NewsAcquisitions
UK fails to save painting of 'paramount importance' as Getty export licence is granted
Recently rediscovered 18th-century work by artist Joseph Wright of Derby was bought by the Los Angeles museum in March last year
NewsBrazil
Brazil's culture secretary dismissed after channeling Joseph Goebbels in video promoting national arts prize
Roberto Alvim, a former theatre director, is a die-hard supporter of the far-right president Jair Bolsonaro
NewsAcquisitions
National Portrait Gallery acquires 20 works from collecting couple
Ian and Annette Cumming set out to commission likenesses of people who would remain renowned
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
NewsSaudi Arabia
Desert X AlUla—the inaugural sculpture biennial in a historic Saudi Arabian valley—announces participants
Wael Shawky, Superflex and eL Seed are among the artists who will base works on the ancient history of the region
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
NewsMuseums
Tokyo’s treasure house of Impressionist painting reopens as Artizon Museum
Former Bridgestone Museum of Art will have new focus on creativity through the ages after a three-year renovation
NewsRestitution
Berlin restitutes painting to heirs of 'degenerate' artist for the first time
A portrayal of Lot by Hans Baldung Grien was sold to the Gemäldegalerie in 1937 by Hans Purrmann
NewsBiennials & festivals
Honolulu Biennial switches to triennial format
The next exhibition curated by Hirshhorn director Melissa Chiu will open in February 2022, with a preview symposium held the year before
NewsCrime
Released but still under investigation: Russian couple embroiled in fraud scandal
Igor and Olga Toporovsky linked to controversial show of Russian avant-garde works in Ghent
NewsPark Avenue Armory
Park Avenue Armory to commission 100 women artists for centennial of 19th amendment
Partner institutions across the city will help select artists to commemorate milestone anniversary of womens’ right to vote
NewsPolitics
Russian government quits as Putin rewrites constitution—with the help of key cultural leaders
Directors of the State Hermitage Museum and State Tretyakov Gallery are part of a team enlisted to create laws that will allow the president to remain in power
NewsExhibitions
Cecily Brown will fill grand birthplace of Winston Churchill with images of broken Britain
UK artist says exhibition at Blenheim Palace is a timely opportunity to examine the country's current tumult
NewsExhibitions
Taiwan to host censored Aichi Triennale show
Taipei Museum of Contemporary Art is planning to restage the exhibition, which was partly closed due to violent threats over the inclusion of a 'comfort woman' statue
NewsMoMA PS1
Artists in PS1 Gulf War show urge museum to sever ties with toxic philanthropy
After Michael Rakowitz paused his video, 37 artists have signed an open letter condemning investments by MoMA board members Larry Fink and Leon Black into private prisons, weapons manufacturing and defense firms
NewsVirtual and augmented reality
New Museum and Onassis Foundation join to launch a mixed reality lab in New York
The new venture will offer a dozen artists' residencies and an exhibition space
NewsLucas Museum of Narrative Art
Los Angeles’s Lucas Museum acquires major archive of African American cinema
Although its building is still under construction, the institution is partnering with Lacma on a one-day film programme in South Los Angeles next month
NewsArt law
UK light artist sues Miami botanical garden over 'unauthorised replicas' of his work
Bruce Munro claims the Fairchild Tropical Botanical Gardens intentionally imitated his works for its festive event known as The NightGarden
NewsFrieze
Frieze shake-up: former media boss chosen as company's first CEO
Changes are afoot with both the fairs and the magazine as majority shareholder Endeavor make plans for the future
NewsVenice Biennale 2021
Stan Douglas to represent Canada at 2021 Venice Biennale
The multimedia artist’s sci-fi epic Doppelgänger from the last international exhibition is due to be shown in New York and London this month
NewsPublic art
Living refugees of civil war honoured in New York public art project by Krzysztof Wodiczko
The artist hopes to transform an existing monument with contemporary experiences so there will be “no more need for new war memorials”
NewsCommissions
Korean wave hits the art world: K-pop stars collaborate on major artist projects
Connect BTS will take place across five cities and involve commissions by artists such as Antony Gormley and Tomás Saraceno
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
NewsRestitution
Arts Council England asks for help in returning looted artefacts held in UK museums
Tender opened for guidance around repatriation questions for items including those acquired from former colonies
NewsCatalogues raisonnés
Secret papers on famous artists including Gauguin, Renoir and Monet to be revealed
New York-based Wildenstein-Plattner Institute will digitise fabled Wildenstein archive of sale catalogues, letters and experts’ notes
NewsMuseums
Will new €50m Albertina Modern museum revolutionise Vienna’s contemporary art scene?
