Controversies

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"

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

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

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"

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

Podcastspodcast

What does the Philip Guston delay tell us about museums and race?

Plus, Maggi Hambling on making love with paint

Hosted by Ben Luke and Margaret Carrigan. with guest speaker Louisa Buck. Produced by Julia Michalska, David Clack and Aimee Dawson

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

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

Podcastspodcast

Cancelled: should good artists pay for bad behaviour?

Plus, Tavares Strachan on Robert Smithson's Spiral Jetty. Sponsored by Christie's

Hosted by Ben Luke. Produced by Julia Michalska, David. Clack and Aimee Dawson

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

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

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”

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

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

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"

Controversiesinterview

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

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

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"

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

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

'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

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

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

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

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

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