Germany

'An invaluable resource' for provenance research: German pre-1945 auction catalogues are published online

The database includes 9,000 catalogues from more than 390 auction houses in Germany, Austria and Switzerland

Van Gogh and Germany: Frankfurt mounts best show on the artist in recent years

Städel Museum tells the story of Germany's love affair with the painter, which ended in tragedy with Hitler’s rise to power

a blog by Martin Bailey

British Museum to borrow the Nebra Sky Disc, the oldest portrayal of the cosmos

The artefact will be the focus of a joint exhibition with the Halle Museum of Prehistory

'Prominent' Berlin art dealer arrested on suspicion of fraud

Police has raided seven premises in connection with the investigation

German states establish help desk to handle artefacts acquired in colonial era

An open letter from scholars and curators, including Bénédicte Savoy and Felwine Sarr, demands greater transparency on collections

King of bling’s magnificent home—destroyed by Allied bombing—is recreated in Dresden

Splendid royal state apartments of Augustus the Strong are opening to visitors again after a lavish reconstruction

Namibian artefacts travel home in Berlin museum research project

But return of the objects permanently to Namibia is not the immediate goal, says Hermann Parzinger, president of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation

Costs soar for Berlin’s planned Museum of the 20th Century

New estimate puts potential cost at €450m versus previous estimate of €200m

Restorers discover shield fragment is 1,700 years old, making it the oldest German panel painting

Researchers at the Landesmuseum in Halle found fragments of paint on the ancient wooden object

Ai Weiwei was not 'thrown out' of Munich’s Haus der Kunst, artist confirms

Activist was demonstrating in support of workers' rights in the face of cost-cutting at the museum

Germany plans photography archive to preserve 'visual memory of our society'

Culture minister Monika Grütters enlists international experts to help create a central institution but critics question necessity and feasibility

'Black box' dedicated to Bauhaus opens in Dessau

Museum celebrates the German design school in the city most closely associated with founder Walter Gropius

Kaiser's heir angers German public over huge restitution claims

Demands by the emperor's great-great grandson for the return of thousands of works from two German states threatens the future of at least two museums

Berlin celebrates fall of the wall with art installations, projections and an app

A week-long festival for the 30th anniversary includes a banner of messages floating near the Brandenburg Gate

Danger! High voltage: former German power station sparks back to life as green arts centre

E-Werk Luckenwalde will be powered with locally sourced biomass, with excess energy sold back to the grid

Artists demand rethink in rebuilding of Potsdam church where Hitler cemented power

Open letter describes the Garrison Church, damaged in the Second World War, as the symbol of an “unholy alliance” between church, military, and state

Revisiting the 1989 revolution that led to the fall of the Berlin Wall

Exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts in Leipzig looks at how East German artists responded to tumultuous times

Decorative arts from Art Nouveau and Deco to Werkbund, Bauhaus and Functionalism

Another floor opens up in the Bröhan Museum with its privately formed collection

Art fairsarchive

US collectors attend Art Forum Berlin in force

New German artists have put this fair back on the map

Collectorsarchive

Top German collector disappoints museums by selling loans

Hans Grothe has sold 700 works to Wella hair-care billionaires for E50 million

Frieder Burda—leading German collector of Modern masters including Picasso and Pollock—dies aged 83

Museum Frieder Burda in Baden-Baden is home to the philanthropist's collection of around 1,000 works

Leipzig exhibition ousts artist with alt-right sympathies

Axel Krause’s support for anti-immigration party AfD was a step too far for the organisers, but others say his exclusion suppresses freedom

Nazi lootarchive

Seattle Art Museum sues New York dealers Knoedler

The heirs of Parisian dealer Paul Rosenberg demand the return of a Matisse stolen during World War II

Berlin museums appeal to US Supreme Court in dispute over €200m Guelph Treasure

The case 'shouldn't be heard in a US court', argues the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation

Jewish Museum Berlin director steps down after a tweet misfires

Germany’s Council of Jews said Peter Schäfer “lost the trust of the Jewish community”

Humboldt Forum opening delayed until 2020

The opening festivities were to begin this year, but the final stage of construction is behind schedule

Exhibition resurrects East Germany's demolished Palast der Republik

Kunsthalle Rostock, the only museum built under the GDR, remembers Berlin's asbestos-riddled parliament building and culture hub

Anti-Semitic 'Jewish Sow' relief may be removed from Luther’s church

Medieval sculpture on façade of Unesco World Heritage site in Wittenberg is one of around 30 similar pieces across Europe

Nazi site in Nuremberg to be preserved but not restored

German city launches €85m plan to prevent further decay of infamous rally grounds

Ralph Rugoff on his Venice Biennale concept. Plus, Bernar Venet and Berlin Gallery Weekend

The artistic director reveals his plans and the French artist discusses his biggest motivation for making art