NewsPolitics
Tom Watson, deputy Labour leader, wants to put 'creativity back at the heart of our classrooms'
Politician also says Brexit will have 'disastrous' consequences for creative industries
News
Washington, DC mayor's office attempts to take control of the city Arts Commission's collection
Staff members found their keys to the city's Art Bank abruptly deactivated as tensions rose between Mayor Muriel Bowser and the commission
BlogIn the frame
Lounging UK politician Jacob Rees-Mogg sends Twitter collagists into a spin
NewsPolitics
The artists at the forefront of Russia's democracy protests
Street art and digital art used as tools of subversion, as artists themselves bear the brunt of a brutal government crackdown
BlogIn the frame
Revealed! UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s arts policy ...from 2004
NewsPolitics
Ai Weiwei: 'Hong Kong is on fire and the world is indifferent'
Chinese artist and activist’s team has been documenting the intensifying anti-government protests over the weekend
InterviewPolitics
Drawing with the ashes of Isis-ravaged buildings: Piers Secunda on the art of destruction
Artist’s works on iconoclasm in Mosul are currently on show at the Imperial War Museum in London
NewsAi Weiwei
Puccini gets political: Ai Weiwei to direct opera in Rome about Hong Kong crisis
The Chinese artist will also design the sets and costumes for the production at the Teatro dell'Opera next year
NewsHong Kong
As crisis deepens, activists stage pro-democracy exhibition in Hong Kong
Show at WMA Space tells the “story of HongKongers” through protest ephemera
NewsPublic art
Vancouver mural memorialises First Nations’ aide to stranded Indian immigrants
The work was unveiled as the name of a Conservative politician behind the Komagata Maru incident was removed from the federal building on which it is painted
NewsMuseums
London mayor Sadiq Khan supports proposal for new slavery museum in the capital
Liverpool slavery museum keen to collaborate on project highlighting UK’s involvement in the trans-Atlantic slave trade
NewsHong Kong
Ai Weiwei sends research team to Hong Kong as demonstrations continue
Speaking to the BBC, Chinese dissident artist says West is unlikely to interfere and he has 'no trust in Britain at all'
NewsFreeports
Freeport debate rages on after UK government commits to establishing ten vast storage facilities
Labour MP Owen Smith calls the tax-free zones “self-storage for art thieves”
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
NewsPolitics
What next? Nicky Morgan appointed UK's new culture secretary
Remain campaigner has said that schoolchildren who focus on arts and humanities are limiting their career choices
AnalysisPolitics
The artistic women in Boris Johnson's life
From his mother to his partners, the UK's new prime minister has been surrounded by people in the arts
NewsPolitics
Artists fearful about the future under new UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson
No deal prospect and track record as London Mayor scrutinised
NewsResidencies
Sudanese political cartoonist Khalid Albaih is the first recipient of the Freedom artist’s residency
The new project, launched by Pen America and ArtX, aims to support at-risk artists
NewsVictoria & Albert Museum
V&A to mount major Iran exhibition in face of US sanctions
Museum’s director Tristram Hunt says securing loans and sponsorship is “more of a challenge” as tension grows between Trump and Tehran
NewsMuseums & Heritage
Cultural divisions deepen in Jerusalem amid Israeli election campaign
Christian institutions are calling attention to their marginalisation in wake of Israel’s focus on Jewish-centric policies
NewsPolitics
Leipzig exhibition ousts artist with alt-right sympathies
Axel Krause’s support for anti-immigration party AfD was a step too far for the organisers, but others say his exclusion suppresses freedom
NewsCensorship
Tania Bruguera fights censorship by launching investigative journalism project in Cuba
The artist and activist, whose School of Integration runs at Manchester International Festival, will organise workshops and awards for new writers
NewsUK politics
Boris Johnson wants to create six freeports and tax-free zones around the UK
Vast storage facilities for high-value items such as art and cars have stoked controversy
CommentWhitney Biennial
Whiteness must undo itself to make way for the truly radical turn in contemporary culture
The New York-based artist Xaviera Simmons responds to art critics who thought the 2019 Whitney Biennial was "not radical enough"
CommentPolitics
'Marmite' Boris Johnson or 'deep cuts' Jeremy Hunt—which would be good for the arts?
