NewsCuba
Cuba cracks down on protestors with summary trials and prison sentences
Artists and writers are among those targeted by the government, causing human rights groups to raise an alarm about abuses
NewsMuseum of Chinese in America
Protestors gather at the reopening of New York’s Museum of Chinese in America
Demonstrators argue the museum is complicit in mass incarceration and the gentrification of Chinatown
NewsCuba
'Patria y Vida': anti-government protests sweep Cuba, as artist-led movement gains ground
The 11 June protests, the largest seen on the island in 30 years, were sparked by years of economic hardship and a lack of government support for its people
NewsCuba
Cuban dissident artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara taken to hospital by security forces eight days into a hunger strike
Otero Alcántara’s hunger strike and calls for free speech and artistic freedom in Cuba has drawn international attention
NewsPublic art
‘Some Like It Not’: protesters rally against plan to install Marilyn Monroe sculpture near Palm Springs Art Museum
Dozens gather to denounce sexualised depiction of actress with her skirt flying up
NewsCuba
Despite Raúl Castro's retirement, Cuban artists don't believe the country will change any time soon
"As long as the Communist Party is in power, Cuba will be a ‘dictatorship’," some believe as Cuban president Miguel Díaz-Canel takes over leadership
NewsResignations
Leon Black, under fire, will reportedly not seek re-election as MoMA’s board chairman
Tumult over his former business ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein brought pressure for him to step down
NewsProtests
Coalition of activist groups announces ‘strike’ action against MoMA
Accusing the museum of elitism, alliance says its ultimate goal is “disassembling” the institution
NewsMuseum trustees
MoMA’s board leader Leon Black quits equity firm, citing 'relentless scrutiny' over links to Epstein
Decision raises questions about his future role at the museum after artists call for him to go
NewsProtests
Facing protest, Museum of Chinese in America cancels exhibition about Asian American art collective Godzilla
Members of the collective argue that the museum implicitly supported construction of a jail
NewsMuseum trustees
‘Toxic philanthropy’ versus ‘egalitarian principles’: artists, art workers and activists call for Leon Black’s removal as MoMA board chairman
Signers allude to his payments to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and other financial ties
FeatureMiddle Eastern & North African art
Street art, social media, visibility: how the Arab Spring has changed art and culture, a decade on
We ask artists, writers and experts on Middle Eastern art about their memories of the revolutionary movements—and what they think the lasting legacies are
NewsProtests
US Capitol’s works of art survive amid right-wing rampage in Washington
The authorities say that cleaning and conservation will be needed, however, after art was damaged by tear gas, pepper spray and fire extinguishers
NewsPolitics
Tania Bruguera under house arrest in Cuba as anti-government protests escalate
Authorities are “building a case against” the artist, says sister
NewsCensorship
Cuban artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara released, but then placed under house arrest as protests in Havana continue
Support for the San Isidro Movement is growing, while Cuba’s government continues to retaliate against demonstrators calling for the release of jailed rapper Denis Solís González
NewsProtests
Art X Lagos fair supports frontline photographers in Nigeria who are documenting anti-police brutality protests
Images capturing unrest will be shown during the next edition of the fair
NewsProtests
Social media advocacy group calls for a boycott of all US museums in October
The @changethemuseum Instagram account is demanding rapid change to address inequality in institutions, but even with the support of the Guerilla Girls, their calls are being met with skepticism
NewsPhotography
Photographers fear steep costs and little payment for covering protests
A lack of protections for—and an increase in domestic dangers to—photojournalists is becoming increasingly visible amid the pandemic and political rallies
NewsMuseums & Heritage
Activist employee group demands resignations of three Guggenheim leaders
But support for the statement, alleging “oppressive behaviours” by director, chief operating officer and chief curator, is unclear
NewsProtests
Protest letter urges New York art institutions to rectify ‘egregious acts’ rooted in white supremacy
Signatories cite “unfair practices”, unequal pay and lack of diversity
NewsProtests
National Trust for Historic Preservation supports removal of Confederate statues that glorify white power
Trust says such monuments “do not reflect, and are in fact abhorrent to, our values”
NewsProtests
Artist who represented Slovenia at 2015 Venice Biennale detained as country enters eighth week of anti-government protests
Jasa Mrevlje Pollak was thrown into the back of a police van during a demonstration last week triggered by corruption allegations
NewsExhibitions
'Radical black resistance': Dresden exhibition to focus on legendary activist Angela Davis
