NewsPablo Picasso
Saga of Picasso murals ripped from Oslo building continues as heirs head to court
Family of artist Carl Nesjar—who collaborated on the works with Picasso—say they have a copyright claim and should help decide where the pieces are relocated
NewsParis
Champs Élysées—one of Paris’s most polluted roads—to be transformed into ‘extraordinary garden’
The major avenue will undergo a €250m makeover to restore its former splendour, following the 2024 Summer Olympics
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
NewsConservation & Preservation
Volunteers plan to return ‘Albert Hall of the North’ to its glory days
After years of neglect, ornate Victorian auditorium in northern seaside town of Morecambe is being saved
NewsIndia
India's Supreme Court approves Modi's £2bn 'vanity project' to redevelop Delhi parliament complex
The reconstruction of the Central Vista is a significant step in the prime minister's efforts to sever the nation from its colonial past
PreviewThe Year Ahead 2021
Major museum openings and expansions in 2021
From the much-anticipated Grand Egyptian Museum to the Frick’s move to a Brutalist landmark, here are the building projects aiming to change cultural landscapes around the world
NewsArchitecture
Once greeted as a sensation, 1931 aluminum-clad house gets a boost for relocation at the Palm Springs Art Museum in California
$100,000 grant will advance an effort to reassemble and display Albert Frey and A. Lawrence Kocher’s Modernist Aluminaire House
NewsArchitecture
Berlin’s residents rally to save city’s Brutalist building that was once a laboratory for animal experiments
Thousands signed petition to protect bleak concrete structure—nicknamed the Mouse Bunker—from demolition
NewsIndia
'New Hindu India': Narendra Modi begins £2bn overhaul of Delhi's colonial parliament buildings
Politicians and cultural leaders have questioned the use of state funds for prime minister's "vanity project" during Covid-19 crisis
NewsMuseums
Kunsthaus Zurich counts down to ‘quantum leap’ for Swiss art scene after Chipperfield expansion
City hopes the $230m new building will raise its profile as an art destination to match Basel
NewsConservation & Preservation
New hope that Istanbul orphanage—Europe's largest timber building—can be saved from ruin
After decades of neglect, a fundraising drive could restore Prinkipo Orphanage as an environmental research centre
NewsMuseums & Heritage
Artists and architects ask MoMA and other institutions to remove Philip Johnson’s name citing his racist views
The famous architect attended Nazi rallies in his youth and openly made anti-Semitic and white supremacist comments
NewsArchitecture
Architect Emilio Ambasz’s foundation donates $10m to MoMA to create a green architecture institute
New entity will spur research on the relationship between architecture and nature and work toward “environmental justice”, the New York museum says
NewsOpenings
Challenges overcome as Houston's Museum of Fine Arts completes $450m campus expansion
Delayed by just three weeks amid the pandemic, new Kinder Building will dramatically increase space for Modern and contemporary art
NewsArchitectural History
New York preservation group launches online mapping tool to champion former haunts of artists and activists
Organisation hopes the city will protect former home of Jackson Pollock and other buildings south of Union Square by designating a new historic district
NewsMuseum architecture
Space race: how the pandemic is pushing museums to rethink design
Experts predict bigger galleries, a stronger connection to the outdoors and an end to the expansion juggernaut
NewsConservation & Preservation
National Trust for Historic Preservation lists 11 most endangered historic sites in US
Locations range from the Chicago church where Emmett Till’s body was viewed, galvanising the civil rights movement, to a ‘Hall of Waters’ in Missouri
NewsMuseums & Heritage
Stone, bronze, glass, pathways: Princeton University Art Museum unveils David Adjaye's design
Pavilions linked by transparent “lenses” will dispense with hierarchies and display renowned collection on a single level
NewsObituaries
Siah Armajani, the Iranian-American conceptual artist, has died, aged 81
Artist and exploratory thinker delved into architectural imagery, including revitalised bridges and poetic farm buildings
NewsMuseums & Heritage
First Hagia Sophia, now Turkey's 'Sistine Chapel of Byzantium' will be turned back into mosque
The 14th-century mosaics at Chora Church—which was converted to a museum in 1945—risk being covered up and remaining part-restored
NewsControversies
Picasso murals ripped from Oslo building as legal battle intensifies
Daughter of the works' co-creator Carl Nesjar says safeguarding the sandblasted works is imperative
AnalysisCathedral of Notre Dame
Where we are now with the restoration of Notre Dame after the rejection of modern architectural gestures
An insider report from the site on the latest discoveries and re-building techniques
InterviewControversies
