Art's Most Popular: here are 2019's most visited shows and museums
When did just looking at art lose its appeal?
Mo people, mo problems: when busy shows go wrong
Which museums have the biggest social media followings?
Legoland vs the Louvre: how do museums stack up against other popular visitor attractions and public events?
Newscoronavirus
Whitney and New Museum lay off staff members as coronavirus economic fallout continues
Employee cuts come three weeks after institutions shut down
BlogDiary
Blake Gopnik tweets 25 fascinating takeaways from his new Andy Warhol biography
NewsAppointments
Laura Raicovich is named interim director of Leslie-Lohman Museum
Politically minded figure left helm of Queens Museum amid tensions with its board
AnalysisArt market
South American galleries face steep challenges as the region's biggest fairs shutter due to the spread of coronavirus
In economically shaky countries like Argentina, annual fairs like the now-cancelled ArteBA are a financial lifeline. Now galleries must "rethink how to produce"
FeatureCoronavirus resources
Dietl initiative supports art technicians who lost work due to coronavirus
A new commission-free sales platform launched by the art logistics company benefits art handlers, who are often artists subsidising their studio practice
NewsCentre Pompidou
Serge Lasvignes re-appointed as president of Centre Pompidou
French government endorses his strategy of establishing satellite branches overseas
Latest in Comment
Mourning a ‘golden' exhibition season curtailed by coronavirus
Don’t forget to support our artists, the chroniclers of such crisis
Will coronavirus-related cancellations spell the end of ‘fairtigue’?
Please send help: a letter to the Getty Trust
Tristram Hunt: 'When the lights come back on, our museums will need support'
BlogDiary
Piasa launches charity auction to protect healthcare workers
FeatureCoronavirus resources
New York artist launches platform to link people in need of help with others amid coronavirus lockdown
Social practice artist Jody Wood started her S.O.S. online aid network as part of her belief that "everyone is responsible for caring for one another"
ReviewThree to see
Three arty things to do at home this weekend
From the Getty's challenge to re-create masterpieces using three items to Firstsite’s activity pack with Antony Gormley and Gillian Wearing
BlogThe Buck stopped here
Exhibition WALL-E: robot leads tour of Hastings Contemporary
BlogAdventures with Van Gogh
In recent decades 28 Van Goghs have been stolen in the Netherlands—but all have been recovered
Detectives are intensifying their investigation into the latest crime, at Laren’s Singer museum, which was committed this week on the artist’s birthday
NewsArt market
La Biennale Paris relies on government funding bailout to support dealers during coronavirus crisis
Exhibitors at the art and antiques fair in September will not have to pay the usual advance deposit and allowed to spread out payment over four months
Latest in Podcast
Can the art market weather the coronavirus storm?
Saving the art world’s self-employed amidst the coronavirus crisis
Coronavirus: dispatches from Italy and China
Fill your ears with art: the top culture podcasts to listen to during the coronavirus lockdown
Titian’s poesie: an in-depth tour of 'the most beautiful pictures in the world'
AnalysisArt theft
Boomerang art thefts: the stolen art that finds its way back
From a Van Gogh left in a public toilet to a Klimt found inside a gallery wall, just what is it that prompts criminals to return such valuable works?
InterviewZoe Whitley
A brush with... Zoe Whitley
The new director of London's Chisenhale Gallery recommends her favourite book, music, and Instagram account
NewsMiddle East
UAE government promotes existing Art in Embassies acquisition scheme as a coronavirus relief plan
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs suggested its AED 1.5m in purchases were part of a new initiative following the suspension of Art Dubai due to Covid-19
BlogDiary
Artist draws to celebrate New York's restaurants—and donates his sales to save them
Newscoronavirus
Getty sets up $10m fund for small and mid-size Los Angeles-area arts organisations reeling from virus
The trust anticipates that grants will range from $25,000 to $200,000
NewsYayoi Kusama
New York Botanical Garden forced to postpone blockbuster Kusama show due to coronavirus
The artist says the passion she and the garden put into the exhibition is "still burning"
Analysiscoronavirus
Galleries and auction houses reflect on Italy’s ground zero
Events have moved to summer and autumn in a swift response, with acceleration of online activity
Newscoronavirus
Magazzino Italian Art Foundation commissions eight Italian artists to produce new work in response to coronavirus
The New York-based foundation says there is an "absolute need to support artists" as the Covid-19 pandemic shutters exhibitions around the world
CommentEconomics
Don’t forget to support our artists, the chroniclers of such crisis
Suzy Delvalle, the president of Creative Capital, urges us all to help artists hurt by the coronavirus pandemic
Newscoronavirus
Helen Frankenthaler Foundation plans $5m coronavirus relief effort
Multi-year effort will start with $1.25m in grants to a contemporary art foundation, an Artist Relief Fund and New York arts groups
NewsArt's Most Popular 2020
The exceptional piece of calligraphy at the centre of one of 2019's most popular—and most controversial—exhibitions
Tokyo National Museum’s show on Chinese artist Yan Zhenqing ranks 15th in our latest visitor attendance survey despite contentious loan from Taipei museum