In the wake of the Black Lives Matter demonstrations, Albertinum show explores impact of her visit to East Germany in 1972
NewsProtests
Protestors seize African artefact from Paris's Quai Branly museum in bid to 'bring to Africa what was taken'
Five demonstrators will go to court on charges of theft
NewsProtests
MCA Chicago renounces future contracts with police until changes are made
Museums calls for policies that “respect black communities”
NewsProtests
Former Whitney vice chairman divests businesses marketing aggressive crowd-control technology
Corporation owned by Warren B. Kanders, whose links to tear gas led to his museum ouster, is selling off divisions associated with aggressive tactics
NewsRacial injustice
MOCA Cleveland apologises to black artist whose show it cancelled
Shaun Leonardo, who depicted victims of police violence, has accused the museum of censorship
NewsProtests
Monuments across the US are toppled, damaged as protests over George Floyd's death continue
Lawmakers mobilise the National Guard to quell destruction while demonstrators deface Confederate memorials and public works emblematic of white supremacy
NewsProtests
Nelson-Atkins Museum director pledges to re-establish trust after police use campus to stage response to protests
After asking that squad cars leave the grounds, he says police presence caused deep “hurt”
NewsMuseums & Heritage
Amid turbulent US protests, Smithsonian's African American museum opens a conversation about race
Goal of online portal is to spur dialogue about racism and its “corrosive impact”
NewsPrizes
Hong Kong artist's sombre still life with a tear gas canister vase wins Human Rights arts prize
Jeremy Deller judged the sixth edition which is backed by the European Union
InterviewLabour
‘You can’t exactly walk a picket line in a pandemic’: New York union leader Maida Rosenstein on the crisis for museum workers
The president of the main museum union talks to us about what the organisation has been doing to secure jobs in the wake of coronavirus
NewsLaw
France reconfirms that women baring their breasts in public is illegal—even for artists and protestors
Two women who are part of the Ukrainian feminist group Femen were charged for topless protests, one of which was in a Paris museum
AnalysisThe Year in Review 2019
From cancelled fairs to street art's auction room takeover: the art market's fruitiest stories of 2019
We look back at the stories that have overturned the art world order this year
NewsHong Kong
Police use tear gas on protestors outside newly re-opened Hong Kong Museum of Art prompting safety fears for visitors and works
Substance was used during a rally calling for the government to meet the protestors' “five demands”
NewsControversies
Candice Breitz pulls work from South African museum that is exhibiting convicted murderer's art
Curator at newly opened Javett Art Centre defends decision to show drawing by artist who killed a sex worker in Cape Town in 2013
NewsLaw
‘Completely unacceptable’: Nan Goldin attacks proposed settlement in opioid crisis
Artist says the reported deal is a cynical attempt to avoid significant restitution
NewsProtests
Artist Nan Goldin and other activists arrested during opioid protest at New York governor’s office
Campaigners known for museum protests accuse Andrew Cuomo of not doing enough to halt drug deaths
NewsMuseums & Heritage
Philanthropy, but at what price? US museums wake up to public's ethical concerns
Daniel Weiss, Adam Weinberg and other museum leaders speak out following the fallout from the resignation of the Whitney’s vice chairman and the ongoing Sackler affair
NewsPolitics
Ai Weiwei: 'Hong Kong is on fire and the world is indifferent'
Chinese artist and activist’s team has been documenting the intensifying anti-government protests over the weekend
NewsHong Kong
Ai Weiwei sends research team to Hong Kong as demonstrations continue
Speaking to the BBC, Chinese dissident artist says West is unlikely to interfere and he has 'no trust in Britain at all'
News US politics
African American leaders object to erasure of controversial school mural in San Francisco
Local figures defend portrayal of the nation’s blemished early history
NewsHong Kong
Hong Kong’s art world unites as demonstrations gather momentum
The gallery community has encouraged strike action, with many closing to enable staff to join protests
News
Many Whitney Biennial artists sign letter calling for museum vice chairman's removal
Letter cites Warren B. Kanders's role in company that manufactured tear gas used at US border
Feature
Art world’s wage inequality sparks waves of protests
While museums pursue multimillion-dollar expansion projects, art workers consider themselves underpaid—and feel the squeeze of a growing wage gap
NewsProtest
'Exploitation and injustice': London gallery show protests BP sponsorship at British Museum
P21 show, organised by campaign group BP or Not BP, is due to coincide with a “mass takeover” of the British Museum
News
Protesters stream into Whitney, calling for removal of board vice chairman
They assailed the trustee's business ties to the tear gas fired by US border agents
ArchiveArchives
V&A off limits to women in 1913?
Museums considered banning female visitors at height of suffrage movement