With demolition of Oslo's Picasso-Nesjar murals imminent, Norwegian sculptor’s daughter speaks out
Carl Nesjar’s daughter talks about the Norwegian sculptor’s long collaboration with the Modern master and shares exclusive images of the pair
NewsMosul
Unesco's plan to ‘revive spirit’ of devastated Mosul gets under way
Initiative involves local communities in rebuilding their historic landmarks and neighbourhoods
NewsConservation & Preservation
Flooding threatens Mies van der Rohe’s minimalist Farnsworth House in Illinois
Site braces for another onslaught of heavy rain starting this weekend
NewsMuseums & Heritage
Competition spawns alternative designs for controversial Lacma building project
A protest group champions six ideas that remedy what it views as shortcomings in Peter Zumthor's design
NewsMuseums & Heritage
V&A’s rare Frank Lloyd Wright interior is spruced up after years in storage
One of the museum’s finest period rooms, the Kaufmann Office is being restored for display in new V&A East collection centre
NewsRestoration
Glasgow School of Art will be back as a 'working art school' but restoration is mired in delays
Almost two years after fire ravaged the Mackintosh building, debate intensifies over future plans for the site
ReviewBook Shorts
The art of ceilings and domes—a book on where to see them
Almost a travel guide, this publication illustrates the great art to be found around the world, so long as you look up
NewsObituaries
Vittorio Gregotti, the last modern architect of Venice, dies of coronavirus aged 92
He designed many prestigious buildings in Italy and internationally and led the visual arts section of the Venice Biennale twice in the 1970s
NewsMuseums
Ahmanson Foundation cuts off gifts of art to Lacma
Foundation president cites concern over a dramatic museum redesign that could force prized works into storage
NewsArchitecture
Miami’s Oolite Arts taps Barozzi Vega to design new campus
The Barcelona architecture firm will design artists’ studios, exhibition space and theater
ReviewBooks
Revamped art book prize wants to become the Oscars of arts publications—is it succeeding?
A year on from its announcement, we look at whether the Richard Schlagman Art Book Awards is meeting its ambitions
NewsSerpentine Galleries
South African architectural practice Counterspace to design 20th Serpentine summer pavilion
Structure is inspired by places where people gather across London including migrant community hubs
NewsArchitecture
Trump may order all new government buildings to be designed in the Neoclassical style
A draft executive order, called “Make Federal Buildings Great Again”, would completely rewrite the government’s existing architectural guidelines
NewsMuseums
Tadao Ando-designed He Art Museum postponed because of coronavirus
The X Museum in Beijing has also delayed its opening show
ReviewBook Shorts
The testimonies of 100 artists to the lasting influence of Mies van der Rohe on their work are compiled in this book
Well selected illustrations make clear the connections between the architect’s work and those of contemporary artists
NewsConservation & Preservation
Tefaf awards conservation grants for a Wright interior and a colonial Bolivian painting
V&A and Lacma plan to stabilise and restore works to their original appearance
ReviewBooks
Demanding artists and receptive architects in book about design and function of the studio
This book shows how, from the end of the 19th century to the Second World War, artists collaborated with architects to craft an image of themselves
NewsMuseums & Heritage
New Hampshire museum acquires a rare house by Frank Lloyd Wright
The 1957 home, the Currier Museum of Art's second Wright dwelling, is built in the “Usonian Automatic” style, with rectangular concrete blocks
InterviewFrom the archive
From the archive | Louvre pyramid architect I.M. Pei on the church-like museum he designed for the Goulandris collection
In this 1994 interview, he reveals how he likes art to be displayed, such as natural lighting for Impressionists
NewsOpenings
Paris Museum of Modern Art unveils €10m revamp of Art Deco home
Redesign by h2o architectes opens up 1930s building—with monumental murals by Matisse and Dufy—to disabled visitors
ReviewBook Shorts
History of Dubrovnik before, during and after Yugoslav Wars is recorded in photo book
Contrast of city's devastated buildings and monuments and some of their remarkable restorations is heartening
NewsRedevelopment
Cultural figures rally to save Reading Prison—where Oscar Wilde was once incarcerated—as it goes up for sale
Locals hope to prevent historic site "being gutted and turned into luxury flats" as building is put on the market
BlogIn the frame
The Morgan maps out a garden of enchantment
Plan calls for colourful beds, outdoor antiquities and a lighting scheme to showcase the museum’s architecture
FeatureCollectors
The architects who build art collections: from Phil Freelon to I.M. Pei
While architects and designers are often inspired by the works of artists, their own acquiring habits are as varied as their influences
NewsConservation & Preservation
