NewsUK politics
Spending Review: UK museums to receive £320m during ‘biggest economic decline in 300 years’
Chancellor Rishi Sunak announces slight boost to culture department's budget, but some institutions face extended closure under new tiered system
NewsPrizes
Exiled Kurdish artist—who smuggled paintings from her Turkish jail cell—wins inaugural Carol Rama Award
Zehra Doğan was imprisoned for nearly three years under terrorism charges for work of art shared on Twitter
NewsCollectors
Actor Samuel L. Jackson and footballer Samuel Eto’o pay tribute to art collector Sindika Dokolo during six-hour televised memorial
Dokolo was buried at Brompton Cemetery in West London yesterday following his funeral at Westminster Cathedral
NewsArt market
Frieze Los Angeles bids goodbye to Paramount Studios as art fair is postponed to July
Social distancing rules have limited the number of people on film sets creating a movie production backlog
NewsArt market
Art Basel in Hong Kong postponed to May as coronavirus throws 2021 art fairs into disarray
Summer crush expected with Art Basel’s flagship show in Switzerland still scheduled for June and Taipei Dangdai moved back to July
NewsArt market
Frieze art fairs global director Victoria Siddall takes ‘strategic’ role as board director
Frieze magazine publisher Rebecca Ann Siegel appointed director of Americas and content and will oversee the New York and Los Angeles fairs
NewsArt market
Collection of Balthus drawings and paintings to be sold for €1.2m—so why no mention of his infatuation with pubescent girls?
The works are from the estate of the artist’s teenage “muse and model” Frédérique Tison, who was also his step-niece
NewsRobert Indiana
End in sight for legal battle over Robert Indiana's legacy
After two-and-a-half years and $8m in legal costs, an agreement between the artist's estate and his long-time representative is on the table
NewsArt market
London galleries to accommodate collectors ‘by appointment’ during second coronavirus lockdown
Some dealers say they will continue to hold private viewings for buyers, while opening hours are extended in the West End tonight
NewsCollectors
Congolese collector Sindika Dokolo reportedly dies in Dubai diving accident
Tributes pour in for “defender of African art”—who was also being investigated by Angolan authorities
NewsFrieze New York
Frieze New York relocates to non-profit institution The Shed for 2021 edition
Global director Victoria Siddall says it is a time “for creativity, flexibility and collaboration” as fair is reduced by more than two-thirds
NewsArt market
Revealed: sellers of £7.6m Banksy were London collectors who provided venue for artist's 2005 Crude Oils exhibition
As part of the deal, Roland and Jane Cowan acquired the faux Impressionist canvas from the artist—it sold last night at Sotheby's
NewsRestitution
Black Lives Matter movement is speeding up repatriation efforts, leading French art historian says
Bénédicte Savoy—co-author of the Sarr-Savoy report that recommends France return its African artefacts—warns of "collective amnesia" over restitution debates that happened 40 years ago
NewsArt market
From flat white to white cube: Lévy Gorvy opens gallery in former Pret a Manger in Mayfair
Firm now plans to extend its lease after Long Museum buys huge Tu Hongtao painting on show in the new space
AnalysisArt fairs
'If you're coming to buy, you have two hours to do it': what it's like at London's real-life 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair
In the absence of the major fairs and auctions, Modern and contemporary African art is in the spotlight in London this week
NewsArt market
Damien Hirst to open huge exhibition of more than 50 early works at Newport Street Gallery
Pickled sharks, medicine cabinets and spot paintings from the artist's own collection will go on show—although none are for sale
NewsAndres Serrano
Donald Trump, the brand: a history of the real estate tycoon turned US president in 1,000 objects
Andres Serrano tells us about his multifaceted portrait of the US president in book form, created from his archive of memorabilia
NewsArt market
Class of 2020: five picks from Art Basel's online viewing room (another one)
The latest virtual fair, OVR:2020, limits 100 galleries to showing six works each, all produced this year—we pick our highlights
NewsBanksy
Banksy loses trademark battle over his famous Flower Thrower image
The street artist opened a pop-up shop in Croydon last year in a bid to protect his image rights, but was found to have “acted in bad faith”
NewsArt fairs
Fiac cancelled as new travel restrictions are imposed across Europe
The Paris art fair had seemed defiant in the face of coronavirus but organisers say they could not “meet the legitimate expectations of its exhibitors”
NewsArt market
Keeping it in the family: Charles Saatchi’s daughter to open huge London gallery
Phoebe Saatchi Yates has collaborated with her husband and father to launch 10,000 sq ft Mayfair gallery focused on “unknown” artists
NewsArt market
Galleries cast doubt on the return of fairs in 2021 in latest Art Basel and UBS report
Covid-19 has forced galleries to cut staff by 33% on average as sales plummet 36% in the first half of 2020—and optimism is dwindling for next year
NewsMuseums
Tate and Anthony d’Offay agree to cut ties permanently
Museum will return loaned works and remove the retired dealer’s name from the building nearly three years after allegations of sexual harassment emerged
NewsMuseums & Heritage
Bailout fail? Fewer than half of museums in England apply for government’s £1.57bn rescue package
Survey by The Art Newspaper also reveals that the Serpentine and Barbican have been left in limbo while the Southbank Centre is already £20m in debt
NewsArt market
Christie’s to hold marquee sales in New York in early October—but will Sotheby's follow suit?
