NewsHagia Sophia
Russia to fund small-scale replica Hagia Sophia in Syria that will be used as a church
Tactical move comes after Turkish president ordered historic Istanbul site to be turned into a mosque
NewsCathedral of Notre Dame
Saving Notre Dame's 'voice': mammoth restoration begins on cathedral's fire-damaged organ
Beginning today, the piece by piece removal and cleaning of the instrument is the latest stage of the building's reconstruction
NewsHeritage
Origins of Stonehenge's giant slabs revealed in new research
Sample taken in 1958 was key in discovering ancient site’s "geochemical fingerprint"
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
NewsDisasters & destruction
Security questions remain after Nantes cathedral blaze: 'There's no European country where church fires are this common'
An arson investigation has been launched into the fire at the Gothic St Peter and St Paul Cathedral in western France
NewsCathedral of Notre Dame
Notre Dame's spire to be rebuilt the way it was—but use of lead likely to spark new controversy
French President Macron makes u-turn after first suggesting the 19th-century spire, which was destroyed in the fire last year, should be replaced by a contemporary design
NewsMuseums & Heritage
UK's historic houses fight for survival post-lockdown after financial crash
Heritage organisations such as the National Trust rely on visitors for most of their income—but they have been staying away
NewsMuseums & Heritage
Facebook and Instagram ban trading of historical artefacts
Heritage group Athar were part of a campaign highlighting the social media giants' “black market in antiquities”
NewsDisasters & destruction
Mining company Rio Tinto apologises for destruction of 46,000-year-old Aboriginal site
Blasting of two ancient rock shelters at Juukan Gorge was authorised in 2013 by Western Australia state government
NewsAntiquities & Archaeology
How Germany’s 4,000-year-old answer to Stonehenge shows that Brexit is 'nonsense'
Pömmelte, sacred site that was used by the ancient Unetice culture, is opening up to tourists
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
NewsArtists
Barbara Hepworth's studio in St Ives gains Grade II listing
Former dance hall was bequeathed to the Tate by the sculptor's family
NewsHeritage
Battle to save concrete Picasso murals in Oslo intensifies after MoMA steps in
“Workers at the Y-Block site have started drilling, but it’s worrying as once they start moving the mural, it will crack,” says co-creator’s daughter
NewsArt & Technology
If the sea destroys Venice, can digital technology rebuild it?
The Art Newspaper is co-hosting a live YouTube discussion on digital innovations and the preservation of cultural heritage on 1-3 May
NewsMuseums & Heritage
Shutdown tests mettle of UK's last major bell foundry
Taylor’s in Loughborough faces uphill struggle in fundraising drive to restore decaying buildings and create new museum
NewsWilliam Shakespeare
The best may be yet to come for Shakespeare monument in Stratford-upon-Avon
Shakespeare Birthplace Trust's £30,000 appeal aims to restore ambitious sculpture of the Bard in grounds of his former home
Newscoronavirus
Virus outbreak delays restoration of Turkey’s Grand Bazaar
The price of gold has also spiked amid scarcity of the precious metal due to the closure of the World Heritage listed market
FeatureCathedral of Notre Dame
Anniversary of Notre-Dame fire: it's safe, but big decisions need to be taken as Covid-19 halts restoration
Rebuilding the roof will be among the main challenges, and the reconstruction of the spire will be among the most controversial
NewsHeritage
Unesco denounces construction project near Lebanon's ancient archaeological site Nahr El-Kalb
In an open letter, the organisation criticises building work in the historic area, which is on the nomination list to become a World Heritage site
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
NewsDisasters & destruction
Zagreb Cathedral’s spire damaged in major earthquake
City is "fighting two enemies" as it continues to deal with the spread of coronavirus
NewsAntiquities & Archaeology
Relics in Kent church are remains of 1,400-year old Anglo Saxon princess, carbon dating suggests
If confirmed, Eanswythe's bones are the earliest identified remains of an English saint
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
NewsParthenon marbles
Leaked draft of EU paper stirs Parthenon Marbles dispute
But the clause is unlikely to refer to the ancient Greek sculptures in the British Museum, expert says
NewsHeritage