Poignant online videos showcase 20 sites from Alabama’s civil rights era
World Monuments Fund joins partners in launching an oral history project
ReviewBook Shorts
Stories of New Orleans's opulent cemeteries collected in unusual book of photographs
The urban graveyards of New Orleans are rich in commemorative monuments and sculpture
FeatureArt & Design 2019
Chicago Architecture Biennial reckons with displacement, privation and segregation
Artists’ works address a history of colonialisation and marginalisation and its impact on contemporary urban realities
NewsCathedral of Notre Dame
Laser scan may one day aid Notre Dame’s restorers
A 2010-12 effort to map every inch of the cathedral could help the post-fire reconstruction
NewsCathedral of Notre Dame
Construction on Notre Dame pushed back to 19 August as steps taken to decontaminate site from lead
Construction had been expected to start a week earlier, but new safety measures for the protection of workers are still being tested
ReviewExhibitions
Unfinished quarters of a Bavarian palace create a striking backdrop for contemporary art
Imaginatively curated, the fourth edition of the Königsklasse exhibition is as monumental as the Herrenchiemsee Palace in which it is installed
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
ReviewBooks
The Arts and Crafts special relationship: how the British movement permeated US design culture
Companion book to an exhibition at the University of Texas at Austin offers new dimensions on the vast subject
NewsConservation
A Wall Street lobby restored to its former glory
A vast Art Deco mosaic celebrates the artistry of its overlooked creator
NewsUnesco
In a first, Unesco gives Frank Lloyd Wright buildings World Heritage status
US architect's distinctive designs are among 29 cultural sites recognised for their “outstanding value to humanity”
NewsConservation & Preservation
Going undercover: Scotland's leaky Mackintosh treasure shielded by 197-tonne chainmail box
Hill House in Helensburgh has been covered to protect it from the rain while National Trust makes conservation plans
NewsTurkey
'Game-changer' museum to open in Istanbul in time for city's biennial
Turkish non-profit contemporary art space Arter is relocating to a state-of-the-art exhibition space in Dolapdere district
NewsBuilding projects
New Museum unveils Rem Koolhaas design for addition
Building to rise next door that will double the museum’s exhibition space
NewsConservation & Preservation
Conservation project channels thinking of Angkor’s original builders
World Monuments Fund completes restoration of the eastern half of Phnom Bakheng temple
NewsHeritage
Gaudi’s Sagrada Família secures building permit—137 years later
A deal between the city and the church foundation aims to complete construction work on the architect’s quixotic final project
NewsExhibitions
Exhibition resurrects East Germany's demolished Palast der Republik
Kunsthalle Rostock, the only museum built under the GDR, remembers Berlin's asbestos-riddled parliament building and culture hub
AnalysisArchitecture
Notre Dame is unstable: a strong wind could make the walls collapse, independent report says
The current approach to its restoration fails to take account of the interconnected structural “engineering” of Gothic architecture
NewsConservation & Preservation
Eileen Gray’s and Le Corbusier’s architectural gems reopen after extensive restoration
A Modernist villa and hut in the south of France feature wall paintings by Le Corbusier
NewsArchitecture
Nazi site in Nuremberg to be preserved but not restored
German city launches €85m plan to prevent further decay of infamous rally grounds
BlogAdventures with Van Gogh
Van Gogh's correspondence about famed Art Nouveau architect Victor Horta unearthed
Largely overlooked postscript suggests surprise friendship between the Van Gogh brothers and the young Belgian
NewsObituaries
The Modernist architect I.M. Pei has died, aged 102
The Chinese-American designer created some of the world’s most striking museum projects, including the Louvre’s glass pyramid entrance and the National Gallery of Art’s East Building
NewsExhibitions
Virtual reality tour offers glimpse of François Pinault’s long-awaited, grand Paris gallery
Exhibition at the Palazzo Grassi in Venice shows Tadao Ando’s designs for the Bourse de Commerce building
NewsIndia
David Adjaye chosen to design 'game-changing' contemporary art museum in India
Planned Kiran Nadar Museum of Art in New Delhi will open up 6,000-strong collection to the public
NewsCathedral of Notre Dame
Notre Dame: experts explain why Macron's five-year restoration deadline is impossible
Complex conservation issues mean it could easily take a decade or more to rebuild the Medieval cathedral
Podcast
The Notre Dame fire: what happens next? Plus, Cold War Steve
We talk about the effects of the fire at Notre Dame, the building’s history, and what happens next. And we speak to satirical artist Christopher Spencer, the man behind Cold War Steve. Produced in association with Bonhams, auctioneers since 1793.