Satellite venue of historic Albertina is to focus on Austrian and international art made after 1945
NewsMuseums & Heritage
Director is out at Erie Art Museum
Departure follows New York Times article describing objectionable behaviour with female employees
NewsAppointments
Nazi loot expert joins Louvre to investigate its wartime acquisitions
Hire of French art historian Emmanuelle Polack suggests a more proactive stance on Nazi-era provenance research at Paris museum
NewsArt market
Sotheby’s to auction three Nazi-looted works restituted to Jewish collector’s heirs
Two paintings by Signac and one by Pissarro are expected to fetch as much as £20m
NewsArt crime
Why do courts lack conviction in art cases?
Collapse of Bulmer theft case is just the latest in string of failed art-related convictions
NewsVenice Biennale
Cecilia Alemani appointed artistic director of the 2021 Venice Biennale
The High Line and Art Basel Cities curator is the first Italian woman to hold the position
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
NewsArt education
'Taking us back to the dark ages': UK-Europe exchange programme Erasmus hangs in the balance
Art history academics speak out as impending Brexit deadline threatens European partnership
NewsAlbrecht Dürer
Possible Dürer discovered above souvenir shop in Vienna's cathedral
Experts believe underdrawing in St Stephen’s is first evidence that the master worked in the Austrian capital
NewsContemporary art
Rodney Graham’s Spinning Chandelier creates a ‘class-warfare’ debate in Vancouver
Installation in gentrified area is criticised as artists are priced out of the city's housing market
NewsMuseums & Heritage
Five years after Charlie Hebdo attack, France plans centre dedicated to satirical cartoons
In honour of the victims and to promote the medium, the French culture ministry will create "a meeting, training and exhibition place"
NewsArt market
Tough UK anti-money laundering law comes into force tomorrow—here's what you need to know
The lawyer Kenneth Mullen offers advice to art dealers, agents and galleries who could be unprepared for the hastily enforced new regulations
NewsPaul Cézanne
Drop the accent? Cézanne’s acute dilemma
A campaign to revert the artist's surname to the original Provençal spelling is being led by the artist's grandson
NewsGerman art
How a vast Käthe Kollwitz collection ended up at the Getty
Richard Simms, the 93-year-old donor, built up the enviable collection on a dentist’s salary starting in the 1960s
NewsRestitution
New evidence cited in restitution claim for Panama Papers Modigliani
Dealer Oscar Stettiner’s grandson says painting, now owned by David Nahmad, was looted by Nazis
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
NewsPalais de Tokyo
Artists criticise Palais de Tokyo partnership with Qatari museum over LGBTQ rights
Mathaf's guest show at Paris contemporary art centre marks Qatar-France 2020 Year of Culture
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
NewsConservation & Preservation
Puerto Rico prepares to assess toll of powerful earthquakes
A colonial-era church collapses and more damage to historic buildings is expected
NewsCollectors
Angola freezes assets of billionaire and her art collector husband
Isabel dos Santos, Africa’s richest woman, is married to Sindika Dokolo who has been working for years on repatriating works to the African continent
NewsInstagram
What if 19th-century artists had used Instagram? asks Musée d’Orsay's new artist-in-residence
French illustrator and painter Jean-Philippe Delhomme will post a new image on Paris museum's Instagram account every week for a year
NewsPhotography
Double exposure: new Paris venue to unveil two historic photography collections
Exhibition space will show and sell digital reproductions of images from the archives of the Roger-Viollet agency and France-Soir newspaper
NewsAuction houses
2020 vision: the big year of change for auction houses?
