Russia-Ukraine war
On the first anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, The Art Newspaper looks at the human and cultural costs of the conflict, the art world’s efforts to support displaced institutions and individuals, and how Ukraine’s built and artistic heritage has been used to tell the opposing narratives of war.
Special investigation: Serious concerns over fate of Ukraine’s museum works taken by Russians
The Art Newspaper probes the complex issues arising from the removal of the Kherson Museum’s collection, sent to Crimea for “safekeeping”
Opinion
'Scythian gold is at the heart of Russia’s identity war'
Art historian and curator Konstantin Akinsha asserts that Russian attempts to claim succession from the ancient Scythians date back to the 18th century
Farewell to contemporary art in Russia: the cancellation of the Moscow Biennale marks the end of an era
Dozens of contemporary art shows have been forced to close since the outset of the war with Ukraine—but this one was meant to serve Putinist propaganda
Manifesta director says the biennial should be held in Ukraine: here are five reasons why it is a good idea
The 2028 edition of the nomadic European exhibition would strengthen the country's cultural scene
Art in the shadow of war: curating a show at Latvia's Mark Rothko Art Centre
Signs of the Russia-Ukraine conflict are everywhere in Latvia—and there's a growing number of culturally disenfranchised citizens, too
Podcasts
What will happen to Ukraine's museum collections after the war?
Plus, Okwui Enwezor’s Sharjah Biennial and Ming Smith at New York's Museum of Modern Art
Saving Ukraine’s heritage: an eyewitness account of relief efforts
Plus, the Cezanne blockbuster at The Art Institute of Chicago and Nicola L.’s Gold Femme Commode at Alison Jacques
Ukraine: the response of the art community and the risks of photojournalism
Plus, Chris Burden's unrealised projects and an in-depth look at F.N. Souza's Mr Sebastian at the Barbican in London
What can the arts do to help Ukrainian refugees?
Plus, NFTs and more at Art Dubai, and Felix Gonzalez-Torres’s golden curtain in Toronto
Artists
No end in sight: artists and curators flee Russia and build new lives in exile as Ukraine war rages on
Georgia has become a major centre of refuge for Russians who oppose the war
Ukrainian artists fight back with radical poster art
Sunseed Art platform offers downloadable images reflecting 'resistance and resilience'
US non-profits have supported more than 130 Ukrainian artists impacted by Russia’s war with emergency and resiliency grants
PEN America’s Artists at Risk Connection, with funds from the Frankenthaler and Warhol foundations, has given more than $180,000 in grants to help affected artists with emergency needs and to keep practising
Canadian foundation will give more than $150,000 to artists of Ukrainian heritage
The Hnatyshyn Foundation will confer awards to ten displaced Ukrainian artists and ten Canadian artists of Ukrainian descent
Heritage
Getty Trust pledges $1m to help protect Ukrainian cultural heritage
The International Alliance for the Protection of Heritage in Conflict Areas is partnering with the Getty to save Ukraine’s museums and monuments
Vladimir Putin’s martial law decree has given Russian forces ‘legal’ cover to loot art in Ukraine
In a move similar to the Nazis’ self-legalised art thefts, ancient gold treasure, paintings and Prince Potemkin’s mummified remains all risk being “preserved” by “evacuation”
Unesco adds Ukrainian city of Odesa to World Heritage List of endangered sites
The decision "recognises the outstanding universal value of the site and the duty of all humanity to protect it", the UN cultural organisation states
Ukrainian stone statues—likened to Easter Island's Moai—destroyed during Russian invasion
Dating from the ninth to the 13th century, the stelae were once considered sacred
Museums
Russia to take over Ukrainian museum collections as formal annexation plans announced