Newscoronavirus
More than 40 UK museums and conservators donate personal protective equipment to help NHS fight coronavirus
Conservation departments are sending gloves, masks and Tyvek suits to hospitals and ambulance services
NewsArt market
Redundancies, pay cuts and staff furloughs at Sotheby's as coronavirus impact bites
Christie's is also making salary cuts and furloughing staff as lockdown closes auction houses and forces sales online
Newscoronavirus
Irish Museum of Modern Art to be used as mortuary to cope with coronavirus pandemic
Museum will house a temporary structure in its grounds as the “country prepares Public Health facilities to deal with Covid-19”
NewsMuseums & Heritage
All eyes on Asia: normality is still a long way off as museums emerge from lockdown
Visitor numbers at some of the world’s most popular art venues have nosedived and uncertainty for the future remains
NewsVincent Van Gogh
How Van Gogh’s handwritten texts were tragically chopped up
The artist copied poems and hymns into an album that belonged to his London landlady; our investigations reveal that, around 100 years later, an unknown perpetrator cut the pages into pieces in order to make a quick buck
NewsDubai
Expo 2020 Dubai—the Arab world's biggest ever event—now likely to open in 2021 due to coronavirus
Major visual arts programme still planned for multidisciplinary culture and science showcase in the United Arab Emirates
FeaturePerformance art
Annabel Daou will take on your worries in a 12-hour durational performance
During the coronavirus crisis, the project “is a way to consider my role with respect to others, as an artist and as a human being in this world”, the artist says
PreviewPrivate view
Available online or by appointment: the best new commercial exhibitions to check out during lockdown
From a virtual tour of William N. Copley's Surrealist-inspired paintings to Joshua Citarella's exploration of young political online spaces
Commentcoronavirus
Will coronavirus-related cancellations spell the end of ‘fairtigue’?
When the merry-go-round restarts, it will be in a changed landscape. While fairs have been postponed and others cancelled, there may be benefits
NewsCoronavirus resources
Warhol Foundation offers $1.6m in emergency relief grants to artists affected by the coronavirus crisis
Grants will be allocated to artists in 16 US cities through the foundation's regional regranting partners and can be used to cover expenses like food and rent
Newscoronavirus
Private galleries give some profits to public health organisations battling coronavirus
Hauser & Wirth is donating 10% of profits from its online exhibitions to “both local and global causes” as part of its new #artforbetter initiative
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
NewsArt market
Sotheby's postpones New York May 'gigaweek' sales due to coronavirus
Move is in line with Christie's and Phillips which postponed their sales to late June, but Sotheby's is yet to announce when its auctions will actually happen
BlogDiary of an art historian
Mona Lisa, Rembrandt and Venus enjoy a well-earned rest during lockdown
After the coronavirus pandemic, we will need our museums' masterpieces as never before
NewsMuseums
Anish Kapoor fan gets stuck in virtual exhibition
The man was looking for the “blackest black” in Malevich painting but says he fell “into a glitch hole”
NewsArt market
London’s young galleries fight for survival during lockdown
But being smaller can mean lower overheads and more nimble business models, with some venues more upbeat than others as the shutdown hits
NewsArt fairs
Frieze offers full refunds to exhibitors after cancelling its New York fair due to coronavirus
The fair will also launch a new online viewing room feature at no cost to planned exhibitors and will apply reimbursements to future editions
NewsMuseums
Tasmanian museum live streams 'human canvas' whose artist-designed tattoos are worth €150,000
Tim Steiner, whose entire back is covered in an ink piece created by Wim Delvoye, will sit in the empty Mona museum until the end of April
BlogThe Buck stopped here
Alien Sex Club artist John Walter offers tarot card readings over Skype during lockdown
BlogDiary
Derek Jarman's cottage in Dungeness is saved after Art Fund hits £3.5m target
Newscoronavirus
Brazilian galleries and museums to remain closed despite Bolsonaro's draconian stance on coronavirus
As the Brazilian president calls for businesses to re-open despite a growing number of Covid-19 cases, some refuse to follow "politically-influenced" advice
Newscoronavirus
Patrick Devedjian—French politician and driving force behind new museum dedicated to the Sun King—has died of coronavirus
Devedjian was leading plans for a museum project in Saint-Cloud, west of Paris, about the reign of Louis XIV
NewsArt's Most Popular 2020
Manga beats Rembrandt and Captain Cook to be named the British Museum’s most popular show last year
The exhibition on the global phenomenon was the largest ever to be staged outside Japan
Newscoronavirus
Ghost town: eerie images of London in lockdown
Our picture editor Katherine Hardy used her exercise allowance to capture the UK capital's empty streets
NewsSalvator Mundi
How the Louvre concealed its secret Salvator Mundi book
Publication with new scientific analysis of the picture was withdrawn after the Saudi authorities refused to loan Leonardo’s $450m painting to Paris
AnalysisArt's Most Popular 2020
Art's Most Popular: here are 2019's most visited shows and museums
Ai Weiwei was a hit in Brazil, records were broken in London and Paris—but is this the final year of museum visitor growth?
