The Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sports and Media, Catherine Martin T.D. has announced the selection of artist, Isabel Nolan, with Georgina Jackson and The Douglas Hyde Gallery of Contemporary Art as the curator, to represent Ireland at the 61st Venice Art Biennale in 2026.
United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that a federal jury has found Berman Jerry Nowlin, Jr. (21, Huntsville, Alabama), a/k/a “Repulse” and “Zayous,” guilty of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering. Nowlin faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison. Sentencing has been set for January 23, 2025.
Bakunin’s Barricade is based on a concept introduced by the anarchist Mikhail Bakunin, and the idea to use the worth of artworks in barricades in order to protect movements from state violence, as officers would not dare to destroy priceless artworks to breach a barricade.
From 17 October 2024 to 24 February 2025, Fondation Louis Vuitton presents “Pop Forever, Tom Wesselmann & …”, an exhibition dedicated to Pop Art, one of the major artistic movements of the 1960s, whose influence continues to be felt across all continents and amongst all generations.
The Advisory Commission on the return of cultural property seized as a result of Nazi persecution, especially Jewish property, chaired by Prof. Hans-Jürgen Papier, decided unanimously on 6 September 2024 in the case of the heirs of George Grosz versus Freie Hansestadt Bremen not to recommend restitution of the painting Pompe Funèbre by George Grosz and the painting Stillleben mit Okarina, Fisch und Muschel by George Grosz to the heirs of George Grosz.
The Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Italy (the “ministry”) and the Cleveland Museum of Art (“CMA”) today announced that, working collaboratively, they have agreed to the transfer of a 13th-century manuscript leaf representing the letter “A” once part of a choral book located at a church near Siena.
The Penn Museum’s Penn Cultural Heritage Center (PennCHC) announced the Museums: Missions and Acquisitions (M2A) Project, an unprecedented three-year national study that will create an evidence-based framework for the future collecting decisions of U.S. museums.
Christie’s announced the 21st Century Evening Sale, taking place live at Rockefeller Center, 7pm on Thursday, November 21, 2024. The sale will be led by Jean-Michel Basquiat’s Untitled, a monumental portrait that sits among the iconic artist’s most impressive and outstanding works.
Ashfika Rahman (35, Bangladesh) is the main prize winner of the 7th Edition of the Future Generation Art Prize. Tara Abdullah Mohammed Sharif (27, Iraq), Bekhbaatar Enkhtur (29, Mongolia), Dina Mimi (29, Palestine), Hira Nabi (36, Pakistan), Ipeh Nur (30, Indonesia), Zhang Xu Zhan (35, Taiwan) received the special prize.
On view at the Getty Villa Museum from November 4, 2024, to March 3, 2025, the exhibition will feature over 200 objects, including skillfully crafted gold, silver, and bronze metalwork, pottery, inscriptions, stone reliefs, and other artworks reflecting Thrace and its connections to other ancient cultures in the Mediterranean and beyond.
A statue of Emmeline Pankhust, the suffragette leader, in Manchester got the Just Stop Oil treatment today with a speech bubble and high viz vest. Just Stop Oil is demanding that the UK government work with others to end the extraction and burning of oil, gas and coal by 2030.
Creative outlets enrich our lives. Studies show engaging in artistic hobbies improves mental well-being and boosts happiness. They require little in the way of specialized tools or extensive training, allowing you to express yourself freely and easily explore your creativity.
A passage in the Norse Sverris Saga, the 800-year-old story of King Sverre Sigurdsson, describes a military raid that occurred in AD 1197, during which a body was thrown into a well at Sverresborg Castle, outside Trondheim in central Norway, likely as an attempt to poison the main water source for the local inhabitants.
In December 2019, Maurizio Cattelan’s Comedian captivated the world in its debut at Art Basel Miami Beach. Comprised of a banana fastened with duct tape to a wall, the artwork quickly erupted into a viral global sensation that left a lasting impact on the contemporary cultural consciousness.
Endeavor Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: EDR) (“Endeavor” or the “Company”), a global sports and entertainment company, today announced that it has commenced a review and potential sale of certain events within its IMG portfolio, including but not limited to Frieze, the world’s leading platform for modern and contemporary art.
Police in Poland are searching for unknown perpetrators who appear to have found a hoard of over 100 Bronze Age objects during an illegal dig and then left them outside a local historical society. The items, which include 3,000-year-old jewellery and weapons, are now in the possession of the authorities.
Collectors Jan Dees and René van der Star have donated to the Rijksmuseum a wide-ranging and world-class collection of modern Japanese lacquer comprising 90 objects. They previously donated their kimono collection, seven room dividers and their collection of Southeast Asian fabrics to the Rijksmuseum and the Royal Asian Art Society in the Netherlands.
The V&A announced that its new working store and free visitor attraction, designed by world-renowned architects Diller Scofidio + Renfro, V&A East Storehouse, will open to everyone on 31 May 2025, as part of East Bank, the new cultural quarter in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
A sister painting of Turner's ‘Venice from the Canale delle Giudecca with the Church of Santa Maria della Salute’ has been discovered in Vienna. This scientific result was announced today. In a comprehensive publication, experts explain the art-historical background and scientific image analysis. It is planned to sell Turner's masterpiece.
For the first time in history the Anne Frank House will present a pioneering experience outside of Amsterdam to immerse visitors in the rooms where Anne Frank, her parents and sister, and four other Jewish inhabitants spent two years hiding to evade Nazi capture and where she wrote her famous diary.
Philippe Vanderpoorten is a passionate Belgian collector of African tribal art, particularly from Congo. Philippe's fascination with the continent's rich cultural heritage started at an early age. His years spent living in South Africa further deepened his connection to African traditions.
Thanks to the precious contribution of the Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museums, and after delicate restoration works that lasted almost five years. the celebrated and priceless sculpture dating back to the early decades of the second century, is now open to public viewing again.
The Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford, is raising funds to purchase a painting of the crucifixion by the Renaissance Master Fra Angelico dating to the 1420s which, due to its cultural and art historical importance, has been barred from export and is at risk of leaving the UK unless a domestic buyer is found. 'The Crucifixion' has been in a private British collection for over 200 years and is valued at over £5 million for the open market. The Museum has until 29 October to raise £4,481,000 to buy the painting in a private treaty sale. So far, over £3.1 million has been secured, including lead donations from major donors, a circle of over 25 supporters and a significant grant from Art Fund, with several grant applications pending.
Museum Cobra appointed Suzanne Wallinga as its new general director. Together with financial director Cor Dinkgreve, she will form the museum’s new board of directors from October 1, 2024. Her appointment marks a new chapter for Museum Cobra, in which her vision and refreshing approach will further strengthen the museum.