Putin's decree to permanently occupy four regions of Ukraine means thousands of artefacts will become property of Russia
Ukrainian forces win back Kherson region—but Russia has reportedly looted its art collection
The Ukraine territory is one of four illegally annexed on 30 September with decrees by Russian President Vladimir Putin
Kyiv cultural sites reportedly damaged in Russian bombardment
Ukrainian culture minister Oleksandr Tkachenko says buildings have been damaged including the Khanenko Art Museum and the Kyiv Art Gallery
Banksy
Banksy in Ukraine: seven new works appear in war-torn sites
The pieces are located throughout the country, from Kyiv to Borodyanka
High-tech security systems installed on Banksy’s Ukraine murals
Ajax Systems has deployed $13,000 worth of security and monitoring apparatuses at four Banksy murals in and around Kyiv
Ringleader of group who attempted to steal Banksy mural in Ukraine could face 12 years in prison
The suspect has not been identified by police, but is likely to be an environmental activist who told press that he intended to auction the work in support of the Ukrainian army
Banksy shares behind-the-scenes video of his Ukraine interventions
The secretive artist has dropped a short making-of documentary chronicling his guerilla interventions in war-torn Horenka
Banksy creates mural on bombed out building in Ukraine
The secretive artist apparently created a stencil of a gymnast amid the wreckage of a building in a city northwest of Kyiv
Exhibitions
Postponement of exhibition on Russian architecture school sparks accusations of ‘censorship and historical erasure’
New York’s Cooper Union postponed an exhibition on Vkhutemas, a school that operated in Moscow for ten years in the early 20th century before Stalin shut it down
Effects of war on young Ukrainian artists exposed in PinchukArtCentre Prize exhibition
Contemporary art prize, held in Kyiv, shows images of conflict and ideas for post-war reconstruction by 18 shortlisted artists aged 35 and under
Ukrainian artists’ monumental projection takes over Chicago riverfront
A projection by Kyiv-based studio PHOTINUS and based on composer Mykola Leontovych's work is taking over a building in Chicago, which is home to a large Ukrainian diaspora community
War-ravaged Ukrainian mosaics digitally recreated in London show
Exhibition builds on a project to document Ukraine's monumental and contested public art created during Soviet era
Art Market
Nefarious art world players: after Russian freeze out, will Saudi Arabia or China be next?
For decades Russian billionaires were feted for their free spending on the arts. Now, they are officially personae non gratae. But what of the other individuals and regimes with dubious reputations?
Art fairs have become a lifeline for Ukrainian galleries—even in Basel
Stands offered for free at Liste, while some gallery workers are living on the art fair circuit, unable to return home
Russian culture minister and a billionaire arts patron are included in latest lists of sanctions from the West
Olga Lyubimova has been sanctioned by the European Union and Vladimir Potanin is on the US list
Fabergé egg allegedly found by US officials on $300m yacht seized from Russia oligarch
A photograph of the "egg" has yet to be released, leading to heightened speculation
Interviews
'Art will go back underground': artist Emilia Kabakov on the war in Ukraine and the fate of the Russian art world
Born in the Soviet Union, the artist reflects on how works by her and husband Ilya have taken on new meaning since the war
Alexey Beliayev-Guintovt—a Putin supporter who is one of Russia's best-known artists—discusses why he is happy his country's art market is in ruins
The artist, who has widely been accused of being a fascist, believes that Russia's invasion of Ukraine will free the country from "a Nazi dictatorship”
Sunflowers: the symbol of Van Gogh—and Ukraine
Vincent’s beloved bloom will eventually flourish again in the war-torn country
What has happened to visitor numbers at Russian museums since the start of the war?
