News US politics
Chicago students help Jenny Holzer get out the vote
Young citizens, many of them voting in their first presidential election, provide phrases to be shown on LED billboard trucks across the city
News US politics
Shepard Fairey—creator of famous Obama 'Hope' poster—makes new Time cover image ahead of US election
For first time in 100-year history, magazine replaces logo with the imperative to vote
NewsLaw
Sackler family to pay $225m in civil settlement with US government
The deal with the Department of Justice, which also includes guilty pleas and a $8bn fine against Purdue Pharma, does not prevent future claims against family members or company executives
Newscoronavirus
New York lawmakers to discuss the economic impact of Covid-19 on cultural institutions
"The arts and cultural sector has been especially hard hit," says Senator José Serrano
PreviewElection 2020
Bureaucratic but not boring: exhibition explores the visual history of US election ballots
With early voting already underway in the 2020 presidential election, a show at New York's Cooper Union reveals the "power of design in our civic process"
NewsMail art
Mark Mothersbaugh and Beatie Wolfe want your postcards for democracy
The artists have launched a mail art project to support USPS and mail-in voting efforts
ReviewExhibitions
Sue Coe takes on Donald Trump in final Galerie St Etienne show
The artist’s grotesque and violent images of the US president fit in with her works of political and social protest, made since the 1970s
NewsExhibitions
Trump descends into hell—the state of America as seen by artist Jim Shaw
New London show at Simon Lee Gallery also takes a swipe at art world excess
News US politics
Ahead of US elections, artist group highlights 'devastating impact' of Trump's travel ban three years on
The controversial executive order issued by the US president three years ago continues to affect artists from countries throughout the world
NewsAuctions
Judy Chicago's Birth Project series work will benefit Planned Parenthood as reproductive healthcare comes under renewed threat
With a high estimate of $350,000, the sale of "Trinity Birth Quilt" at Sotheby's Choice Works charity auction event could reset the artist's auction record
News US politics
Anti-Trump artist billboards greet presidential candidates in Cleveland
Ahead of Tuesday’s debate, political action committee Artists United for Change rolled out a new campaign to #VoteThemOut aimed at five battleground states
Comment US politics
For the arts, there’s only one choice in this election
The Biden-Harris campaign has pledged funding and support for arts and culture as a key policy issue
News US politics
Artists are "Biden the bullet" to support the 2020 Democratic ticket in the lead up to the US election
Pat Steir, Betye Saar and Julie Mehretu are among hundreds of artists donating work to raise funds as the art world rallies to support the Biden-Harris campaign
CommentPolitics
Philip Guston drew Richard Nixon's face as a hairy scrotum and phallus—what would he make of President Trump?
The physiognomy of deviousness, greed, ruthless opportunism, risible self-importance and gobsmacking albeit garden variety stupidity provides artists of Guston’s bent and calibre with a virtually bottomless well of imagery
NewsMonuments
Ruth Bader Ginsburg to be memorialised with statue in Brooklyn
Governor Andrew Cuomo has suggested a site for the monument of the Supreme Court justice, overlooking the Statue of Liberty
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
NewsElection 2020
Wake up call: artist Hank Willis Thomas wants to spur voter turnout with the Wide Awakes group
Based on the 1860 Wide Awake movement that mobilised against slavery and helped elect Lincoln, the new network of artists and creatives has launched Kickstarter's largest collaboration to date
PreviewExhibitions
Incarceration is part of the American experience for many—its art is explored in a major new show at MoMA PS1
Exhibition in New York will include works made by those who are part of—or who have ties to—the largest prison population in the world
NewsLabour
It is not just artists who are starving: how the US can rebuild its creative industry post-Covid
A proposal issued to both presidential campaigns by Americans for the Arts outlines a national strategy to put creative workers back to work
NewsMonuments
As monuments to Christopher Columbus come down across the US, Italian-Americans campaign to protect a symbol of 'culture heritage'
Some Italian-Americans, including the New York governor Andrew Cuomo, say statues of Columbus symbolise the history of Italians in the US
NewsBooks
Former US president George W. Bush unveils portraits of immigrants in new book
But blowback has been swift against the hobbyist painter, whose immigration policies while in office included the creation of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
NewsArt market
Senate investigation finds art market secrecy allowed Russian billionaire brothers, friends of Putin, to evade government sanctions
A detailed report calls the trade “the largest, legal unregulated industry in the United States” and recommends increased transparency and government oversight
NewsExhibitions
'Get rid of prisons': artist Stanley Whitney speaks out against US judicial system in online show
Initiative highlights disproportionate number of African Americans incarcerated in the US
NewsPublic art
Murals that ‘whitewash’ American history come under fire
Monuments are not the only problematic depictions of the past
NewsEducation
International art students may be forced to leave the US under Trump's new ICE policy on remote learning