For the first time in its history, Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna is dedicating a major special exhibition to Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn (1606–1669). Never before has it been possible to admire such an abundance of major works by the master, one of the most important Dutch Baroque painters, in Austria. The exhibition takes a special approach in contrasting Rembrandt’s paintings with works by his brilliant pupil Samuel van Hoogstraten (1627–1678).
The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Art Crime Team, the New York and New Orleans Field Offices, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana today announced the repatriation of a Claude Monet pastel on paper, “Bord de Mer.” The artwork was looted by the Nazis during World War II, and the original owners and their heirs have spent decades searching for their belongings.
An artwork was recently discovered in a rubbish bin at the LAM museum in Lisse, Netherlands, where it had been thrown away by a lift technician who mistook it for abandoned litter. The piece, created by French artist Alexandre Lavet, consists of two meticulously hand-painted beer cans.
A joint Egyptian-German archaeological mission from Sohag and Berlin University has discovered the burial chamber of a woman named Edi, daughter of Jifai-Hapi who was governor of Assuit in Upper Egypt during the reign of King Senusret I of the 12th dynasty (1991–1778 BC).
The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art launched a global open call to find an outstanding architect-led team for a world-class expansion that will transform the museum with a dynamic, open, and inviting design. The goal of the expansion is to attract new audiences and design a center that speaks to community, creating a museum for all.
The Sharjah Biennial 16 title, to carry, is a multivocal and open-ended proposition. The ever-expanding list of what to carry, and how to carry it, is an invitation to encounter our different formations and positions and to gather a constellation of resonances.
On 19 September, on the margins of the G7 Culture Ministerial in Naples, Italy, the Director-General of the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM) Aruna Francesca Maria Gujral and Acting Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Lee Satterfield signed a grant agreement for $1 million grant through the U.S. State Department’s Ukraine Cultural Heritage Response Initiative.
The heirs of art historian Abraham Bredius, who passed away in 1946, are demanding the return of several artworks from the Mauritshuis museum. Their lawyer confirmed this following a report by NRC. The museum in The Hague allegedly has not upheld agreements regarding the exhibition of the works, which include masterpieces by Rembrandt.
Just Stop Oil supporters have thrown soup over two of Vincent Van Gogh’s Sunflowers paintings at the National Gallery in London in a sign of defiance after the original soup throwers, Phoebe Plummer and Anna Holland were imprisoned for up to two years at Southwark Crown Court today.
Art isn't confined to the walls of galleries or the pedestals of museums. It flows through every facet of daily life, influencing moods, sparking conversations, and inspiring creativity. This pervasive presence of art makes it a crucial part of human experience, shaping the way people see the world and interact with it. Understanding the role of art in everyday life can open new perspectives and appreciation for the subtleties that enrich our routines.
Mehmet Emin Sualp, a villager in Turkey's eastern Elazığ province, discovered an 84-square-meter single-piece mosaic floor depicting natural life in August 2024 while digging holes to plant saplings on a field. Experts dated the floor back to the Roman and Early Byzantine periods.
With a goal of $2.5 billion, the Campaign for Our Shared Future is the largest campaign in Smithsonian history and represents the largest amount to be raised in a campaign by a cultural organization. It will culminate in 2026 with the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
In keeping with close bilateral ties and to foster greater cultural understanding, the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, and the Archaeological Survey of India under Ministry of Culture, Government of India had signed a Cultural Property Agreement in July 2024 to fulfill the commitments made by President Biden and Prime Minister Modi to enhance cooperation to protect cultural heritage, as reflected in the Joint Statement issued after their meeting in June 2023.
Vienna-born curator Fanny Hauser has been named the next director of the Kunsthalle Zürich, taking the place of Daniel Baumann, who will be leaving the museum after ten years to work on curatorial projects independently, the museum announced. Hauser will start the new position in January 2025.
UNESCO is deeply concerned about the recent reports of possible looting and damage of several museums and heritage institutions in Sudan, including the National Museum, by armed groups. The Organization calls on the international community to do its utmost to protect Sudan's heritage from destruction and illicit trafficking.
Artistic freedom is under increasing political and social pressure, and within this context, MUNCH has created a new annual award of NOK 300,000 / £20,000 to recognise an artist who has distinguished themselves with courage and integrity throughout their career.
An Egyptian archaeological mission, led by Dr. Ahmed Said El-Kharadly from the Supreme Council of Antiquities, has uncovered a series of mudbrick architectural units, including military barracks for soldiers and storage rooms for weapons, food, and provisions from the New Kingdom era.
The Roswitha Haftmann Prize honours the lifetime achievements of exceptional artists. Worth CHF 150,000, it is Europe’s best-endowed art award. Zarina Bhimji is its 22nd recipient. Previous winners have included Walter De Maria, Maria Lassnig, Robert Ryman, Cindy Sherman, Robert Frank, VALIE EXPORT and Cildo Meireles.
The Obama Foundation announced the installation of an 83 ft. x 25 ft. commissioned work of art by world-renowned Ethiopian-American artist Julie Mehretu. The piece, titled “Uprising of the Sun,” is now featured on the north facade of the future Obama Presidential Center’s Museum Building.
Charline Tyberghein, a notable Belgian artist, graduated from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp in 2018. That same year, she received the prestigious KoMASK Masters Salon Painting Award, an international prize recognizing the best master’s student in the arts.
The Council of Europe Framework Convention on artificial intelligence and human rights, democracy, and the rule of law (CETS No. 225) was opened for signature during a conference of Council of Europe Ministers of Justice in Vilnius. It is the first-ever international legally binding treaty aimed at ensuring that the use of AI systems is fully consistent with human rights, democracy and the rule of law.
Gao Zhen was arrested in his studio in Beijing while he was back visiting family. According to his lawyer, he could be charged with ‘damaging the reputation or honour of heroes and martyrs’. The ruling Communist Party is tightening its grip on the narrative of history.
Pipilotti Rist will be awarded the prestigious Sikkens Prize 2024 representing a sum of 75.000 euros during a festive meeting in Museum Boijmans van Beuningen and Kunsthal Rotterdam. The jury praises the leading Swiss artist for, among other things, the phenomenal way in which she uses colour in her work and how, as a pioneer in video art, she has paved the way for younger generations.
The Rijksmuseum has acquired a first edition of Maria Sibylla Merian’s Metamorphosis Insectorum Surinamensium, her illustrated natural history of Suriname. Published in 1705, it is Merian’s masterpiece and a high point of Dutch book production in the 18th century.