With no Frieze Art Fair, contemporary art London sales at Christie’s, Sotheby’s and Phillips will now take place at the end of October, when Fiac is due to open in Paris
NewsHeritage
Vandals smash statue of Mary Magdalene in French chapel—apparently because she is naked
A note was left at the scene by the perpetrators saying they “did not accept” that the saint should be “represented in such a way”
AnalysisArts funding
Ten tips to get Arts Council funding, according to an expert
What cultural institutions in England need to know before applying for the government's £1.57bn rescue package
NewsArt market
It’s official: galleries and art fairs at risk of collapse can apply for UK’s £1.57bn rescue package
Priority will be given to institutions of regional and national significance
NewsDamien Hirst
Damien Hirst offers to swap any work for viral duct-tape banana—but Maurizio Cattelan says no
Curator Francesco Bonami has created his own version for the British artist as a consolation prize
NewsArt market
Lisson Gallery announces representation of US painter Van Hanos with Hamptons show
As Manhattan’s wealthy prolong their stays on Long Island, executive director Alex Logsdail says he is likely to extend his lease until September 2021
NewsPublic sculpture
Memorial to police shooting victim Cherry Groce gets £82,000 boost from local London authorities
Brixton sculpture by David Adjaye is due to be unveiled in September, 35 years after a bungled police raid left her paralysed
NewsMuseums
Tate will axe more than 300 jobs from its commercial arm next month
Director Maria Balshaw says the organisation has been left with “no option” but to resize as visitor figures and revenues plunge due to the pandemic
NewsArt market
Frieze directors ‘left with no choice’ but to cancel London fairs in October
Continued restrictions on large-scale events and travel due to coronavirus have made the show logistically impossible
NewsArt market
Sotheby's to sell Bridget Riley painting from Heathrow executive lounge as British Airways 'fights for survival'
Auction house appointed to sell £1.4m of art from the beleaguered airline's collection this month
NewsPolitics
As Andrzej Duda narrowly wins Poland’s presidential election, protest posters installed in Warsaw become stark reminder of authoritarian rule
Spanish art group Democracia have taken over LED screens in the city’s metro
NewsArt market
Tomorrow’s YBAs? White Cube launches series of online exhibitions by London art graduates
Gallery owner Jay Jopling says it is vital to support the next generation during such precarious times
Newsracism
Royal College of Art leadership loses vote of no confidence over racism row
University has now “paused” its hiring of a new head of inclusion after it was blasted for appointing a white man, but could still face strike action this autumn
NewsArt fairs
Art Basel in Miami Beach waives August withdrawal fee for dealers amid surge in Florida coronavirus cases
Fair organisers say they remain “committed” to the show in December even as the lease for a temporary hospital and Covid-19 testing site at the Miami Beach Convention Center is extended
NewsExhibitions
'Tender, gentle and creative soul': outdoor exhibition in west London pays tribute to artist Khadija Saye who died in Grenfell fire
Unveiled by Tottenham MP David Lammy today, the show also marks the launch of an arts mentor scheme in Saye’s name
AnalysisBlack Lives Matter
Reform or reset? How cultural institutions are facing a reckoning over racism
US and UK museums have been accused of tokenism, hypocrisy and fake solidarity for rushing to declare support for Black Lives Matter. Where do they go from here?
NewsArt education
Unemployment crisis looms over thousands of academics as casual contracts are axed or postponed by UK’s top arts universities
Black and minority ethnic staff at institutions including Goldsmiths and the Royal College of Art are at particular risk
NewsArt market
How artists are adapting their work to virtual fairs and online viewing rooms
As Art Basel's online viewing room opens, Tracey Emin, Jim Shaw and Avery Singer speak about lockdown and creating for the digital sphere
NewsContemporary art
Investigative artists Forensic Architecture uncover new evidence in 2011 police killing of Mark Duggan
Independent Office for Police Conduct says it is now assessing whether to reopen the official investigation into the shooting that triggered the London riots
NewsBanksy
Banksy proposes new Bristol memorial of protesters toppling slave trader statue
Street artist says the idea would cater both to critics and defenders of the monument of Edward Colston
NewsProtest
Art world presses pause for #BlackOutTuesday
Mixed reactions for the social media campaign, whereby millions are posting black squares in support for the Black Lives Matter movement—but is it reductive?
