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.

Ukrainian artist’s Venice exhibition to go ahead despite difficulties caused by war

Kyiv-based artist Zinaida was in Venice for a site visit when the invasion began and has been unable to return home

Russian artist stages protest performance against Bucha massacre

The unidentified artist is pictured in front of Moscow monuments laying face down, hands tied behind his back in a pose that has become synonymous with the atrocities

Book Clubfeature

In Pictures | Ukraine before the 2022 Russian invasion, from holidaymakers in Odesa to the frontlines of Mariupol

Mark Neville’s new photobook—of images taken over the past six years—is a call to action that has been sent to hundreds of politicians and other influential people around the world

Shipping costs are skyrocketing—and galleries are expected to be hit hard

Oil price increases and the inability to fly over Russian airspace has made sending art abroad, especially between East Asia and Europe, much more expensive

The British Museum's NFT project has sent its carbon footprint soaring

Since the London museum began selling digital versions of works from its collection last September, it has emitted enough carbon to power an average US home for at least 57 years

Photographer chronicles the destruction of the 'Ukrainian Stalingrad'

Stanislav Ostrous has been risking his life to photograph the architecture of Kharkiv, one of the first Ukrainian cities to be attacked by Russian forces

Isolated by Russia boycotts, Hermitage director calls for 'cultural bridges between the nations'

Mikhail Piotrovksy, who has been criticised for his silence on the war in Ukraine, says the museum will continue its international projects outside Europe

Sanctions on Russian oligarchs put focus on assets and art stowed away in Swiss freeports

Legal loopholes of secretive customs complexes are in the spotlight again as pressure ramps up on Russian owned assets

Unesco under pressure to pull world heritage meeting from Russia

UK culture minister, Auschwitz Memorial and Europa Nostra call for the June event to be relocated following Russian invasion of Ukraine

Has the art market recovered? A deep dive into the Art Basel/UBS report

Plus, an exhibition about wartime hideouts in Poland and Ukraine, and Mondrian’s final work Victory Boogie Woogie

Hosted by Ben Luke. with guest speaker Melanie Gerlis. Produced by Julia Michalska, David. Clack, Aimee Dawson and Henrietta Bentall
Sponsored byChristie's

Hermitage branch in Amsterdam rebrands after cutting ties with Russia

The venue has reopened with an exhibition series focusing on Dutch masterpieces, starting with Vermeer’s Milkmaid

Berlinnews

How a Berlin artist-led collective is helping Ukraine’s marginalised refugees

Bridges over Borders aims to address structural disadvantages faced by BiPOC and LGBTQ+ refugees

Ukrainian government sells NFTs combining art and tweets to fund army

The drop comes from the Meta History Museum of War, the official collection of Ukraine’s Ministry of Digital Transformation

Art marketanalysis

The G7 countries have banned art exports to Russia—we asked legal experts what this really means

While it is still legal to sell art to a Russian individual, conducting business with anyone on a sanctions list could result in fines or a prison sentence

‘Let’s stop this war’: the plight of Ukrainian gallerists and what they are doing to help their artists

Following the Russian invasion, some art dealers and their artists have left the country, some have stayed—but all are finding ways to help their compatriots

Letter from the editor | 'Culture can build bridges, but it can also man the barricades'

As the war in Ukraine unfolds, The Art Newspaper continues to strive to make its coverage truthful, informative, illuminating and impactful, says its editor Alison Cole

Sotheby’s and Ketterer Kunst among auction houses to ban some Russian buyers

The move comes as the art market steps up its due diligence

Riah Pryor. With additional reporting by Sophia Kishkovsky and Anna Brady

'Ukrainian culture is alive as long as there are people ready to defend it'

Art workers in the war-torn country have created a territory of hope amid the terror of war

Culture in the crossfire: Ukraine's key monuments and museums at risk of destruction in the war

Museum staff, heritage custodians and volunteers are racing against time to safeguard the country's cultural treasures, many of which, ironically, are connected to Russia

French museums rally to protect art collections in Ukraine with truckload of emergency supplies

A delivery of 15 tonnes of donated packing and conservation materials was organised by Icom France

Australian artist couple pack up their video cameras and head to Ukraine to film impact of war

George Gittoes and Hellen Rose will create a large “peace mural” in Kyiv and develop collaborative videos and performances with locals

Russian dealers make way for Ukrainian galleries at Liste fair in June

Fragment and Osnova galleries will give their stands to The Naked Room and Voloshyn from Kyiv

Korean exhibition organisers refuse to return Russian works early

A museum in Yekaterinburg sent 63 pieces to a show on the Russian avant-garde at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Seoul—and now wants them back

Mariupol museum dedicated to 19th-century artist Arkhip Kuindzhi destroyed by airstrike, according to local media

Ukrainian port city has been under constant bombardment since the outbreak of the war with Russia in February

Glass art about animals in the Chornobyl exclusion zone takes on new edge

Sibylle Peretti’s glass sculptures, on view in New York and Washington, focus on the wildlife around the Ukrainian nuclear plant that has been taken over by the Russian military

How Poland's museum community is stepping up to support Ukrainian colleagues

Cultural institutions in the neighbouring country are sending emergency aid and housing refugees

German museums offer curator jobs to Ukrainian and Russian refugees

Berlin-based Ernst von Siemens Art Foundation is supporting roles for a one-year period

Russia bombs Mariupol art school sheltering 400 civilians, Ukraine claims

Women, children and elderly residents were among those in the G12 Art School building that was destroyed this weekend, according to local authorities

UK sanctions Russian oligarch behind major Fabergé egg loan to V&A exhibition

Ukrainian-born mining billionaire Viktor Vekselberg lent the first Imperial Easter egg to the London museum through his foundation