James McNeill Whistler's first portrait commission, Portrait of Lucas Alexander Ionides, comes to Bonhams 19th Century British and Impressionist Art sale on 25 September at Bonhams New Bond Street, London. This is the first time that the work has been on the market in nearly 60 years. It has an estimate of £80,000 - 120,000.
Over five years in the making, the move of V&A collections from Blythe House to V&A East Storehouse, a 16,000m2 purpose-built home and first of its kind in the UK to provide open public access to collections through self-guided tours and changing displays, is now complete.
After a bidding war that lasted more than six hours, the New York Yankees jersey Babe Ruth wore when he called his shot to deep center field in Game 3 of the 1932 World Series sold early Sunday morning at Heritage Auctions for $24,120,000 to become the world’s most valuable sports collectible.
Victoria Siddall has been appointed as the new Director of the National Portrait Gallery in London, marking a significant leadership shift for the renowned institution. The announcement was made on Wednesday, 28 August 2024, following approval from the Prime Minister, and Siddall is set to assume her new role in the autumn.
The Allentown Art Museum has entered into an agreement with the heirs of Henry Bromberg, who sold works from his collection while fleeing Nazi Germany, including Portrait of George the Bearded, Duke of Saxony (ca. 1534) by Lucas Cranach the Elder and workshop. The painting was purchased by the Museum from a New York gallery in 1961 and has been on view at the Museum since.
The international curatorial collective "What, How and for Whom/WHW", consisting of Ivet Curlin, Natasa Ilic und Sabina Sabolovic, is the new artistic director of Skulptur Projekte 2027. The appointment of the collective thus marks a turning point in the history of the exhibition. For the first time, it is in the hands of women alone.
In East Asian cultures, the arts of poetry, calligraphy, and painting have traditionally been referred to as “the three perfections.” A selection of works spanning the three forms of art—all created in Japan over the course of nearly a millennium—will be displayed in the exhibition The Three Perfections: Japanese Poetry, Calligraphy, and Painting from the Mary and Cheney Cowles Collection, opened August 10, 2024, at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
That’s the rallying cry heard throughout Deadpool & Wolverine, which became the highest-grossing R-rated movie ever just days after its July 26 release. It’s also the perfect reaction to the news that Heritage Auctions is offering for sale the original artwork Rob Liefeld penciled and inked for the cover of New Mutants No. 98, which introduced Marvel Comics’ Merc With a Mouth.
Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine’s Ombudsman, called on the UN to respond to Russia’s destruction of Ukrainian cultural heritage, including the Ancient City of Tauric Chersonese. It is Crimea’s unique historical and archaeological monument included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Amsterdam’s Kunstverein has published an open letter signed by the leaders of arts institutions in support of the Kunstverein after it was recently denied government subsidies owing to “lack of budget” despite receiving a positive rating from the Mondriaan Fund.
The Whitney Museum of American Art announces that the next Whitney Biennial will be co-organized by Museum curators Marcela Guerrero and Drew Sawyer. Guerrero, the DeMartini Family Curator, and Sawyer, the Sondra Gilman Curator of Photography, will lead the development of the eighty-second edition of the Museum’s landmark exhibition series, set to open in spring 2026.
MGLC, the International Centre of Graphic Arts, is pleased to announce the appointment of renowned curator, lecturer and researcher Chus Martínez as Artistic Director of the 36th Ljubljana Biennale of Graphic Arts (2025). The 2025 edition takes place June 6–October 12, 2025.
Bonhams announces Chabi Nouri as Global CEO of the international auction house. Nouri, who will be based in Bonhams’ headquarters in New Bond Street, London, will take up the position in October 2024 at the 14-saleroom auction house.
This September, Musée Rodin in Paris will open its first international outpost – in China. The French museum’s two existing sites in central Paris and in nearby Meudon, in the villa where Auguste Rodin lived until his death in 1917, are well-known cultural destinations thanks to the fame and influence of the sculptor behind The Thinker (1904) and The Kiss (1882).
For the fourth High Line Plinth commission, Iván Argote presents Dinosaur (2024), a colossal, hyper-realistic sculpture of a pigeon cast in aluminum. Dinosaur was first submitted as a proposal for the High Line Plinth in 2020, among 80 proposals that included the third High Line Plinth commission, Pamela Rosenkranz’s Old Tree (2023).
In a River a Thousand Streams is a major new public artwork that was unveiled at London Bridge Station on Wednesday 24 July. The 57-metre mosaic mural is the result of a collaboration between London School of Mosaic (LSoM) and AA alum Adam Nathaniel Furman, and explores themes of craft, community and collaboration.
20 Items of significant cultural importance were returned to the Warumungu community of Tennant Creek in the Northern Territory, Australia. The permanent, voluntary, and ethical return of the items by the Fowler Museum at UCLA, a renowned museum dedicated to global arts and cultures with an emphasis on Africa, Asia, the Pacific, and the Indigenous Americas, was initiated by the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS).
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr., and Special Agent in Charge Ivan J. Arvelo of Homeland Security Investigations, New York, announced the return of an eleventh artwork to the family of Fritz Grünbaum, an Austrian-Jewish cabaret performer whose art collection was stolen by the Nazi regime.
Palestinian archaeological site Tell Umm Amer has been added to the Unesco World Heritage List. Its inclusion comes after an emergency nomination due to the Israel-Gaza war. The announcement was made as part of the ongoing session of the organisation's World Heritage Committee, which runs until Wednesday in New Delhi.
The Justice Department has reached an agreement with “Jasmine” Loo Ai Swan (Loo), the former general counsel of 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), Malaysia’s sovereign investment development fund, to recover artwork by Pablo Picasso and a financial account in Switzerland traced to funds allegedly embezzled from 1MDB.
Renowned Egyptologist Zahi Hawass has announced that the "Zahi Hawass Foundation for Antiquities and Heritage" will launch a large popular campaign in September to demand the return of Nefertiti's bust, the Rosetta Stone, and the planetarium from abroad to Egypt.
The heritage-protected architectural icon of the Kunsthalle Bielefeld from the 1960s needs to be energetically renovated and future-proofed. The goal is to implement a package of measures that leverages the unique, historic spaces and allows for forward-looking museum work.
Over 50 paintings, drawings and sketches by artists Norman Cornish and LS Lowry will be showcased at The Bowes Museum from 20th July 2024 – 19th January 2025. This major new exhibition includes 35 rarely or previously unseen artworks by the artists who shared a strong love of the north which was the focus of so much of their work, and who have a history of exhibiting together.