Harvard and MIT filed lawsuits against the US government while the president of CalArts calls the move an act of "political theatre" amid the pandemic
NewsProtest art
Artists call out the injustices immigrants suffer in the US ahead of Independence Day
A collaborative sky writing project featuring contributions from Patrisse Cullors, Dread Scott and Hank Willis Thomas will mark 80 sites used to limit immigrants
InterviewLGBTQ
Art can help the public engage in personal advocacy: Alphonso David, president of the Human Rights Campaign
The nation's largest LGBTQ civil rights organisation recently unveiled a mural by Hank Willis Thomas on its Washington, DC headquarters stating Black Trans Lives Matter
NewsConfederate monuments
The war over racist monuments is escalating throughout the US
The disposal of Confederate monuments will not erase America’s history, but some say removing them from public view is crucial to moving forward
News US politics
Art history fact check: Trump can’t tell the difference between Teddy Roosevelt and an anonymous Remington cowboy
In a defence of racist statues as educational opportunities, the US president misidentifies a famous bronze as a portrait of a president in a Fox News interview
NewsMonuments
Controversial Roosevelt statue will be removed from entrance to New York’s American Museum of Natural History
The former president’s great-grandson supports the removal of “relics of another age”
NewsPublic art
Hank Willis Thomas covers US Justice Department with thousands of words from inmates
Launched last night, the guerilla intervention is the latest public work in Washington, DC to address structural racism—but can art effect change?
NewsCoronavirus resources
Could a Nixon-era employment scheme get artists back to work?
The Comprehensive Employment and Training Act provided a lifeline for thousands of artists during the 1970s economic crisis
News US politics
New artist resale rights contract in the US has a charitable twist
Kadist in San Francisco and Paris is promoting a new agreement that artists can use to make sure profits made from their works go to a cause
NewsConfederate monuments
Virginia vows to remove monument to Confederate general Robert E. Lee amid ongoing anti-racism protests
Governor says that the state will "no longer preach a false version of history" as calls for racial justice echo across the nation
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
NewsNazi loot
US government recommends that the Supreme Court hear German museums’ appeal on Guelph Treasure claim
The solicitor general’s recent filing suggests the Nazis’ looting of Jewish collections in Germany was a domestic rather than international crime
Commentracism
The US has a big racism problem and the art world is not helping
A looted Kaws sculpture and museums' silence reveal a predatory not progressive industry as protests flare following the killing of George Floyd
NewsHeritage
Steve Bannon wins first major battle for medieval monastery
Italy retaliates with criminal prosecution of right-wing religious group funded by US President Donald Trump’s former chief strategist
News US politics
Mayors of major US cities urge Congress to provide additional support for the arts and culture sector
Spearheaded by the San Francisco Arts Alliance, more than 20 mayors have signed a letter requesting additional aid in its next relief package
News US politics
The unsung agency working to maintain museum and library access in the US
The leader of the Institute of Museum and Library Services tells us what his organisation is doing to help spaces reopen
News US politics
The NEA hopes to keep arts jobs alive in the US—with limited federal relief funds
Up to 30% of arts spaces may close permanently, and agency chief fears rural areas in the US will be the hardest hit
Newscoronavirus
Cultural figures discuss ‘Art in the Time of Coronavirus’
The UN-sponsored event led by Christopher Bailey, the WHO’s lead on art and health, included art critic Jerry Saltz, Brooklyn Museum director Anne Pasternak, and artist Mona Chalabi
NewsEconomics
US coronavirus legislation could do more for the arts, Boston museums say
The coalition is asking for $6bn in federal aid, and to permanently expand the charitable giving deduction to encourage US taxpayers to donate to non-profits
NewsLabour
New York art-handling company lays off pro-union workers, while others are paid to stay home during coronavirus pandemic
Teamsters union has filed charges against the company with the National Labor Relations Board claiming the cuts are retaliation against efforts to organise
Newscoronavirus
Coronavirus complicates US Census—and the arts funding tied to it
Art + Action has launched a multi-pronged initiative to reach Bay Area residents in hard-to-count communities, and galvanise the art world to get behind the national headcount
CommentEconomics
US artists need a federal bailout now
Congress needs to protect this country’s creative workforce
Newscoronavirus
US dealers rush to leave Maastricht as Trump’s European travel ban causes confusion
Aiming to stop the spread of coronavirus, the suspension begins at midnight on Friday and is expected to last 30 days
News US politics
More than 2,000 artists and cultural figures sign letter endorsing Elizabeth Warren for US President
The Artists for Warren campaign launched on Super Tuesday, as many US voters head to the polls to choose the Democratic candidate
NewsExhibitions
Somali artists put their art on the map in Minnesota
Rochester Art Center engages with Soomaal House of Art at a time of rising anti-immigrant rhetoric
News US politics
Artist Whitney Bedford is drawing a portrait of Elizabeth Warren every day until she is elected president