Hidden LGBTQ histories of London's royal palaces to come out in new guided tours
Immersive performances will begin this month at Tower of London, with more planned at Hampton Court Palace and Kensington Palace
NewsClimate Change
Heritage on the edge: new Google project reveals climate change damage to Unesco sites
Digital visualisations gathered for online exhibit will be a “blueprint” for heritage managers planning climate adaptation in the future
NewsDerek Jarman
Artists rally to save Prospect Cottage, the house of late filmmaker Derek Jarman
Art Fund leads the initiative to raise the £3.5m needed to purchase the Kent cottage
NewsPablo Picasso
Caught smuggling Picasso on his yacht, Spanish billionaire collector gets €52m fine and 18 months in prison
Jaime Botin, of the Santander dynasty, did not have a permit to export the painting
NewsDiscoveries
Like ‘Tutankhamun’s tomb’: first look inside emperor's sepulchre in 500 years reveals magnificent treasures
Discovery in Vienna's St Stephen's cathedral was made with photographs taken through a small hole in the marble
NewsHeritage
Trump retracts threats against Iranian culture sites saying: ‘I like to obey the law’
The US president’s reversal comes after widespread condemnation and defense officials’ assurances that military would abide by international law
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
NewsConservation & Preservation
Geneva-based foundation Aliph directs $10m to heritage conservation projects in conflict zones
Sites targeted range from a Yemeni palace in ruins to a shrine destroyed by the Islamic State in Iraq
CommentRedevelopment
'A catastrophe for the system of protecting historic buildings': the saga of London's Whitechapel Bell Foundry
Plans to turn the foundry that cast the bells of Big Ben, St Paul’s and Westminster Abbey into a boutique hotel have been put on hold—but they should never have gone ahead in the first place
NewsThe Year in Review 2019
From trafficked treasures to the ravages of climate change: the heritage headlines of 2019
We look back at the biggest stories of the year
NewsConservation & Preservation
Derelict iron flaxmill is brought back to life in Shrewsbury
Building was considered an audacious architectural experiment when it was built in 1797
NewsConservation & Preservation
Castle opening crowns £150m revival of Bishop Auckland
Millionaire Jonathan Ruffer’s ambitious regeneration of a small former mining town in northern England reveals 1,000 years of history and art
NewsClimate Change
Cultural heritage experts rally in Edinburgh to find solutions to climate crisis
Supporters of new international Climate Heritage Network argue that the sector has a “moral duty” to act
NewsMuseums & Heritage
Southampton's new art space takes over tower of 700-year-old city gateway
Exhibition venue and heritage attraction inside Grade I-listed monument God's House Tower is called GHT
AnalysisCathedral of Notre Dame
Inside Notre Dame: a blow-by-blow account of the restoration process
Five months on we look at the steps and measurements implemented by experts to start rebuilding the fire-ravaged cathedral
CommentRestitution
Icom Kyoto 2019 conference: key takeaways from the decolonisation and restitution panel
Discussion argued for community empowerment, new skillsets, and focus on contemporary colonialism
NewsHeritage
Artists demand rethink in rebuilding of Potsdam church where Hitler cemented power
Open letter describes the Garrison Church, damaged in the Second World War, as the symbol of an “unholy alliance” between church, military, and state
NewsConservation & Preservation
New York Public Library shores up its marble lions
Two-month conservation effort for the sculptures follows a public appeal to donors
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
NewsConservation & Preservation
British Library shares conservation experts with Palestinian Museum
New partnership will preserve the Birzeit museum’s most ‘at-risk’ objects on paper
ReviewConservation & Preservation
Quarries, quarrels and a lesbian affair: the life of sculptor Mary Spencer Watson
The Dorset farmhouse in which she lived with her father, the portrait painter George Spencer Watson, has been recently restored by the Landmark Trust
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
NewsMuseums & Heritage
Former Louvre director donates his collection to forthcoming museum devoted to the 'Sun King'
Pierre Rosenberg has pledged his collection of works by Charles Le Brun and other artists to the new museum
ReviewBooks
What was the real purpose of the English country house library?