The Natural History Museum’s transformed gardens will welcome visitors from 18 July. Fern, a brand-new bronze Diplodocus, takes pride of place in a Jurassic landscape. The gardens will also be one of the most intensively studied urban nature sites globally, as part of the Museum’s national biodiversity movement
Stephen Aragabada's work, Secrets, was shown in the Rodney episode of the Netflix hit series Supacell and stands out distinctly in both style and technique. He also caught the attention of American celebrity collector, Alicia Keys who described his work as “Gorgeous”. Since the acclaim, Aragbada has racked up teeming interest, bringing an excitement that anticipates the evolution of his distinct representation of Blackness in contemporary Africa.
18 Inspirational art installations will feature artists from New York and Beyond, supporting port authority and JFK millennium partners’ vision to transform the passenger experience at JFK. Sculptures, suspended installations, wall works, and glass mosaic floor medallions will create a unique New York sense of place
The V&A has successfully raised the £2 million cost to acquire and save a rare 12th-century walrus ivory carving, depicting the Deposition of Christ from the Cross, for the nation, following a temporary export bar placed in November 2023 by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
Bill Viola passed away peacefully at home on July 12th, at the age of 73. The cause was Alzheimer’s Disease. Viola is survived by his wife and longtime creative collaborator, Kira Perov, Director of Bill Viola Studio, sons Blake and Andrei Viola and daughter-in-law Aileen Milliman.
Portrait art has long captivated audiences with its ability to capture not only the physical likeness but also the essence of its subjects. Some portraits have transcended their time, becoming iconic pieces that continue to influence and inspire. By exploring several famous portraits, we gain a deeper appreciation of how portrait art shapes our understanding of history, personality, and artistic innovation. These masterpieces offer a glimpse into the lives and times of their subjects, revealing the artistic brilliance and cultural significance behind each work.
Young V&A has been announced as Art Fund Museum of the Year 2024. Dr Helen Charman, Director of Young V&A, was presented with the £120,000 prize – the largest museum prize in the world – by Vick Hope, broadcaster and judge for Art Fund Museum of the Year 2024, at a ceremony at the National Gallery, London.
Pumpkin (2024) marks a return to Serpentine for Kusama which was the location of her first retrospective exhibition in Britain in 2000. This major survey included paintings, collages, watercolours, sculptures, documentation of performances and films, all of which explored Kusama’s obsessions with dots, nets, food and sex.
Art Basel announced the participating exhibitors and first details of its 2024 edition in Miami Beach, taking place from December 6-8, 2024 at the Miami Beach Convention Center. Led for the first time by Bridget Finn, Art Basel's stalwart fair in the Americas will host 283 galleries from 34 countries and territories presenting the best of their world-class programs, including 32 first-time participants, marking the fair's biggest cohort of newcomers since 2008.
A team of scientists co-led by researchers from Australia’s Griffith University, the Indonesian National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) and Southern Cross University has discovered and dated a cave painting on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi that may be the oldest known evidence of storytelling in art, with the findings published in the journal Nature.
Six outstanding international contemporary art experts have been appointed to documenta 16's new Finding Committee, unanimously approved by the Supervisory Board upon recommendation of the Managing Director. The Committee brings together Yilmaz Dziewior, Sergio Edelsztein, N'Goné Fall, Gridthiya Gaweewong, Mami Kataoka, and Yasmil Raymond.
Dutch artist Jacqueline de Jong died on Saturday at the age of 85. She was active in her career right up until she was admitted to the Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital in Amsterdam a week ago, said gallery owner Jaring Dürst Britt, who confirmed a report in the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf.
These publications are the result of the first two writers' residencies organised by the Museo Nacional del Prado with the sponsorship of Fundación Loewe and the collaboration of the magazine Granta in Spanish. Among the aims of the residencies is the creation of a short story inspired by the time the authors spent in the museum.
Costume and accessories on loan from Taylor’s personal archive will be on display, from customised cowboy boots worn during her breakout success as a country singer in 2007, to the jet-black ruffled shoulder dress worn in the most recent music video for her single Fortnight (2024).
The Emil G. Bührle art collection has been the subject of intense debate in Zurich for several years. The conflict is much older than the new building extension to the Kunsthaus Zürich, but it has become particularly heated with its opening in October 2021, when the collection was presented to the public.
Thomas Taylor's original watercolour illustration for Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, achieved a record-breaking $1.9 million today at Sotheby’s, becoming the most valuable Harry Potter item ever sold at auction. The illustration was chased by four bidders on the phone and online for nearly ten minutes before selling to applause.
Escher in The Palace has acquired a unique work by Maurits Cornelis Escher. When the woodcut of a white cat was being removed from its frame, a previously unknown text by M.C. Escher himself was discovered. The text has been examined and interpreted over the past few months.
Seemingly, what two completely different realms of art and psychic reading have in common? However, they showcase more points of intersection than we might imagine. From tapping into the deepest layers of the subconsciousness to sharpened sensitivity to the unseen, both fields provide profound insights and impact experiences.
As an organization committed to protecting the freedom of thought, expression, and inquiry, the National Coalition Against Censorship is alarmed by the decisions of three U.S. museums—the Pérez Art Museum Miami, the Minneapolis Museum of Art, and the Joslyn Art Museum—to cancel or postpone plans to exhibit artwork by Kehinde Wiley.
An Egyptian-Italian archaeological mission has uncovered early this month a group of 33 previously unknown Graeco-Roman family tombs in the vicinity of the Aga Khan Mausoleum at Aswan’s west bank. The discovery sheds light on the diseases inhabitants of that era had suffered, WAM reports.
Vincent van Gogh painted Head of a Woman in March-April 1885. He was practicing painting to eventually create an intricate composition such as The Potato-Eaters. That work is considered the absolute highlight of Van Gogh's Brabant period, before he left for Paris.
From June 20th to July 25th, 2024, New Zealand artist Michael Dell will be showing a new series of mesmerizing abstract paintings and drawings at Ronewa Art Projects in the exhibition Distant Pictures. We chatted with Dell about the cinematic inspiration for this series, his process-led approach to art-making, and the fine details contained in the remnants of this process.
The Centre Pompidou has unveiled that Moreau Kusunoki in collaboration with Frida Escobedo Studio and AIA have won the architectural competition to complete its renovation set for completion in 2030. The DNA of the iconic Parisian structure designed by Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers will be preserved, with an eco-responsible approach that will revitalize the complex for contemporary use over the course of five years.
The Zürcher Kunstgesellschaft, the patron association of the Kunsthaus Zürich and owner of its collection, n 5 June 2024 agreed with the heirs of the Jewish industrialist and art collector Carl Sachs on a ‘just and fair solution’ for the painting ‘L’Homme à l’ombrelle’ by Claude Monet. This is an important step in the systematic implementation of the new provenance strategy which the Kunsthaus Zürich presented in March 2023. The work is now to be sold under the terms of the amicable agreement.