AnalysisArt market
The Green debate: How can the international art market recover sustainably?
As calls grow to tackle the coronavirus crisis and climate emergency together, a group of dealers teams together to form the Gallery Climate Coalition
NewsArtists
Masses of artists rejected by UK government’s self-employment support scheme
Many are turning to benefits and emergency grants to plug some of the deficit
NewsArt market
Photo London plans to open in tent this October with social distancing
Timed entry and face masks are set to become the “new normal” for art fairs, organisers say
Newscoronavirus
UK galleries and auction houses can reopen from 1 June, government says
Art trade associations have been lobbying to be recognised as “non-essential retail” in phase two of the lockdown exit roadmap; museums will have to wait until phase three in July
NewsArt market
La Biennale Paris cancels 2020 edition. What does this mean for other art fairs this autumn?
President of the Paris show says that thousands of dealers and collectors cannot gather this year due to the coronavirus pandemic
NewsArt market
Sotheby’s prepares to reopen galleries in New York and London
Chief executive Charles Stewart lays plans for the auction house’s flagship sales to be held in New York next month
NewsArt market
Gold tycoon and art collector James Stunt charged with money laundering and forgery
The former husband of heiress Petra Ecclestone denies any criminality and says he will contest all charges
NewsRobert Indiana
Robert Indiana’s LOVE at centre of new $150m fraud claim
American Image Art founder alleges certain works are in the public domain and cannot be copyrighted
AnalysisArt market
Great Depression of the 21st century looms over the art market
As the IMF warns we are heading towards the worst economic slump in living memory, the art industry starts to fear a double dip recession
AnalysisArt market
Will art fairs return in 2020?
As coronavirus lockdowns are extended across much of the world, leaving galleries unable to trade, hopes are fading that autumn events will be able to go ahead
NewsBaselworld
Rolex, Patek Philippe and Chanel walk out of MCH group’s Baselworld
Future of the Swiss watch and jewellery fair, which is owned by Art Basel's parent company, now hangs in the balance
NewsFinance
Santander bank chairman and art collector Ana Botín appointed to International Monetary Fund advisory board
Group has been formed to tackle major financial issues including the coronavirus and its global economic impact
NewsArt market
White Cube launches £1.25m Covid-19 fundraiser with Harland Miller
British artist reveals he contracted a mild form of the virus
Newscoronavirus
Billionaire art collector Adrian Cheng to distribute free face masks in vending machines throughout Hong Kong
The K11 Art Foundation founder is donating millions of masks aimed to help low-income communities in their fight against Covid-19
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
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
NewsTracey Emin
Tracey Emin shares her lockdown life on Instagram
British artist says we need “all kinds of art in these scary times”
FeatureMedia
Are commercial galleries the next big content producers?
The top dealers are increasingly becoming audio and video makers and magazine publishers—is it all still about sales?
Newscoronavirus
Students slam Royal College of Art's decision to move degree show online because of coronavirus
Unlike other universities, the school has not postponed its courses during the crisis
AnalysisArt market
Muted sales in Art Basel’s online viewing rooms as art market turns to technological solutions amid coronavirus crisis
Dealers say expectations were low but are grateful to be in touch with the art community
NewsCollectors
Portuguese judge orders seizure of all assets owned by African art collector Isabel dos Santos in the country
Move is intended to stall the sales of stakes in multi-million-Euro companies based in Portugal
NewsArt market
London galleries latest to go into lockdown as concerns grow over coronavirus pandemic
Move follows widespread closures in the US and Asia
NewsAugmented reality
KAWS develops augmented reality project that offers a different model for the future of showing and selling art
As coronavirus forces people into lockdown, art lovers are turning to social media to share their experiences
Newscoronavirus
Coronavirus postpones Art Cologne from April to November
Large-scale events have been banned in the German region of North Rhine-Westphalia, while travel has become restricted for international exhibitors
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
NewsArt market
What is Sotheby’s doing to win private sales?