Mark Purcell's study explores 19th-century bibliomania and rejects the notion that books in historic libraries were "bought by the yard"
NewsHeritage
Planned cable car attraction over Belgrade historic fortress ‘should be suspended’
Kalemegdan served as a military site for the Roman Empire and is a candidate for Unesco World Heritage status
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
NewsHeritage
Anti-Semitic 'Jewish Sow' relief may be removed from Luther’s church
Medieval sculpture on façade of Unesco World Heritage site in Wittenberg is one of around 30 similar pieces across Europe
ReviewBooks
Book review | Recent archaeological finds on Keros bring new authoritative scholarship on Cycladic art
Excavation campaigns on the Greek island have raised questions about our knowledge of Cycladic art and culture
NewsHeritage
Opposition flares as Peru’s government makes way for airport near Machu Picchu
A petition has been launched to prevent the Peruvian government from continuing the project
NewsArchitecture
Nazi site in Nuremberg to be preserved but not restored
German city launches €85m plan to prevent further decay of infamous rally grounds
NewsHeritage
Exhibition of Gormley’s figures repopulates a Greek island’s ancient ruins
Life-size "bodyforms" are positioned amid ancient grottoes, agoras and sculptures
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
NewsHeritage
Sri Lankan government steps in to rebuild St Anthony’s church after bomb attacks
Crowdfunding campaigns have also launched to support victims and restore heritage sites after deadly blasts
CommentCathedral of Notre Dame
In Notre Dame, we find a heritage that invites us to breathe and reflect
A spire competition is the wrong approach
CommentCathedral of Notre Dame
Around the world, the Notre Dame fire inspires sadness, solidarity and anger
The Art Newspaper network, which includes the Giornale dell’Arte, The Art Newspaper France, The Art Newspaper Russia, and The Art Newspaper China, has gathered together comments from three continents
NewsCathedral of Notre Dame
Britain’s historic house owners pledge ancient trees for Notre Dame rebuilding
The cathedral’s roof, wholly destroyed in the fire, was built of some 1300 great trees
NewsCathedral of Notre Dame
Nearly €1bn raised for Notre-Dame over two days
Several charitable and crowdfunding campaigns launched since the fire
NewsCathedral of Notre Dame
Precious works rescued from Notre Dame to be transferred to the Louvre
Crown of Thorns and St Louis tunic are among the artefacts to have been saved, while paintings inside the cathedral will be removed and restored
NewsCathedral of Notre Dame
Trump’s tweets on Notre Dame blaze fall foul of French fire officials
US President proposed water bombing the cathedral but this risks weakening the structure, say experts
AnalysisFrom the archive
Church and State disagree over management of religious heritage in France
The country possesses more than 32,000 churches, 6,000 chapels and 87 cathedrals. Their dual administration has caused serious problems of management and conservation
NewsMonuments
Erdogan says museum and former cathedral Hagia Sophia will become a mosque again
The Turkish president wants the monument to serve as a place of worship flouting international pressure to retain the site’s current neutral status
NewsConservation & Preservation
Fragile inheritance: US museums bridge skills gap in conservation of Chinese paintings
Philanthropic funding assures new training for the next generation of masters to emerge
PreviewExhibitions
St. Louis show sniffs out why Egyptians smashed noses
Exhibition at the Pulitzer Arts Foundation explores how Pharaohs and Christians alike went in for vandalising and “killing” icons
NewsMuseums & Heritage
Greenwich's Painted Hall reopens with day beds for visitors to admire 'England's Sistine Chapel'
Two-year restoration of James Thornhill's dizzying Baroque interior was the largest open-access conservation project in Europe
BlogAdventures with Van Gogh
Discoveries under the floorboards of Van Gogh’s bedroom in Brixton
Mysterious papers were found during the restoration of the south London house in Hackford Road where the Dutchman lodged
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
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
Tristram Hunt