This collaborative approach mirrors the interactive learning experiences in museums, fostering critical thinking and a sense of community. Sharing notes helps students compare insights, deepen their understanding, and support each other's academic growth, making learning a more engaging and comprehensive journey.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg Jr. today announced the indictments of Yincheng Wu, Grace Hu and Merces Gallery LLC, for illegally selling thousands of dollars’ worth of illegal elephant ivory through online auctions. YINCHENG WU, GRACE HU, and MERCES GALLERY LLC are each charged in a New York State Supreme Court indictment with three counts of Illegal Commercialization of Wildlife.
For nearly thirty years the Gallery has been inviting primary school children nationwide to focus on one painting from the collection and respond creatively, following their own questions and ideas, and this year’s programme has been the biggest yet: 300 schools took part – more than a 60% increase from last year.
This year’s Art Basel concluded on Sunday, June 16, with impressive sales across all market segments and a total of 91,000 visitors. Maike Cruse, the new director of Art Basel, highlighted the exceptional quality of the exhibited works and the positive response from collectors worldwide.
Coming to the market for the first time in more than 145 years, Titian’s early masterpiece Rest on the Flight into Egypt will headline Christie’s Old Masters Part I sale on 2 July 2024, presenting a very rare opportunity for buyers to become part of the next chapter in this fabled picture’s remarkable story (estimate: £15,000,000 – 25,000,000).
The temporary association noAarchitects, David Kohn Architects with Asli Çiçek may design the expansion and renovation of S.M.A.K. The design proposal includes a second museum building, for the permanent collection. The entrance to both museum buildings will be in the Floralia Hall, which will have a central role in Citadel Park.
Affordable housebuilder, Orbit Homes, recently unearthed over 18,800 historical artefacts after excavations at its Calthorpe Gardens development discovered archaeological evidence dating from the Prehistoric Mesolithic, Late bronze Age-Middle to Late Iron Age, and through to early Anglo-Saxon times.
Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (MAA) arrived in Entebbe airport with 39 artefacts from the communities and kingdoms of Uganda that have been in the collections in Cambridge for a century or more. These artefacts have been placed in the care of the Uganda Museum on a long-term loan, where they will be the focus of a programme of research and consultation, and a major exhibition in 2025.
The Anne Frank House has received a special donation from Jacqueline Sanders-Van Maarsen: her autograph book with a handwritten verse by Anne Frank, dated 23 March 1942. The now 95-year-old Jacqueline has carefully preserved the album with Anne’s verse over the years as a testament to their deep friendship.
A former Vatican employee has been arrested in a sting operation and is currently behind bars awaiting formal charges for trying to sell back a manuscript he allegedly pilfered from the archives of St. Peter’s Basilica, the Vatican confirmed last Thursday, after the incident was first reported in the Italian newspaper Domani.
Tate announces its programme of exhibitions for 2025 across Tate Modern, Tate Britain and Tate St Ives. It includes the UK’s first major museum shows for Emily Kam Kngwarray, Ithell Colquhoun, Leigh Bowery, Liliane Lijn and Ed Atkins, a landmark survey of Nigerian Modernism, and exhibitions and commissions covering every medium from paintings, sculptures and photographs to digital installations and live performances.
The International Council of Museums (ICOM) is appointed Medea Sógor Ekner as the Director General, effective immediately. With extensive experience in the museum sector and strong leadership skills, Medea Ekner is well suited to lead ICOM into a new era of renewal and innovation.
Rijksmuseum researchers have discovered the true identity of an Amsterdam couple in portraits by Frans Hals: they are Amsterdam’s mayor Jan van de Poll and his wife Duifje van Gerwen. This is the only pair of pendant marital portraits of an Amsterdam couple painted by Frans Hals. Jan and Duifje travelled to Haarlem around 1637 to sit for the painting.
Selecting the ideal art school is a pivotal decision that can shape your artistic journey. As a writer specializing in education at Academized, I've gained valuable insights into this process. In this post, I'll share practical tips to help you navigate the art school selection process with confidence and find the perfect fit for your creative aspirations.
Visual artist Stephanie Cime's series "Drops of I Am", is captivating audiences in Belgium's busiest shopping district with an inflatable based on her series "Drops of I Am". This body of work encourages viewers to challenge preconceived notions, embrace radical authenticity, and find beauty in imperfection. This article contains a meditation !
Fotografiska, the contemporary museum of photography, art, and culture, will relocate its New York location to better meet the needs of its visitors and expand gallery space in response to the ambitious visions of the artists it presents globally. After five years of strong ticket sales and a highly- engaged membership base, the last day in its current building will be September 29th, 2024.
Taiwanese artist and filmmaker Chia-Wei Hsu is the winner of the 10th Eye Art & Film Prize (2024). In his work, Hsu probes the cultural history and geopolitics of Southeast Asia. The jury is impressed by how ‘he weaves these big themes with small, personal stories, bringing forgotten histories back to life and opening up new perspectives to his audience.’
The Albertinum in Dresden has acquired an installation by artist Markus Draper. The work "House near a large forest" was acquired for the museum by a couple living in Berlin, Draper told the German Press Agency. The starting point is the city villa in which Russian President Vladimir Putin worked as an agent at the outpost of the Soviet secret service KGB from 1985 to 1990.
Emile Claus, born on the banks of the river Lys in Sint-Eloois-Vijve (Waregem) on September 27, 1849, holds a significant place in art history. “ In commemoration of the centenary of his passing in 2024, we saw fit to organize an exhibition near his birthplace” says Pietro Iacopucci, Alderman of culture in Waregem.
The interplay between traditional visual arts and modern film and animation is a fascinating exploration of how classical techniques and aesthetics continue to shape contemporary media. This blend not only enriches the visual experience but also deepens the narrative, allowing audiences to experience stories in dynamic and visually stunning ways.
Museo Nacional del Prado and Colnaghi announce a nine-month loan of Caravaggio’s masterpiece Ecce Homo to the Spanish national museum in Madrid, on behalf of the painting’s new owner. The Prado Museum will unveil the work for a special solo display from 28 May until October 2024.
The J. Paul Getty Museum acquired 17 drawings dating from the 16th to early 20th centuries by a range of European artists, including a pastel by Eva Gonzalès, an important nude by Edgar Degas, a rare genre scene by Guercino, and key sheets by Joseph Wright of Derby, Luca Cambiaso, Giovanni Boldini, and Odilon Redon.