The former UK minister for culture, Ed Vaizey, weighs in on which of the two candidates for prime minister would best serve the arts
NewsPolitics
Plan to merge Uffizi and Accademia in Florence stokes row over Italian museums reform
Critics say the move by Italy's populist coalition government will compromise the autonomy of museums
NewsPolitics
What can the arts expect from next UK prime minister?
While Boris Johnson describes himself as a keen painter and Jeremy Hunt spent time as culture minister, the sector is likely to remain far down the agenda
CommentHong Kong
Hong Kong demonstrations are driven by creative spirit
The city's artistic response to the political unrest proves that the best work often comes at times of crisis
NewsBrazil
Bolsonaro hires far-right theatre director to lead federal arts oganisation
Roberto Alvim, who is calling for a conservative artists' database, will close his São Paulo theatre after claiming he was persecuted over political views
NewsRefugees
Dear Christoph Büchel, this is how you provide context
An exhibition about migrant deaths at sea provides the information missing from the Swiss-Icelandic artist’s display in Venice
NewsPolitics
Arty Swiss diplomacy? Embassy of Switzerland in London seeks mediator who can use art for peace
The successful candidate must organise an international symposium in 2021
AnalysisVenice
Where does the cruise ship crash leave Venice?
The mayor demands that liners use other channels to enter the lagoon but this solution also poses problems
NewsPolitics
Italy blocks Steve Bannon’s plans for nationalist bootcamp in medieval monastery
Despite eviction procedures, the US strategist’s collaborator says they will fight to stay in the 13th-century building
NewsArtists
Paula Rego donates abortion etchings to raise funds for Milton Keynes Gallery
Portuguese-born artist says banning abortions is "cruel and unjust" on eve of her first UK retrospective in 20 years
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
News
Macron uses Notre Dame fire to urge unity amid ongoing protests
NewsPolitics
Art world condemns Iran’s ten-year prison sentence for British Council employee Aras Amiri
Curator could be used as a bargaining chip, along with Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe
CommentArtists
Can artists live off art alone?
Only 2% of artists earn more £50,000, a report by the Arts Council England finds
InterviewAdrian Ghenie
Painting is more important than politics: Adrian Ghenie on his Trump-inspired portraits in Venice
Romanian artist, whose show is open at the Palazzo Cini during the Biennale, compares his art market ascendancy to working in porn
NewsVenezuela
Venezuelan art market fractured as coup erupts in Caracas
Once the cultural darling of South America, the country's capital is now a shadow of its former glory as artists and dealers struggle in the face of a military uprising
NewsPolitics
US museum criticises use of Gérôme’s Slave Market in German right-wing campaign
Anti-immigration party AfD is using provocative 19th-century work on its posters for the upcoming European elections
News
Krakow City Council rejects mayor’s plan to merge the city’s two leading contemporary art spaces
Councillors vote down proposal to combine the longstanding Bunkier Sztuki gallery with the Museum of Contemporary Art in Kraków
NewsItaly
Battle over Bannon’s nationalist bootcamp in Italian monastery
Protests against the right-wing group’s takeover of a 13th-century cloister are growing
CommentHavana Biennial
The 2019 Havana Biennial is a smokescreen for government censorship
Art fares poorly when parroting official narratives, especially when that messaging is opposed to the values of free speech and an open society
BlogIn the frame
Oliver Jeffers breaks down borders, butch Irish men and Brexit
NewsContemporary art
Wallinger's upside-down globe outside LSE angers Chinese students for portraying Taiwan as an independent state
British artist says colouring Taiwan differently from China was his "error"
CommentBiennials & festivals
Why we need an independent biennial in Havana
The San Isidro Group of Cuban artists explain their plans for the Bienal Sin 349
NewsContemporary art
German art collective under investigation by state prosecutor
Zentrum für politische Schönheit sees artistic freedom under attack
NewsExhibitions
The Confederate flag of surrender rises in Philadelphia
The artist Sonya Clark aims to make the symbol of truce better known than the more pervasive battle flag
NewsArtists
Boots Riley on the links between art, Surrealism and social justice
The multi-hyphenate, who made his directorial debut with Sorry To Bother You, will speak with Mickalene Thomas at the Baltimore Museum of Art this month
NewsBrazil
Brazil’s art market emboldened by Bolsonaro as São Paulo's SP-Arte fair opens