As Russia leaves the world cultural stage following its invasion of Ukraine, we look at how its art institutions have reacted
Inaugural New York fair for Ukrainian artists wants to show that the country is ‘a solution, not a problem’
The event, called I Am U Are, is demonstrating that Ukraine’s creative industries are alive and kicking despite Russia’s invasion
How one year of Russian sanctions have shaped the art market
Businesses urged to tighten approach to client background checks as US subpoenas auction houses for sales records
US authorities seek forfeiture of $75m in luxury real estate linked to sanctioned Russian collector and the former director of his museum
Vladimir Voronchenko, the founding director of the Faberge Museum, has been indicted and named in a civil forfeiture complaint against billionaire Viktor Vekselberg as part of US efforts to crack down on sanctions evasion
US imposes sanctions on Russian culture minister
Olga Lyubimova, who has served as Russia’s top cultural official since 2020, was sanctioned by the European Union late last year
Ukraine benefit exhibition blossoms in Los Angeles
A pop-up exhibition in aid of Ukrainian relief efforts has opened in Los Angeles following a stint in New York
Moscow museum director removed after complaint against institution’s lack of ‘traditional Russian spiritual and moral values’
Zelfira Tregulova, who has headed the State Tretyakov Gallery since 2015, will be replaced by Elena Pronicheva, who has links to Vladimir Putin
US authorities subpoena auction houses in effort to crack down on violations of Russian sanctions
Prosecutors in New York are seeking auction house sales information going back years in order to track potentially illicit transactions by sanctioned Russian collectors
Art trade benefits as wealthy Russians flock to sanction-free Dubai
The emirate, currently a haven for 'half of Moscow', is enjoying a post-pandemic economic boom
Russian artist flees LGBTQ crackdown
Yulia Tsvetkova was acquitted on charges of distributing gay ‘pornography’ but strict new laws have forced her to leave the country
Exhibitions in 2022: the best shows and major trends of the year
Big hitters were the subject of major shows, from Donatello in Florence to Faith Ringgold in New York and Alice Neel in Paris
Museums and heritage in 2022: industrial unrest, climate protests and damage to historic artefacts in Ukraine
New and refurbished museums open in Antwerp, Los Angeles and Sydney as Italian archaeologists make the "discovery of a generation" in a hilltop town in Tuscany
The Year in Art: We take a look at 2022’s biggest stories—and what they mean
Plus, our writers sit down to discuss their favourite works of the year
How the war in Ukraine reveals the heightened politics of Unesco
Boycotted Russia resigned as chair of the World Heritage Committee last month
Police detain group attempting to steal Banksy mural from Ukraine wall
The work is one of seven the artist created in war-torn areas of the country last month
The last hurrah? Art world excess at Art Basel Miami Beach
Plus, UK culture cuts and Ukrainian Modernism in Madrid
Ukrainian Modernist masterpieces transported from Kyiv under missile fire find refuge in Madrid exhibition
Survey show at Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza will open with an address by President Zelensky and a symposium calling for a European cultural deal with Ukraine
Banksy shares behind-the-scenes video of his Ukraine interventions
The secretive artist has dropped a short making-of documentary chronicling his guerilla interventions in war-torn Horenka
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
New platform offers mentoring and financial aid to art students in Ukraine
Bursaries and a "Sister School" network of universities across Europe have been organised by UAx Platform to support war-affected Ukrainian students and staff
Banksy creates mural on bombed out building in Ukraine
The secretive artist apparently created a stencil of a gymnast amid the wreckage of a building in a city northwest of Kyiv
'We must accelerate efforts to protect Ukraine’s culture,' says British Council chief
Culture will be central to the country's recovery—enabling people to process trauma, share a common identity and articulate shared experiences
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky applies for Unesco World Heritage status for Odesa
The strategic Black Sea port city, home to a famous opera house and controversial Catherine the Great statue, has been the target of Russian bombing
What do exiled Russian art world figures think of the war? We spoke to three in Tbilisi to find out
A museum director, theatre director and artist describe the lack of hope—and warn that cultural sanctions may cause the intelligentsia to unite against the west
State Hermitage Museum curator quits over Russia's war in Ukraine
Dimitri Ozerkov, the head of the contemporary art department, made the announcement on Instagram after months of silence
Immersive Anne Imhof exhibition—planned for Moscow and cancelled due to war in Ukraine—opens in Amsterdam
The celebrated German artist has created an installation at the Stedelijk Museum that marks a step away from the elaborate performance works for which she is best known
Tbilisi Art Fair attempts to distance itself from Moscow politics
Amid the ongoing war in Ukraine, exhibitors at the third edition of Georgia's premier commercial art event hoped to dispel the idea that the nation "exists on the periphery of Russia”
Former Dallas Contemporary director Peter Doroshenko to take the helm of New York’s Ukrainian Museum
Doroshenko, a Chicagoan of Ukrainian heritage, was the founding president of the PinchukArtCentre in Kyiv and was the commissioner of the country’s Venice Biennale pavilion three times
First Cosmoscow fair since Russian invasion of Ukraine to open with no foreign galleries and internal complaints of censorship
“Understandably” no Ukrainian dealers applied to take part in the tenth anniversary edition of the Moscow fair