At a formal repatriation ceremony on Tuesday at the Okinawa Prefectural Museum and Art Museum in Naha, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Embassy of the United States in Tokyo returned 22 historic artifacts that were looted following the Battle of Okinawa and had been missing for almost 80 years.
Art Fund announces the five museums shortlisted for Art Fund Museum of the Year 2024, the world's largest museum prize. The shortlisted museums are: Craven Museum (Skipton, North Yorkshire), Dundee Contemporary Arts (Dundee), Manchester Museum (Manchester), National Portrait Gallery (London), Young V&A - Victoria and Albert Museum (London).
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr, today announced the return of 27 antiquities to the people of Cambodia and 3 antiquities to the people of Indonesia. The pieces, collectively valued at nearly $3 million, were recovered pursuant to multiple ongoing investigations into trafficking networks targeting Southeast Asian antiquities, including those of alleged trafficker Subash Kapoor and convicted trafficker Nancy Wiener.
Breasts, an exhibition during the Venice Biennale 2024, at ACP Palazzo Franchetti. Breasts showcases the diverse works of more than thirty emerging and established artists from around the world, spanning the realms of painting, sculpture, photography, and film from 1500 until modern day.
Thames Valley Police and Christ Church Oxford announced the safe recovery of the seventeenth century painting ‘A Rocky Coast, with Soldiers Studying a Plan’ which was stolen from Christ Church Picture Gallery on 14 March 2020, and make a fresh appeal for information about two other works taken in the same raid.
The non-profit organisation ‘La Jeune Peinture Belge - De Jonge Belgische Schilderkunst’ announces the laureate of the BelgianArtPrize 2025. Suchan Kinoshita was selected by the jury and is invited to create and present new work at the Centre for Fine Arts Brussels / Bozar from 24 April to 29 June 2025.
The internationally renowned work Saint Luke paints the Madonna by Maarten van Heemskerck originally appears to consist of two paintings. This iconic masterpiece will be on display at the first retrospective exhibition of Heemskerck in Haarlem and Alkmaar (28 September 2024 to 19 January 2025)
Paris, April 15, 1874, eight o'clock in the evening, in the former studio of the famous photographer Nadar, on Boulevard des Capucines. On the 2nd and 3rd floors of the building, some thirty painters gathered to present a selection of some 165 works to the public.
A few months before the reopening of the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, on December 8, 2024, the DRAC and the Mobilier national are teaming up with the Centre de recherche et de restauration des musées de France (C2RMF) to present21 large-format paintings, including 13 Mays, restored as part of an exceptional project, as well as part of the choir carpet and other remarkable furniture.
On Tuesday 19 March DRC-based artist collective Cercle d’Art des Travailleurs de Plantation Congolaise (CATPC) organised a special ceremony to welcome back the sculpture Balot: a carved wood ancestral power-figure made in 1931. This event marks the first time that the sculpture returns to its country of origin in more than 50 years.
Although almost nothing is known regarding the artist’s life, the date of 5 April 1474 is the first reference to Jheronimus Bosch’s existence, when he is referred to as a witness for his sister in the sale of the mortgage on a house in the small town of Geffen (The Netherlands). At that date the artist was around 24, the legal age for acting independently in a notarial document.
Coming to the market for the first time in more than 145 years, Titian’s early masterpiece Rest on the Flight into Egypt will headline Christie’s Old Masters Part I sale on 2 July 2024, presenting a very rare opportunity for buyers to become part of the next chapter in this fabled picture’s remarkable story (estimate: £15,000,000 – 25,000,000).
Joanne Heyler, Founding Director of The Broad, announced plans for an expansion that will build upon the success of The Broad’s first decade by providing enhanced public access to the growing collection, extend The Broad’s standard-setting visitor engagement, and make possible deeper offerings in live programming.
Since 2 May 2023, the upper panels of the interior of the Ghent Altarpiece are being restored at the Museum of Fine Arts (MSK) in Ghent. This is the third and final phase of the large-scale conservation-restoration campaign of the altarpiece of the Adoration of the Mystic Lamb by the Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage (KIK-IRPA).
Liste is announced the participating galleries of Liste Art Fair Basel 2024. This year, 91 galleries from 35 countries will welcome visitors from 10–16 June in Hall 1.1 at Messe Basel. In 65 solo and 16 group presentations, along with five joint booths, more than 100 of the latest voices in contemporary art will be showcased.
The Spoliation Advisory Panel considered 3 claims for 3 works by Sir Peter Paul Rubens: St Gregory the Great with Ss Maurus and Papianus and St. Domitilla with Ss Nereus and Achilleus, The Conversion of St. Paul, and The Bounty of James 1 Triumphing Over Avarice, for the ceiling in the Banqueting House, Whitehall.
From today, the Ukrainian version of the audio tour is available. This provides Ukrainian visitors with the opportunity to discover the life and work of Vincent van Gogh in their native language. The launch of the audio tour was introduced by a special video message from the First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska
In a unique and unrepeatable exhibition, at the Poldi Pezzoli Museum in Milan, with the support of Fondazione Bracco as Main Partner, a masterpiece by Piero della Francesca (1412-1492): the Augustinian Polyptych will be presented-for the first time in history, after 555 years since its creation.
Sofie Muller's (° 1974, Ghent) complex oeuvre displays an ongoing, profound research of the human condition and the beauty of our individual vulnerability. The main recurring themes are imperfection and psycho-physical trauma. She taps into the breaking point of the mind and body and portrays it in smoke drawings and sculptures in bronze or alabaster.
The next artworks that will take pride of place on the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square have been chosen. Lady in Blue by Tschabalala Self will occupy one of the highest profile public art spaces in world from 2026, while Untitled by Andra Ursuţa will be installed from 2028.
Over 1,700 letters written by Piet Mondrian have been preserved. The letters offer a still largely unknown glimpse into the artist's personal life and are an invaluable source of information about his art. These letters, together with Mondrian's theoretical writings, will be published online by the Mondrian Edition Project.
The National Museum of Korea, the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art and dozens of other famous public museums will be open for couples to hold wedding ceremonies, as a part of the government’s support to lessen financial burden on young people planning to get married.
On the bastions of the Cittadella in Gozo, Tom Van Malderen has installed an object crafted from timber. This temporary exterior structure serves as both a tiny public shelter and a starting point for reflecting on the presence of objects in everyday life. The work can be seen as the artist's personal interpretation of the contemporary polyester pop-up gazebo.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the City of Paris have chosen Alison Saar, a Los Angeles-based sculpture artist, to produce an artwork that will be installed in the French capital to honour the legacy of the Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024.