Supported by transformational new technology, the sector is ditching its traditional business model in favour of the luxury goods market
NewsMuseums & Heritage
Cultural heritage officials condemn Trump’s threats against Iranian sites
Meanwhile, an impromptu tribute to the country’s cultural heritage broke out on Twitter, as users posted images of their favourite places
NewsRestitution
How a Nazi-looted painting entered an Israeli museum
Tel Aviv Museum of Art reveals surprising provenance of 19th-century work by Jozef Israëls, which will be restituted to Jewish owner’s heirs in October
NewsAnimal welfare
E-commerce sites accused of fostering trade in ‘blood brushes’
Wildlife trust calls on artists and online markets to help stem illicit sales of Indian mongoose hair
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
NewsDisasters & destruction
National Gallery of Australia closes due to bushfire smoke around Canberra
Director says that decision was taken to protect public and works
NewsPreview
Matisse birth anniversary marked by blockbuster show at the Centre Pompidou
Rarely seen works show how the modern master combined text and image
NewsConservation
How medical experts helped curators discover the hidden secrets of a Senufo helmet mask
Spectral CT scans enabled the Dallas Museum of Art to identify unknown elements in the West African piece
NewsArtists
Damien Hirst sculptures undergo restoration in Gloucestershire ahead of retrospective
Multi-million-pound works spotted outside artist's Stroud studio complex
NewsControversies
Russian collecting couple arrested in Belgium
Igor and Olga Toporovsky linked to controversial show of Russian avant-garde works in Ghent
NewsVenice
Governing body of St Mark’s basilica wants to build a Perspex anti-flood wall
Officials warn cathedral cannot take any more damage after the record-breaking floods that hit Venice in November
NewsYemen
Museum restoration offers rare glimmer of hope in war-torn Yemen
Yemeni authorities and World Monuments Fund team up to repair ruined National Museum in Taiz
NewsTax
Demand for New York's first freeport facility steps up
Increasing numbers of dealers and collectors take advantage of tax-exempt Arcis, the foreign trade zone in Harlem
NewsVandalism
Picasso painting of Dora Maar vandalised at Tate Modern
Conservation team assesses the defaced work; man is charged with criminal damage
NewsComment
As The Art Newspaper turns 30, the question is—will the A-word survive?
"Art" is a loaded term, freighted with associations of class and power
NewsArtists
Yinka Shonibare plans ambitious artist residency programme in Nigeria
The artist's foundation will run spaces in Lagos and Ijebu coinciding with the 2021 Art X Lagos fair
NewsPublic art
Image mocking Australian Prime Minister's Hawaiian holiday raises A$50,000 for fire service
Scott Marsh’s mural on a wall in Sydney was painted over
NewsCathedral of Notre Dame
Notre Dame enters a new and high-risk phase in its restoration
A huge forest of scaffolding, fused by the fire in April, has to be cut away
NewsAwards
UK New Year’s Honours 2020: awards for ceramicist Magdalene Odundo and artist David Shrigley
Turner prize winner Steve McQueen made a knight; museum chief Tim Marlow and curator Ann Gallagher also recognised
NewsMuseums
The Met’s British galleries are radically reimagined for museum's 150th anniversary
Lead curator says relaunch next spring is timely as "the UK is reassessing its role on the European and global stage”
NewsMoney laundering
Is the art trade ready for new EU law calling for tough action on "dirty money"?
Many dealers say new regulations on money laundering will be almost impossible to comply with
NewsMuseums & Heritage
As Nazi objects and fakes enter collectors’ market, should museums show them?
Highly publicised sales and seizures of Nazi memorabilia raise questions about whether such items should be exhibited
NewsExhibitions
Radical performance artist Ulay gets a solo show at Stedelijk Museum
In the years before and after his collaboration with Marina Abramović, he created important works, curators say
NewsMuseums
Sent packing: V&A mission to empty 250,000 objects from Blythe House is on target
West London storage centre will be empty by late 2022 following move to state-of-the-art collection centre in Olympic Park
NewsArtists
Oh no he isn't—artist turns into "panto" horse to highlight absurdity of UK political situation
Roland Carline has modified his exhibition at the Goldsmiths Centre for Contemporary Art
NewsArt market
French government has 30 months to find funding for Cimabue kitchen painting
Culture ministry blocked export of medieval work but will the French state proceed with purchase?
NewsExport policies
UK buyer sought for £8m Gainsborough masterpiece barred from export
Pastoral landscape sold at Sotheby’s was once owned by Royal Holloway college
NewsAppointments
Olympic games supremo Martin Green to lead 2022 post-Brexit UK festival
Conservative government wants £120m event to “celebrate all four nations’ offer to the world”