NewsExhibitions
‘On the Edge’: de Young plans juried show for artists this summer in San Francisco
No firm date is set amid quarantine, but museum is inviting Bay Area artists to take part and sell their work
CommentPhilanthropy
Please send help: a letter to the Getty Trust
Our Los Angeles correspondent Jori Finkel asks the world's richest cultural organisation to support the city's struggling arts community during the coronavirus pandemic
BlogDiary
MoMA and Louise Lawler launch #DrawingWithMoMA to stoke creativity in quarantine
NewsArt theft
Birthday heist: Van Gogh painting stolen from Dutch museum on anniversary of artist's birth
The Singer Laren museum in the Netherlands is currently on lockdown because of the coronavirus pandemic
NewsTracey Emin
Tracey Emin shares her lockdown life on Instagram
British artist says we need “all kinds of art in these scary times”
NewsArt market
New York galleries seek rent relief from state government in the wake of coronavirus shutdowns
Some dealers are "prepared for a rent strike" if Governor Cuomo does not address a new bill offering rent suspensions to small businesses before 1 April
Newscoronavirus
Versailles goes virtual as French government launches digital programme to help history students on lockdown
The palace’s online platform will offer virtual reality experiences and a Game of Thrones-themed quiz
Newscoronavirus
Take a virtual tour of once-in-a-lifetime Raphael show in Rome that closed after four days due to coronavirus
Video is part of Italy's "Culture never stops!" initiative providing online access to cultural and heritage sites
CommentMuseums & Heritage
Tristram Hunt: 'When the lights come back on, our museums will need support'
What coronavirus is really forcing us to address is the societal function and justification for public culture in the 21st century, says the Victoria and Albert Museum's director
Analysiscoronavirus
Post-pandemic, the art market might return to 'normal'—but do we want it to?
Many in the art world see the impact of coronavirus as a chance to slow down the frenetic pace of global activity and rethink the whole system
CommentEconomics
US artists need a federal bailout now
Congress needs to protect this country’s creative workforce
Newscoronavirus
Arts organisations produce face masks and other medical equipment to help slow the spread of coronavirus
As museums donate protective supplies to medical centres during coronavirus crisis, grassroots efforts to make masks struggle to meet medical standards
Newscoronavirus
Goodman Gallery is selling artist-designed blankets to raise funds for a Johannesburg clinic
Artists participating in the project include Broomberg & Chanarin, Nolan Oswald Dennis and Reza Farkhondeh
Commentcoronavirus
The BBC fights back with 'Culture in Quarantine' against the UK government’s plan to destroy it
A leading Italian art critic says that it is dictators and populists who fear culture and that the BBC’s creativity will be vital to coronavirus Britain, now and in the aftermath
FeatureObituaries
Peregrine Pollen, who revitalised auction industry and laid the ground for the booming art market of the 21st century, has died, age 89
One of the most dynamic figures in the international expansion of Sotheby's in the 1960s and 1970s, descended from generations of collectors and men of action
Commentcoronavirus
Letter from Spain: Arco exhibition centre is now a coronavirus hospital
The 'panorama is desolate' for the country's culture sector, says Manuel Fernández-Braso, president of the association of Madrid art galleries
NewsCopyright
US copyright law comes under scrutiny as new legislation makes its way before Congress
A planned new mediation system, which aims to streamline copyright breach claims in the US, has loopholes that could deny artists justice, critics say
NewsArt's Most Popular 2020
As coronavirus shuts down the capital, our survey shows 2019 was the busiest year for London museums this century
Last year also saw record attendances at both Tate Modern and Tate Britain
BlogAdventures with Van Gogh
Van Gogh’s trusty pipe: how the artist believed that smoking helped his art
Vincent lay in bed, puffing away and dreamily composing his pictures
Newscoronavirus
Turkish government slammed for crowds at heritage sites as ticket collector reportedly dies from coronavirus
Worker at Istanbul's Dolmabahce Palace is believed to have contracted Covid-19, leading state to be criticised for not closing tourist attractions quick enough
Commentcoronavirus
'The real ideological war has just begun and Covid-19 is only the starting point': Ai Weiwei on China's response to the outbreak
The Chinese artist and activist reflects on how authoritarian political systems have been able to tackle the crisis more effectively
Commentcoronavirus
Mourning a ‘golden' exhibition season curtailed by coronavirus
Major shows by male artists dominated the London museum landscape before the crisis, now women and non-binary artists are missing their turn
Ben Luke