The city of Poperinge, inspirator Koen Vanmechelen and curators James Putnam and Michaël Vandebril present the 2024 edition of Watou Arts Festival. 'Landscape of the Imagination' will take place from July 6 to September 1. Artists and poets will showcase the power of the imagination, in dialogue with each other and with several unique locations in and around the village and castle De Lovie.
Working in the digital realm long before it was associated with fine art, Samaras pioneered radical new modes of image making throughout his storied career, pushing and redefining the boundaries of portraiture and self-portraiture over the course of seven decades.
At an event jointly convened by the World Jewish Restitution Organization (WJRO) and the U.S. State Department, a groundbreaking global report on art and cultural property restitution was unveiled by WJRO and the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (Claims Conference).
Flaco was magic. At once an immigrant and a native, he seized his opportunity to make New York City his own. He meant so much to so many, who gathered in droves over the past year to watch him be his best Eurasian Eagle-Owl self. He was and remains a testament to the virtues of resilience and self reinvention.
A majority of people appreciate art for its aesthetic appeal and ability to light up spaces. Evidence, however, shows that there are numerous benefits of creating and consuming art. From stress reduction to improved cognitive processes and creativity. Here are reasons why art is ideal as a subject and a hobby.
In the flow of creative endeavors, modernity offers digitalized desires on screen that mimic canvases. Creativity is now driven by unimaginable power as digital art takes the upside. The intersection of imagination with innovation is where we dive into the influence of digital art on the contemporary art world here.
With regard to the participation in the International Art Exhibition of the Countries represented in the Pavilions of the Giardini, the Arsenale and in the city of Venice, La Biennale di Venezia would like to specify that all Countries recognized by the Italian Republic may autonomously request to participate officially.
A landmark new exhibition at the British Museum will explore the final three decades of the Renaissance master Michelangelo’s illustrious life and career. Michelangelo: the last decades (2 May – 28 July 2024) will delve exclusively into this significant – and arguably most demanding – period of the artist’s life, focusing on how his art and faith evolved through the common challenge of ageing in a rapidly changing world.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art announced today the artists for its 2025 commissions. Jennie C. Jones (born 1968, Cincinnati, Ohio) will produce her first multi-work outdoor sculptural installation for the Museum’s Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Roof Garden. For The Met Fifth Avenue facade, Jeffrey Gibson (born 1972, Colorado Springs, Colorado), a member of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians and of Cherokee descent, will create four figurative sculptures—works that he refers to as ancestral spirit figures.
50 years ago, on April 15, 1874, the first impressionist exhibition opened in Paris. “Hungry for independence”, Monet, Renoir, Degas, Morisot, Pissarro, Sisley and Cézanne finally decided to free themselves from the rules by holding their own exhibition, outside official channels: impressionism was born.
In Aix-en-Provence, France, within the walls of Bastide du Jas de Bouffan, the childhood home of the French impressionist Paul Cézanne, a mural by Cézanne, previously unknown to the art world, emerged, casting a new light on the artist's early work and his connection to the maritime world.
Manu Parekh, a celebrated Indian painter, has created a profound mark on the horizon of modern Indian art with his distinctive style and exploration of inner landscapes. Born in Ahmedabad in 1939, Parekh's artistic journey has been shaped by various influences, from his training at the Sir J.J. School of Art in Mumbai to his exposure to the philosophies of Rabindranath Tagore, F. N Souza, and Paul Klee.
On the proposal of Ms Rachida Dati, Minister of Culture, the President of the Republic appointed Mr. Christophe Leribault as President of the Public Establishment of the Palace, Museum and National Estate of Versailles. He will take office on Monday 4 March 2024.
In the context of the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU and to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the publication of the Surrealist Manifesto (1924), Bozar is celebrating 100 years of surrealism with a unique exhibition dedicated to the avant-garde movement in Belgium.
Seven artists have been nominated as contenders for the Fourth Plinth commissions in 2026 and 2028. Chila Kumari Singh Burman, Gabriel Chaile, Ruth Ewan, Thomas J Price, Veronica Ryan, Tschabalala Self, and Andra Ursuţa have each crafted maquettes of their proposed artworks, which are currently on view at the National Gallery until March 17, 2024.
A small watercolor that was examined for authenticity for a year and a half has been recognized by Mondriaan experts as an authentic, early work by Piet Mondriaan. It concerns a church-going family in traditional costume, painted between 1898 and 1901. The work will be included in the catalog raissoné at the National Office for Art Historical Documentation RKD in The Hague.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr., announced the return of two paintings dating to the 18th Century to the people of Peru. As alleged, the paintings were stolen from a church in Peru in February 2012 and trafficked into Manhattan, where they were consigned for sale at an auction prior to the Office’s seizure this year.
A $25 million gift from the Bucksbaum family—Carolyn (Kay), Jacolyn (Jackie), and John Bucksbaum—will support future initiatives of the Art Institute of Chicago, with a focus on the creation of the Bucksbaum Photography Center. This remarkable support is a lead gift in the museum’s visionary multi-year plan to expand and enhance the visitor experience.
Robbie Williams is the celebrated singer-songwriter and former member of the iconic English pop group Take That with a distinguished solo career. With a charismatic stage presence and evocative lyrics, he has brought the world together with chart-topping hits.
Researchers have mapped the life of a Stone Age man in detail. New scientific methods have revolutionised archaeology and the Swedish-Danish team of researchers at the University of Gothenburg are now able to state that “Vittrup Man”, a Stone Age man found in a bog in Denmark, travelled across a wide geographical area during his lifetime.
On January 26, 2024, the Cultural Committee of the City of Hanover unanimously recommended that the painting "Tête de femme" by Amedeo Modigliani (circle) be restituted to the community of heirs of the Jewish writer, journalist and artist Michel Georges Michel (1883-1985).
Net Making, a group exhibition curated by Viktoria Bavykina and Max Gorbatskyi which draws from the practice of weaving of camouflage nets collectively as a metaphor for joint horizontal actions, will present Ukraine at the 60th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia. The exhibition will feature works by Katya Buchatska (in collaboration with 15 neurodivergent artists), Andrii Dostliev and Lia Dostlieva, Daniil Revkovskyi and Andrii Rachynskyi, and Oleksandr Burlaka.
This three-year initiative starts in January 2024 and runs to December 2026. Around 5,000 murals across the UK will be recorded and photographed and make them freely available on the Art UK website. Painted murals will constitute a large part of this project, alongside sculptural murals in concrete, brick, wood, stone, tile and other materials.
