PreviewThe Year Ahead 2021
The biggest art exhibitions opening around the world in 2021
The new year's must-see shows include Vermeer and Botticelli blockbusters; major Jasper Johns and Yayoi Kusama retrospectives; and sweeping surveys on Iran, slavery and queer art
NewsAwards
UK New Year’s Honours 2021: awards for artists Michael Landy and Denzil Forrester
Former Tate Britain chief Stephen Deuchar is knighted; curator Lesley Fitton and ceramicist Jennifer Lee also recognised
FeatureObituaries
Remembering Ian Jenkins, a scholar and British Museum curator who enriched all who met him with his passion for classical Greece
He was devoted to rediscovering the history of the museum's ancient sculpture collections and improving the display and understanding of the Parthenon Marbles
NewsBritish Museum
Caffè Nero? The British Museum is looking for help with naming its blockbuster show on the Roman emperor
The survey, with suggestions including “the man behind the monster” and “emperor, tyrant, traitor?”, was sent out to members of the museum’s Friends scheme
NewsMuseums & Heritage
From the Dalai Lama’s tailoring to beekeeping in Kenya, British Museum saves world's dying skills
Endangered Material Knowledge Programme will be extended for seven more years with £8.8m grant from Arcadia fund
ReviewThree to see
Three exhibitions to see in London this weekend
From a chilling show on Arctic culture to Polly Morgan's gorgeously repellent serpentine sculptures
NewsRestitution
Leading Australian activist accuses British Museum of downgrading provenance of Aboriginal shield to prevent restitution
New text accompanying object removes mention that it was collected by Captain James Cook but museum says it doesn't alter its significance
ReviewThree to see
Three exhibitions to see in London this weekend
From transgressive Tantra at the British Museum to a series of artistic interventions in Brent's libraries
NewsBritish Museum
Trove of 'lost' Hokusai drawings acquired by British Museum
103 forgotten works by the renowned Japanese artist resurfaced at a Paris auction after slipping out of sight for more than 70 years
NewsBritish Museums
UK museums are back open—but visitors are staying away
Our data shows that most major London art museums had many available booking slots for next-day entry despite operating reduced capacity
ReviewThree to see
Three exhibitions to see in New York, London and online this weekend
From Jacob Lawrence's Struggle series at the Met to Edmund de Waal's library of exiled authors at the British Museum
NewsMuseums & Heritage
Debate flares as British Museum moves bust of slave-owning founder Hans Sloane
As part of the museum's efforts to address Britain’s colonial past, officials acknowledge that the collector "exploited slaves"
AnalysisLooting
How recent anti-racism protests have pushed a longstanding debate about colonial looting in Europe
As the Black Lives Matter movement goes global, museums face renewed demands to restitute artefacts plundered from Africa
NewsBritish Museum
After 163 days closed, British Museum will reopen on 27 August
The London museum, which will mark its reopening by showing a work by Grayson Perry, will enforce social distancing measures and a daily visitors cap
NewsMuseums
'Time to give back the swag, guys!' British Museum unleashes Twitter storm with statement on Black Lives Matter
London institution was criticised for proclaiming that it "stands in solidarity with the Black community" while continuing to resist calls to restitute colonial-era loot
NewsAntiquities
Two trunkloads of fake Iraqi antiquities seized by UK customs
The international market is now “absolutely awash” with forgeries, says British Museum curator who examined the hoard
NewsBritish Museum
British Museum mistakenly cites ‘all rights reserved’ as biggest postcard producer in Turkey
The error comes as the London institution launches a revamped version of its online catalogue
NewsBritish Museums
UK museums put £500m projects on pause during the lockdown but plan to carry on
Enforced delay due to Covid-19 could add to millions of pounds of lost income in the sector
NewsBritish Museum
Mary Beard wades into restitution debate in her first blog post as a new British Museum trustee
"Museums have always been controversial. Who should be allowed in? And on what terms?" asks the celebrated classicist
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'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
NewsExhibitions