The Los Angeles painter started the project shortly after the Democratic primaries began
ReviewBook Shorts
Twentieth-century American hopes and dreams are shown in black and white in this book of prints
Volume shows how the political and social aspirations of the Progressive Movement inspired American artists
NewsItaly
Steve Bannon wins again in battle against Italian ministry of culture
President Donald Trump’s former chief strategist wants to set up a nationalist bootcamp in an Italian monastery
News US politics
Hundreds of artists endorse Bernie Sanders for US President
In an open letter, figures including Nicole Eisenmann, Hito Steyerl, and Kara Walker have voiced their support for the left-wing candidate
News US politics
'An impeachment tomb stone': Jenny Holzer creates work to mark President Donald Trump's trial
The skateboards are produced in a limited marble edition of 25 and a wood edition of 500
CommentIran
'The normalisation of cultural warfare cannot go unanswered'
Tristram Hunt, the director of the Victoria and Albert Museum, calls on the international community to condemn President Trump's threat to target Iran's cultural sites
AnalysisHeritage
If the US destroys Iranian cultural sites, President Trump will be criminally liable by international law
The US is signatory to The Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, which forbids any act of hostility to cultural property
NewsSteve Bannon
Steve Bannon’s nationalists can stay in medieval monastery (for now)
In the first round of a lengthy legal battle, an Italian court has ruled in favour of a right-wing Catholic organisation which the Ministry of Culture is trying to oust from a historic abbey
NewsThe Year in Review 2019
From a Paris inferno to the Leonardo tussle: the art world's top stories of 2019
We look back at the major events that made the headlines this year
NewsFeminism
Women artists fight for reproductive rights with US election fundraising show
"I want to normalise abortion as a life-saving medical procedure, mentally and physically," says Marilyn Minter
NewsClimate Change
Climate emergency in Miami: large-scale protest march planned during Art Basel fair
With Miami Beach predicted to be 30% underwater by 2045, the convention centre where the fair currently takes place could soon become an island
NewsMuseums
Michael Rakowitz wants to pause his video work at MoMA PS1 as a protest against museum's ties to 'toxic philanthropy'
"It's censorship", the artist says of curators' denials to suspend work that is part of show on the artistic legacy of the Gulf War
NewsPolitics
Culture ministry failed to vet right-wing religious group close to Steve Bannon
Decision to lease Italian medieval monastery to an organisation affiliated with President Trump’s former chief strategist is blamed on staff shortages
NewsMuseums & Heritage
Los Angeles's Marciano Art Foundation lays off staff trying to unionise
The private museum cited low attendance records over the past few weeks in a short letter to nearly six dozen workers who recently announced they voted to join a union
Comment US politics
Museums must engage more with Indigenous peoples
There is a direct connection between how predominantly white curators have categorised Indigenous peoples as part of “natural history” and how we are misrepresented in contemporary art spaces
NewsExhibitions
Women artists take over museum schedules in 2020 to coincide with US presidential election
Coalition of curators organise events and exhibitions of art by women at 50 museums
NewsPerformance art
Artist reimagines Louisiana slave uprising with a different outcome
Hundreds to take part in re-enactment of America’s largest slave rebellion, ending with a victorious celebration in New Orleans
News US politics
Goethe-Institut Los Angeles examines architecture and design amid housing crisis
A symposium bringing together architects and scholars from around the world takes place as homelessness surges in the state of California
InterviewShirin Neshat
‘This US government looks more like Iran's every day’: Shirin Neshat talks about the power of political satire ahead of LA show
The Iranian artist's major exhibition opens at the Broad museum features new work addressing discrimination in Trump's America
News US politics
Experts fear California's gig economy law may hit culture workers
Independent curators and handlers could be affected but no major changes predicted in museum recruitment practices
NewsArt market
US-China trade war expands to books and maps as increased tariffs hit art imports
Trump's newly increased tariff of 15% on Chinese goods now applies to the antiquarian trade, further affecting dealers and auction houses
NewsUK politics
Too much politics? UK Green party MP and anti-Brexit campaigner Caroline Lucas turns curator
High-profile UK politician will organise a show of works at Towner Art Gallery that focus on the environment
NewsRestitution
Trump opens door to restitution claims on art seized by Cuba
While the president is the first to allow Title III of Helms-Burton Act to be used, some whose collections were taken doubt it will have an impact
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
NewsArt market
Trump delays tariffs on Chinese goods until December—but not for art and antiquities
New 10% tax will come into force on 1 September and apply to all works originating from China, regardless of where they are imported from
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
News US politics
Anti-Trump seesaw by architect duo unites children on US-Mexico border
“Actions that take place on one side have a direct consequence on the other side,” say project founders
BlogIn the frame
The ‘most petty piece of art’ or an apt satire of the US presidency?