NewsCathedral of Notre Dame
Artist Wim Delvoye enters design competition to reconstruct Notre Dame
The Belgian, known for his sculptures in a Northern European Gothic style, is already devising a new spire
CommentCathedral of Notre Dame
Stone is cool: Gothic vaulting probably saved Notre Dame from total destruction
Tragic fire destroys the roof, but vaulting saves the interior
NewsMuseums & Heritage
Fire destroys roof of Notre Dame cathedral in Paris
The spire has collapsed on the medieval landmark
NewsConservation & Preservation
The Getty Conservation Institute maps out a plan to preserve the Eames House
The Los Angeles Modernist home was designed and lived in by Charles and Ray Eames
ReviewBook Shorts
Kings, queens but mostly lesser royal hangers-on: the art-historical story of Kensington Palace
The great building as seen through the generations of its occupants
PreviewExhibitions
Masp retrospective to explore Lina Bo Bardi's legacy and influence on Brazilian art
The Italian architect, who made Brazil her "adopted home", designed the eclectic São Paulo museum in the late 1940s
InterviewNational Museum of Qatar
Jean Nouvel: 'desert rose' Qatar museum blooms against the odds
We speak to the French architect about the search for a national landmark and the hurdles that faced the mammoth project
InterviewArt Basel in Hong Kong 2019
David Chipperfield on his design for West Bund Art Museum in Shanghai
The UK architect talks about working in China and the decline of its "funny-shaped" buildings
NewsOpenings
Lost features of John Soane’s dream country home Pitzhanger Manor restored
Architects, conservation experts and paint archaeologists have collaborated on £12m project to reopen west London house
NewsFondation Pierre Bergé-Yves Saint Laurent
Jasper Conran buys Yves Saint Laurent's Villa Mabrouka in Tangier
The villa was the fashion designer's home in the last decades of his life
FeatureExhibitions
How museums are stepping up exhibition design
A wave of innovative exhibition design has graced our museums in recent years. What are the keys to holding the viewer’s gaze?
NewsConservation & Preservation
Rothko Chapel to be restored, and gain auxiliary buildings
Artist's son says the project will "do right by my father’s vision for the space"
ReviewBooks
A hefty tome on the arts of the Austro-Hungarian belle époque
The extraordinary mitteleuropäische flourishing of all the arts from 1900 to 1914
FeatureLost art
Lost art: should we rebuild sacked castles and ruined palaces?
Noah Charney examines how historic buildings that were needlessly destroyed can live on today
NewsThree to see
Three exhibitions to see in London this weekend
From the dazzling dresses of Dior at the V&A to the grim reality of how architecture can affect your health at the Wellcome Collection
BlogIn the frame
Should a modern extension be tacked on to a 15th-century architectural masterpiece?
NewsMuseums & Heritage
Dresden ballroom returns to gilded glory as part of €300m palace reconstruction
Residential Palace complex, a casualty of Allied bombing in the Second World War, is due to be rebuilt by 2021
NewsConservation & Preservation
Restored Soviet apartment listed on Airbnb takes guests back in time to ‘1930s Russian utopia’
The 35m sq. one-bedroom flat has been carefully renovated to include avant-garde furniture and design
NewsHeritage
Restorers of Nîmes arena expand their sights
Conservation effort now includes passageways and interior
NewsArchitecture
Hala Wardé dismissed as architect of planned Beirut Museum of Art
Difficulties began when the museum asked HW Architecture to work pro bono
NewsArchitecture
California wildfires threaten architectural landmarks and historic sites
The 19th century Sepulveda Adobe and western movie set Paramount Ranch have been destroyed, but the fate of many other buildings remain unknown
NewsConservation & Preservation
Modernism award honours preservation of a French school dating from 1933
Prize goes to firm for restoration of a monument to ‘civic Communism’
InterviewMuseums & Heritage
Tristram Hunt unveils plans for V&A East—the Victoria & Albert Museum's satellite London location
Museum will receive the buildings in former Olympic park for free, director says
NewsRestoration
Urgent revamp of William Morris’s country home to go ahead after £4.3m grant
UK National Lottery award will also fund a new education centre at the Victorian designer’s 16th-century Kelmscott Manor
CommentHeritage
Confronting the allure, and the dangers, of 'fake heritage'
Monetary gain is one reason people create counterfeit heritage—but political power, personal fame or the imposition of beliefs are equally compelling motivations
John Darlington