From Modernist nudes to present-day politics: British Museum to reveal its contemporary Middle Eastern art collection
Free exhibition at the London museum in October will show around 150 works that have been collected since the early 1990s
NewsVincent Van Gogh
British Museum shows its only Van Gogh portrait for the first time
The etched portrait of Dr Gachet, who tended to the artist after he shot himself, was donated by the doctor's son
ReviewExhibitions
Three exhibitions to see in London this weekend
From Alina Szapocznikow's haunting sculptures to Shirin Neshat's first London show in 20 years
NewsSponsorship
Climate activists take over British Museum in all-night protest against BP sponsorship
Organisers of the three-day action, the group BP or not BP?, called it the "largest protest in the history of the museum"
NewsLoot
Looted ancient temple sculpture—seized by UK police—will go home to Afghanistan
British Museum and Art Loss Register collaborate over recovery of ancient bull decoration that was consigned to an online auction
NewsBritish Museum
British Museum exhibition to challenge 'salacious stereotypes' around Tantra
Major show will unpick ancient Indian philosophy made famous by Sting’s “eight-hour lovemaking session” claims
ReviewBritish Museum
The Big Review: Troy at the British Museum
With an impressive range of objects, this show evokes the eternal power of the greatest stories ever told
NewsBritish Museum
Climate activists urge British Museum to reject BP funding, as Arctic exhibition announced
Planned show seeks to raise awareness of climate change, but London museum dogged by controversy over partnership with oil and gas giant
PreviewThe Year Ahead 2020
The biggest exhibitions around the world in 2020
From Artemisia to Abramović, Old Masters to Olmecs, and Richter to Roman antiquities—here are next year's must-see shows
Podcast
Troy: the show and the problem with BP sponsorship
We talk about the myth and reality of Troy presented in the British Museum's show and to an activist about ongoing protests relating to fossil-fuel companies' sponsorship of the arts. Produced in association with Bonhams, auctioneers since 1793.
NewsSponsorship
Protestors disrupt VIP preview of British Museum's Troy exhibition
Members of the climate activist group BP or not BP? blocked entry to the museum's show dressed as statues based on Greek mythology
PreviewExhibitions
Troy meets world: London show reconciles myth and reality of ancient city
British Museum exhibition will display work inspired by epic stories alongside artefacts from 19th-century archaeological excavations
NewsExhibitions
British Museum to borrow the Nebra Sky Disc, the oldest portrayal of the cosmos
The artefact will be the focus of a joint exhibition with the Halle Museum of Prehistory
NewsMuseums & Heritage
British Museum knocks Tate Modern off top spot as UK's most popular attraction after miscalculation
Over 300,000 visitors had been missed in the financial year 2018/19 because of 'incorrect light levels caused by a broken light fitting'
NewsMuseums & Heritage
Lack of space at the British Museum sees major loan of Assyrian collection to Getty
Since the closure of a basement gallery in 2006 there is little room to store the whole collection
NewsEthics
How ethical can museums afford to be? We ask five major UK art institutions about funding challenges
We find out how mounting public scrutiny of private money could affect the bottom line of London's National Portrait Gallery, the British Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the National Gallery and the Tate
NewsLoans
Greece in talks with Louvre to borrow Parthenon frieze as part of 'temporary exchange'
Move reignites debate over British Museum’s position on sculptures brought to Britain by Lord Elgin
NewsBritish Museum
British Museum to display hundreds of thousands of archived artefacts in new storage facility
BM Arc will provide the institution with 15,628 sq.m to show its objects in greater context and increase public access
NewsRestitution
Growing pressure on the British Museum as Jamaica is latest government seeking return of objects
Spokeswoman for the London museum says it has not been officially approached by the country over the return of the two objects made by the Taíno people in its collection
NewsAppointments & departures
In damning online critique of British Museum's ethics, trustee Ahdaf Soueif announces resignation
Prominent Egyptian-born writer cites the institution's BP sponsorship, treatment of workers and its silence over restitution as key issues