As the Donald B. Marron collection goes to three dealers, the auction house is rethinking how it pitches for works
NewsArt market
Art Basel/UBS report: global art market dips 5% in ‘tricky year’ but private sales are up
Chinese and British markets take a hit amid trade wars and political unrest
Newscoronavirus
Art Dubai postponed as coronavirus spreads in the Middle East
Fair organisers are instead holding a programme of events and exhibitions tailored to local galleries and artists
Newscoronavirus
MCH Group postpones Baselworld watch fair as Swiss authorities ban large events over coronavirus fears
Several other trade fairs have also been cancelled in Switzerland
NewsBanksy
Charges dropped against South African billionaire over allegedly fraudulent Banksy deal
Martin Levick had been accused of duping an investor into lending him $3.5m for the purchase of the work
NewsArt market
Blain Southern goes into administration as artists reveal debts owed by gallery
Abrupt closure of three spaces has prompted criticism from some about the way the business was run
NewsArt market
Sotheby’s relocates April Hong Kong auctions to New York due to coronavirus
The firm is also rolling its London June sales into one week for the first time in more than a decade
NewsAi Weiwei
Ai Weiwei's censored films to go on show in Berlin
The works cannot be shown in China where the dissident artist says his identity has been erased
AnalysisArt market
Phillips’s sale reveals contemporary art's hottest stars but still misses its low estimate
Auction results this week are expected to be down by almost a quarter signalling a "low tide" in London
AnalysisArt market
Christie’s contemporary sale fails to pack a punch as auction house records lowest total in a decade
Brexit casts a shadow over consignments in London, but young American female painters add some pizazz
AnalysisArt market
US banker buys Brexit Banksy at Sotheby's, making a bigger splash than David Hockney’s pool painting
Auction house fields a steady contemporary evening sale in London
NewsArt market
Mat Collishaw 'parts company' with Blain Southern
British artist announced on Instagram today that he will cease to be represented by the gallery “with immediate effect”
NewsArt market
Art Basel in Hong Kong cancelled
The decision comes a week after the World Health Organisation declared Coronavirus outbreak a global emergency and repeated calls for its cancellation from exhibitors
NewsArtists
‘Who put a price on my head?’ Mayfair gallery’s show of coal miners’ bronze busts sparks controversy
Sculptures are a ‘preview’ of a public commission by Laurence Edwards due to be unveiled in Doncaster in May
NewsArt Basel
Growing unease among Art Basel in Hong Kong dealers as WHO brands coronavirus a ‘global emergency’
The fair's directors, meanwhile, say postponing or cancelling the fair “is a complex process”
NewsMuseums
Opening of Oslo's new Munch Museum delayed until autumn
Tracey Emin says she is now “working out the logistics” for the inaugural exhibition which pairs her work with that of Munch
AnalysisArt market
How serious are the dangers of market sponsorship of museum exhibitions?
Involvement from galleries and auction houses is on the rise as public institutions face dwindling government funds and increased scrutiny over toxic philanthropy
NewsArt market
Art Basel in Hong Kong exhibitors call for 50% discount as concerns mount over a drop off in collectors and freedom of expression
Galleries including Lévy Gorvy, Lisson and Sprüth Magers have expressed their concerns in a letter to the fair organisers
NewsFraud
German socialite Angela Gulbenkian faces second criminal case over Warhol picture
The Munich-based dealer and collector is also due to stand trial in London for allegedly stealing £1.1m in Kusama pumpkin sale
NewsExhibitions
Sean Scully to have first show in Switzerland in nearly a decade
Italian dealer Marco Voena is supporting an exhibition of the Irish artist's work at the Forum Paracelsus in St Moritz
NewsDamien Hirst
Damien Hirst medicine cabinet bought for £600 goes on sale for over £1m
Softer YBA market faces test as collection amassed by London bond trader goes under the hammer at Phillips next month
NewsObituaries
‘Godfather of conceptual art’ John Baldessari dies aged 88
The Californian artist and teacher won numerous awards including the Golden Lion at the Venice Biennale and the National Medal of Arts from President Barack Obama
NewsArtists
Damien Hirst sculptures undergo restoration in Gloucestershire ahead of retrospective
Multi-million-pound works spotted outside artist's Stroud studio complex
NewsArt market
Dutch dealer promises new Rembrandt discoveries in five-volume publication
Part one focused on early years of Old Master's career will be published in 18 months
NewsArt market
'All bets are off': Hong Kong protests cause insurance headaches for dealers heading to Art Basel
With pro-democracy demonstrations showing no sign of abating, the fair is working with a broker to offer galleries cover at 20 times the normal rate
NewsArt market
Kenny Schachter on his Christmas clear out
Sotheby’s sale is set to raise half a million pounds, offsetting money lost in Inigo Philbrick deals
NewsArt market
Amy Cappellazzo becomes head of expanded Fine Arts division as Sotheby's restructures
While her role grows to cover departments such as Old Masters, second global division will include luxury objects and decorative art, jewellery and wine
CommentBanksy
Banksy’s activism is his greatest work
Funding a refugee rescue boat is just the latest in a long history of politically motivated acts
Anny Shaw