Controversial president’s economic reforms may prove a boost for the country’s art market, despite worries about censorship
NewsProtest art
Stars Art Group, China's artistic freedom fighters, celebrate 40th anniversary
History repeats for avant-garde Beijing artists reflecting on groundbreaking exhibition and protests in 1979
NewsRestitution
Italy and China team up to fight looting
During president Xi Jinping's visit to Rome, Italy announced that it will return 796 artefacts to China
NewsCensorship
Self-censorship on the rise as Hong Kong grows closer to China
Artists voice concern for Hong Kong’s artistic landscape amid so-called “mainlandification” of the SAR
NewsArt market
‘Stay of execution’ for art shippers as EU extends deadline for permits
A shortage of ECMT permits poses “huge concerns” for British art handlers in Europe
NewsPolitics
Poland’s right-wing government accused of hijacking prize-winning museum
Heated dispute over European Solidarity Centre in Gdansk taking place in the aftermath of the killing of the city’s mayor, Paweł Adamowicz
CommentThe Jewish Museum
Ancient antisemitic tropes are resurfacing—it is time to uncover the myths
New exhibition in London shows negative ideas around Jewish people have a long history, in which artists have played their part—and continue to do so
NewsPolitics
Ukrainian nationalists target lecture at Kiev arts centre as far-right activity rises
Protesters accused of leaving behind swastika graffiti at talk organised by Izolyatsia arts centre
NewsCensorship
Protests against Cuba’s censorship law continue as Havana Bienal opening nears
A new report by the non-profit organisation Pen America calls for the repeal of Decree 349 while Cuban artists ask for solidarity from biennial participants
NewsPolitics
Double Jeopardy? US dealer fights extradition to Poland, for the second time
Alexander Khochinsky’s lawyer calls the country’s actions over a €10,000 looted painting “aggressive and disproportionate” and says his client will not get a fair trial in the “illiberal democracy”
NewsCensorship
Turkish artist Zehra Dogan is released from prison after more than two years
The journalist, accused of spreading propaganda, was backed by Banksy
NewsAfrica
Zimbabwe makes Venice Biennale selections amid political turmoil
Cosmos Shiridzinomwa and Georgina Maxim are the first artists to be confirmed
NewsPolitics
Germany and France to establish joint culture institutes
First four institutes to be set up in Rio de Janeiro, Bishkek, Erbil and Palermo
NewsBrexit
Art world guide on how to deal with 'no deal' Brexit released
Arts Council England publishes advice on movement of art, imports and exports, funding, and travel for artists and professionals in case an agreement is not reached
NewsZimbabwe
Zimbabwe biennial postponed amid political turmoil
As civil unrest and internet shutdowns continue, organisers say they now hope to hold event in 2020
NewsBrexit
UK cultural figures sign letter demanding 'People's Vote' on Brexit
Frieze's Matthew Slotover and Gagosian Gallery's Gary Waterston among signatories
NewsBrexit
'A perfectly engineered catastrophe': artists speak out after Theresa May’s Brexit deal is crushed by parliament
Some, like Mark Wallinger, hold out vain hope for a second referendum, others, like Anish Kapoor, say we must come together to beat mounting xenophobia and intolerance
NewsProtest
Hundreds of Christians protest against McJesus sculpture at Haifa Museum of Art in Israel
Finnish artist Jani Leinonen has asked museum to remove the work—with no response
News
Is an art Cold War thaw coming? US and Russian museum leaders and diplomats to discuss loan freeze
Public conversation to be held in February will address long impasse on museum loans
NewsBrazil
Jair Bolsonaro’s government extinguishes Brazilian ministry of culture
The departments of culture, sports and social development have merged
NewsMexico
What happened to all the art in Mexico’s presidential palace?
A largely emptied Los Pinos opened to the public on 1 December, leaving many in the country wondering where the collection of paintings and decorative objects went
AnalysisThe Year In Review
Vik Muniz: My advice to fellow artists in the face of grim political times
Brazil’s cultural sector must respond to hard-right politics by reconnecting with the wider community
NewsVandalism
Reykjavik's Little Mer-Sausage destroyed and discarded
Phallic-shaped sculpture has both shocked and endeared itself to the public
NewsArt Basel Miami Beach 2018
Tania Bruguera and fellow artists released from Cuban jail
Cuba's culture ministry waters down Decree 349, a new controversial censorship law
CommentUK politics
Politics requires a science degree? Why Boris Johnson's chief strategist is wrong about arts education
“If you are interested in politics you will be far better off if you study maths or physics,” writes aide Dominic Cummings in his blog
John McTernan