NewsCensorship
New US visa policy could stifle outspoken artists on social media
Several high-profile artists including Ai Weiwei have spoken out against the policy
News US politics
Russian artist denied US visa over ‘planted’ drugs
Artem Loskutov’s application was rejected on the same day that journalist and supporter Ivan Golunov was arrested
CommentArtists
Abortion will happen—whatever the law says
The artist Paula Rego on why her abortion works are the best thing she's ever done
ReviewBook Shorts
Book on artists’ opposition to the Vietnam War
Part of the 1960s US anti-war movement, artists then had nothing like the impact they have today
InterviewAdrian Ghenie
Painting is more important than politics: Adrian Ghenie on his Trump-inspired portraits in Venice
Romanian artist, whose show is open at the Palazzo Cini during the Biennale, compares his art market ascendancy to working in porn
NewsItaly
Battle over Bannon’s nationalist bootcamp in Italian monastery
Protests against the right-wing group’s takeover of a 13th-century cloister are growing
NewsShutdown
Counting the cost of the longest government shutdown in US history
The shutdown dealt a blow to federally-funded museums, with disappointed visitors, furloughed staff, disrupted exhibitions and lost revenue that “can never be regained”
News US politics
Trump spent $60,000 in foundation money to buy vanity portrait, Michael Cohen reveals in testimony
The US President’s former lawyer and “fixer” tells Congress the candidate used a straw bidder to ensure his likeness was the top lot of an Art Hamptons auction
NewsExhibitions
Parkland victims remembered through New-York Historical Society photo show
As part of her residency at the museum, the photographer Bettina von Zwehl made portraits with New York City high school students
News US politics
NEA, Smithsonian museums and National Gallery of Art to reopen
A temporary budget deal ended the US government shutdown on Friday, allowing state-funded arts organisations to get back to work
Comment
The recent protests at the Whitney show museum trustees’ dealings cannot be ignored
The same old arguments in favour of ignoring the business dealings of trustees, of pretending museum programming can function independently of those funding it, cannot stand for long
PreviewPolitics
Latin American galleries reassess sales strategies for Miami Art Week after border crackdown
Trump's decision to station 15,000 troops at the country's southwest border has further soured political relations between the US and its South American neighbours
NewsArt market
Art dealers across the US are mobilising in support of Democrats ahead of US mid-term elections
Galleries in New York and Los Angeles make the most of their cultural and financial capital
ArchiveExhibitions
Pictures Generation artist Lawler confronts ‘alternative facts’ at MoMA
As fake news and 'fake news' takes over politics, Louise Lawler's retrospective hits home
ArchiveExhibitions
Saudi Arabian artist Gharem’s first US solo show escapes shadow of 9/11
Political and poignant, Gharem's art reflects on one of the defining moments of the 21st century
ArchiveExhibitions
The rise and fall of the American dream: Printmaking in America on show at the British Museum
200 works are now on show which explore hot topics from the 1960s onward, from Vietnam to the AIDs crisis
ArchiveCensorship
Censorship debate reignited as banned works go on show in American galleries
Display featuring 45 controversial artists takes on added resonance in wake of Charlie Hebdo attacks
ArchiveCultural policy
New York leans to the left under mayor’s plans for art
De Blasio focuses on diversity, social value and access for all
ArchiveOctober 2013
Married same-sex couples to get art tax breaks
Museums could benefit, as well as spouses who inherit works
Archive US politics
Married gay couples to get art tax breaks
Museums could benefit, as well as sponsors
ArchiveWashington, DC
US could stop artists using drones
New regulations may restrict the use of surveillance technology in their work
Comment US politics
Why vote? To protect those who cannot
The proverbial arc of history will not bend toward justice without our help
Sue Coe for The Art Newspaper