NewsBritish Museum
British Museum director endorses controversial sponsor BP as part of future vision
Oil company will support one exhibition at the museum next year, but not a show dedicated to the people of the Arctic
NewsWar & Conflict
Art in the time of airstrikes: Yemeni artists urge international donors for support
Symposium at the British Museum, part of the Shubbak festival of contemporary Arab culture, will include artists from war-torn Yemen and Syria
ReviewExhibitions
This carefully selected exhibition of the Paper Museum of Cassiano dal Pozzo is small and perfectly formed
The MA curatorial show at the Barber Institute, Birmingham, challenges many of our assumptions
NewsTroy
British Museum to finally display treasures of Troy in major exhibition—after failing to buy them 150 years ago
The Trojan antiquities went to Berlin after the London museum rejected an offer to acquire them
CommentRestitution
British Museum must recognise its own powers in matters of restitution
Case of Ethiopian tabots shows that trustees' hands are not tied when it comes to the disposal of certain items from the collection
NewsRestitution
British Museum considers loan of ‘invisible’ objects back to Ethiopia
Country has requested return of 11 tabots held in sealed storeroom that the Ethiopian Orthodox Church believes should only be viewed by its priests
NewsEdmund de Waal
Edmund de Waal’s 2,000-book installation of exiled writers will tour to the British Museum
Ceramicist’s installation The library of exile, currently on show in Venice, will also travel to the Japanisches Palais in Dresden
FeaturePodcast
From Despair to The Scream: the genesis of Edvard Munch’s most famous work
On our podcast, the curator of the British Museum’s Munch exhibition tells the story of the Norwegian artist’s anxiety at the blood-red sky he saw above the Oslo fjord, and how it led to a masterpiece
NewsThree to see
Three exhibitions to see in London this weekend
From Munch's angst-ridden prints at the British Museum to Van Gogh's love affair with the UK at Tate Britain
PreviewExhibitions
There is more to Edvard Munch than just The Scream
A British Museum exhibition explores the personal philosophy behind the Norwegian artist’s work, as well as his printmaking techniques
NewsSponsorship
Why is the British Museum still accepting tobacco sponsorship?
London institution has acquired 600 objects thanks to funding from Japan Tobacco International, makers of Benson & Hedges, Winston, Camel and Silk Cut
AnalysisArt's Most Popular 2019
Art's Most Popular: here are 2018's most visited shows and museums
Fashion continues upward trend in the US, shooting to the top of The Art Newspaper's chart, while the British Museum slips from the top spot in the UK
CommentLeaders
What’s in a title? It’s time to reframe the Parthenon Marbles debate
The British Museum's ownership of the statues is only guaranteed within the UK—things get more complicated on an international level
ReviewBook Shorts
Postcards as art and the art of the postcard
Book looks at British Museum’s contemporary artists' postcards from 1960 to the present
NewsProtest
Demonstrators take over British Museum in biggest-ever protest against oil sponsorships
Event, organised by grassroots climate justice group BP or not BP?, highlighted relationship between oil companies and war in Iraq
NewsRestitution
Nigeria calls for return of Lander Stool from the British Museum
Woodcarving was taken from the African country in 1830 by the UK explorer Richard Lander
NewsBanksy
Kerching! Banksy-note enters British Museum
Di-faced Tenner is artist’s first work to join the collection officially—unlike his 2005 cave painting prank
NewsAncient Egypt
British Museum teams up with Louvre for revamp of Egyptian Museum in Cairo
But the disputed treasure, the Rosetta Stone, will remain in London
NewsBritish Museum
Looted ‘cannibal’ bowl will not travel to Quai Branly in Paris for Oceania exhibition
Royal Academy says conservation issues—not restitution fears—mean the ceremonial feast trough can not be loaned
NewsEdvard Munch
British Museum to stage major show of Munch prints
Exhibition in London will be largest in 50 years
NewsBritish Museum
British Museum realises 'vase' is in fact an ancient mace-head displayed upside down
Curators discovered old mistake during research for No Man's Land exhibition
CommentRestitution
Should we relinquish our insistence on privileging original works of art?
