week to leave

LGBTQnews

Controversial UK politician slams Tate for hosting children's drag queen storytime session

Conservative Party peer Emma Nicholson has lambasted the London museum for "propaganda" in open letter

Prophet Muhammad image controversy rages on as US university staff demand president's resignation

After a professor was dismissed for showing the depictions, faculty have voted that Fayneese Miller should step down over mishandling the issue

Professor who was controversially fired for 'Islamophobia' after showing depictions of Prophet Muhammad is named

US university's decision to dismiss employee for displaying the 14th- and 16th-century works has been described as an "egregious violation" of academic freedom

What can we learn from the Wellcome Collection's gallery closure backlash? What museums are really capable of

Professor Ken Arnold, co-curator of the Medicine Man display that was considered "racist, sexist and ableist", on the recent controversy

Miami’s controversial dog and cat sculpture park is unleashed

The new garden, containing 52 sculptures of pets by 50 local artists, has been criticised by many in the city’s arts community

Fake video claims German auction house will raise funds for Ukraine by selling—and then destroying—Russian art

Bolland & Marotz in Bremen issued a statement this week saying it was "outraged" by the incident

Artists take to Instagram to criticise Gilbert & George’s claims that museums are now ‘woke’ and only focus on Black and women artists

Candice Breitz, Chika Okeke-Agulu, Ghada Amer and Athi-Patra Ruga all spoke out against the duo on social media

Exhibitionsinterview

'Germany has cancelled us': As embattled Documenta 15 closes, its curators ruangrupa reflect on the exhibition—and what they would have done differently

This edition of the Kassel quinquennial was engulfed by a row over antisemitism and racism that has drawn comment from Germany's senior politicians

Art and activist body a/political to open London space with exhibition by Russian artist facing trial over sex video

Pyotr Pavlensky has been ordered to stand trial in France over leaked sex videos that brought down a close ally of President Emmanuel Macron

Former trustees of Florida museum claim they were kept unaware of FBI’s interest in allegedly fake Basquiats

Trustees who say they were summarily dismissed over email as retaliation claim that the board chair concealed information about an FBI subpoena months before the Basquiat exhibition opened

Artist and poet Ashraf Fayadh is freed after more than eight years in Saudi prisons

A religious court sentenced him to death for blasphemy in 2015. Saudi artist Ahmed Mater says times have changed and this would be unlikely to happen today

Russian guard who doodled eyes on $1m painting sentenced as scrutiny of museum intensifies

Aleksandr Vasiliev had used a ballpoint pen to draw eyes on the stylised figures in a painting by avant-garde artist Anna Leporskaya

Orlando Museum of Art leaders resign amid scandal over allegedly fake Basquiats

The museum's board chair and its recently appointed interim director have both resigned as the fallout from an FBI raid in June continues

Iraqi artists remove their works from Berlin Biennale over Abu Ghraib photography row

Sajjad Abbas, Raed Mutar and Layth Kareem say curators "prioritise the display of wrongly imprisoned Iraqis"

Dead pigs, guts and crucifixion: an intense encounter with Nitsch's epic performance about creation

This version of the late artist's 6-Day Play is a "toned down" iteration of the 1998 original—but it felt primal, real and morbidly beautiful

‘Three-metre phallus’: Antony Gormley sculpture with ‘ambiguous anatomy’ falls foul of university students

Imperial College Union has released a motion to prevent the work's installation saying it could be considered "exclusionary"

Twitter storm erupts over Ukrainian president's Vogue photoshoot with Annie Leibovitz

Some say the images, alongside First Lady Olena Zelenska, are in poor taste as the battle with Russia continues while others argue it will promote Ukraine's cause

Documenta's director steps down over antisemitism scandal

Sabine Schormann's decision to resign as head of the Kassel exhibition was supported by a number of leading German politicians

Basquiat expert denies she authenticated disputed paintings the FBI seized from Florida museum

Jordana Moore Saggese, a professor at the University of Maryland, wrote in a statement that her evaluation of the discredited works mischaracterised by the Orlando Museum of Art exhibition organisers

Hito Steyerl withdraws from Documenta 15 amid antisemitism scandal

The influential German artist cited the handling of antisemitism charges and staff working conditions among the reasons for her decision

Documenta will now come under greater government control in light of fresh antisemitism accusations, Germany's culture minister says

Jewish groups call for the exhibition director's dismissal following removal of controversial banner work by Indonesian collective Taring Padi

There is a ‘deal to be done’ with Greece over Parthenon Marbles, says British Museum chairman George Osborne

The comments from the former chancellor signals dramatic shift in museum’s policy and attitude ahead of planned protests this weekend

Politicscomment

Partygate: debaucherous celebrations captured by artists through the ages

As Sue Gray report detailing the British government's breach of lockdown rules is published, we look at similar scenes in art history