Technological wizardry in replication is improving, alongside claims to relocate far-flung treasures
NewsLondon
How the UK has revived its Monuments Men
The CPPU consists of a solitary lieutenant-colonel, but he is recruiting
NewsThree to see
Three exhibitions to see in London this weekend
From the treasures of an Assyrian king at the British Museum to Lorenzo Lotto’s insightful portraits at the National Gallery
PreviewExhibitions
Assyrian warrior king Ashurbanipal rides into London with treasures in tow
Exhibition at the British Museum includes carved ivories and a recreation of his huge library of cuneiform tablets
ReviewBritish Museum
British Museum’s Islamic art finally gets its fairy-tale ending
Restored Victorian galleries, funded by Albukhary Foundation and featuring screens by Ahmad Angawi, have transformed the presentation of the collection
NewsPodcast
Dull, dim and dusty no more: British Museum's new Islamic galleries bring collection out of the shadows
Light and spacious Albukhary Foundation Gallery is a huge transformation for the London institution, says Jane Jakeman
Podcast
Bruce Nauman’s New York takeover. Plus, the British Museum dusts down its Islamic art galleries
We talk to the curator Kathy Halbreich about the giant two-part Bruce Nauman retrospective at MoMA and MoMA PS1. Plus, the specialist in Islamic studies Jane Jakeman reviews the new Islamic displays at London’s British Museum. Produced in association with Bonhams, auctioneers since 1793.
NewsDiscoveries
Painting of courtesan by Kitagawa Utamaro—who influenced the Impressionists—goes on show for first time
Hanging scroll by the shunga master will be displayed in the British Museum’s revamped Japanese galleries
News
From armour to the A-bomb: British Museum's Japanese collection goes back on show
Japan galleries refurbished under new ten-year partnership with Mitsubishi Corporation
News
British Museum’s basement of treasures to remain off-limits
Hidden underground galleries closed since 2006 still house £100m Assyrian relief
NewsThree to see
Three to see: London
Michael Jackson is a thrilling muse at the National Portrait Gallery, while ancient Egypt is given a modern twist at the British Museum
NewsIvory
British Museum accepts collection of 500-plus ivory works—ahead of tough new UK regulations to protect elephants
Donation from the Sir Victor Sassoon Chinese Ivories Trust was not accepted by the museum when it was first offered in the 1950s
News
British Museum rekindles relationship with Zayed National Museum after loan deal ended last year
Under new partnership, the London museum will lend key objects to the new institution in Abu Dhabi
NewsExhibitions
British Museum show focuses on Assyrian antiquities targeted by Islamic State
Loans likely to come from Iran—but works from the Met would not meet London museum's strict borrowing guidelines
NewsConservation & Preservation
British Museum positions itself as a European expert on Korean art with major conservation project
It is the first Western institution to launch a long-term project to study and conserve pictorial art from the country
NewsExhibitions
From Cleopatra to Banksy: satirist Ian Hislop to co-organise British Museum show on subversion
Private Eye editor will select 100 objects highlighting dissent down the ages
NewsLooting
Scotland Yard joins global crackdown on looted pharaonic antiquities
The initiative, which involves governments and the art world, will set up a public database of objects
NewsThree to see
Three to see: London
Rodin takes on the Parthenon sculptures at the British Museum while James Cook sets sail for the British Library
PreviewExhibitions
Rodin’s debt to Parthenon sculptures explored in British Museum exhibition
Eighty marble, bronze and plaster works by French artist are put in dialogue with ancient Greek art
NewsVictoria & Albert Museum
Ethiopia calls on British Museum to return Maqdala treasures on loan like the V&A
Ambassador made request at display opening in South Kensington
Comment300
Then & Now: how The Art Newspaper shaped UK restitution law
Featuring a 900-year-old missal looted during the Second World War
NewsLoans
How Britain tried—and failed—to borrow the Bayeux Tapestry twice before
One attempt was made in 1953 to mark the coronation of Elizabeth II and another for the anniversary of the Battle of Hastings in 1066
NewsConservation & Preservation
Bayeux Tapestry to be conserved in London?
The British Museum has the space and facilities to restore the embroidery, which is returning to England for first time in 940 years
NewsCultural policy
British Museum would be 'honoured and delighted' to display Bayeux Tapestry after President Macron agrees loan
Historic embroidery to leave France for first time since the 11th century
News
British Museum to move storage to Reading
New research facility will provide new home for many of the two million artefacts currently at Blythe House
NewsExhibitions
British Museum sends treasures to Mumbai for grand exhibition of Indian history
Encyclopaedic show was inspired by former director Neil MacGregor's A History of the World in 100 Objects
CommentDiary of an art historian
Museums are about to reopen—but should they?
Social distancing measures mean a lot of money will be spent on a small number of visitors, institutions should be focusing on their online presence instead
Bendor Grosvenor