The Italian Ambassador to Iraq, Maurizio Greganti, unveiled a plaque at the Basra Museum in Iraq, marking Italy's donation of a replica of the 'Bull of Nimrud' to Iraq. This contribution signifies a pivotal moment in the cultural restoration efforts following the destruction of the original Assyrian artifact by Isis-Daesh in 2015.
The Austrian performance artist Flatz wants his tattoos to continue to exist as works of art after his death therefore Christie’s supports the Bavarian State Painting Collections at the Pinakothek der Moderne in Munich and the FLATZ Foundation with a charity auction.
Amanda Ziemele will present “O day and night, but this is wondrous strange… and therefore as a stranger give it welcome” for the Latvian Pavilion at the 60th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia from April 20 until November 24, 2024. The Pavilion will be curated by Adam Budak, the Director of Kestner Gesellschaft, Hannover and is commissioned by Daiga Rudzāte, the Head of the INDIE Culture Project Agency.
‘Ice Bed,’ Nima Sarikhani’s dreamy image of a young polar bear drifting to sleep on a bed carved into an iceberg, has been voted as the winner of Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice Award.
The Fowler Museum at UCLA, a renowned museum dedicated to global arts and cultures with an emphasis on Africa, Asia, the Pacific, and the Indigenous Americas, has announced the permanent and voluntary ethical return of royal objects to the Asante Kingdom in the Republic of Ghana.
This triennial departs from Adonis' poem A Time Between Ashes and Roses. Echoing its sentiments and visions, this exhibit brings together a futurity empowered by geologic time views rather than immediate and national or territorial perspectives which illuminate contemporary human-environment divides.
The Council of Brotherhoods and Brotherhoods of Seville presented the Holy Week poster with great emotion 2024 Manolo Raven. The work, created by the prestigious painter Salustiano, pays tribute to the Resurrection of Christ, capturing the luminous essence of Holy Week. The poster, inserted into a light box, It is revealed as a striking and unique representation.
Since time immemorial, the portrayal of women in art has often been confined to the idealised perfection of physical appearance, emphasising alluring faces associated with fertility and prosperity. However, this limited narrative failed to encapsulate the complexities and realities of women's lives.
Carl Andre redefined the parameters of sculpture and poetry through his use of unaltered industrial materials and innovative approach to language. He created over two thousand sculptures and an equal number of poems throughout his almost seventy-year career, guided by a commitment to pure matter in lucid geometric arrangements.
As the 2024 presidential election season speeds up with caucuses and primaries in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, political history curators from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History will be on the road gathering materials and memorabilia to document this election cycle for the national collections.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr., and Erin Keegan, Acting Special Agent in Charge at Homeland Security Investigations, New York, today announced the return of two more artworks to the family of Fritz Grünbaum, an Austrian-Jewish cabaret performer whose art collection was stolen by the Nazi regime.
Under the title Thresholds, the German Pavilion at the Venice Art Biennale 2024 narrates history and the future from various artistic positions. Thresholds stands for the present as a place where no one can stay and that only exists because one thing has occurred and another still awaits.
The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA), founded in 1805 by the artists Charles Willson Peale and William Rush as the first art school in the United States, is closing its college at the end of the next academic year. The institution’s museum will remain open.
The Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art at Indiana University was set to open the first American retrospective of Samia Halaby, a Palestinian-American abstract painter and Indiana University alumna (MFA 1963), IU tenured faculty (1969-72), and the first woman professor Yale School of Art (1972-82). The show “Samia Halaby: Centers of Energy” was scheduled to open on February 10th 2024, and run until June 9th 2024.
PinchukArtCentre (Kyiv, Ukraine) announces the names of the artists shortlisted for the 7th edition of the Future Generation Art Prize. Selected from over 12,000 entries across almost 200 countries, the final list includes 21 artists and artist collectives, spanning five continents. Established by the Victor Pinchuk Foundation in 2009, the Future Generation Art Prize is a biannual global contemporary art prize to discover, recognize and give long-term support to a future generation of artists all over the world.
No other painter in the history of European art was able to convey the details of the visible world with the same level of brilliance and precision as the founder of early Netherlandish painting, Jan van Eyck (ca. 1390/1400–1441). Now, an interactive digital projection at Berlin’s Gemäldegalerie makes it possible to delve into the most minute aspects of his masterpieces.
Douglas Boin, Ph.D., a professor of history at Saint Louis University, made a major announcement at the annual meeting of the Archeological Institute of America, revealing he and his team discovered an ancient Roman temple that adds significant insights into the social change from pagan gods to Christianity within the Roman Empire.
British actress Dame Joanna Lumley, famed for her role on the BBC TV series ‘Absolutely Fabulous’, will be the narrator of Rijksmuseum’s online experience Frans Hals: Strokes of Genius. This online experience will be launched on the Rijksmuseum website to coincide with the opening of the Frans Hals exhibition on 16 February. A major fan of Dutch Golden Age paintings and the Rijksmuseum, Dame Joanna did not hesitate for a moment when she was asked to take part in the exhibition.
The joint archaeological mission from Waseda University, in collaboration with the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA), has unveiled a rock-cut tomb and a myriad of artefacts spanning different historical periods during its current excavation season in Saqqara Necropolis.
Art prints are cherished personal acquisitions, valuable pieces of artistic expression that carry sentimental and cultural value. Thus, keeping these prints in pristine condition is not merely about maintaining their physical appearance but also safeguarding their inherent worth.
Art has always been a realm of creativity and innovation, and with the advent of technology, a new dimension has been added to artistic expression - 3D printing in art. Imagine turning your wildest artistic visions into tangible creations with the precision and detail that 3D printing offers.
Archaeologists from Cardiff University’s School of History, Archaeology and Religion carried out a dig in the summer, with further radiocarbon dating and analysis revealing the full extent of their find. The excavation offers fascinating new evidence about life in early medieval Wales (AD 400-1100) and transforms our understanding of the history of Fonmon and the Vale of Glamorgan.
One of Irish artist Harry Clarke’s finest and rarest works of stained glass has become part of the national collection at the National Gallery of Ireland. Titania Enchanting Bottom, created over a century ago in 1922, now belongs to the Irish public and will be free for Gallery visitors to view in the new year. The acquisition was supported by the Patrons of Irish Art of the National Gallery of Ireland, whose membership fees support acquisitions of Irish art.
With the Covid crisis, Parisian museums have struggled in recent years to return to equivalent attendance levels. Fortunately, in 2022, they finally regained their lustre, with record attendances, which have risen again for this year 2023, and should improve again after the Paris 2024 Games, which expect millions of tourists in the capital.
The V&A will stage a revelatory exhibition exploring the unequalled 40-year career of fashion model and British icon Naomi Campbell (b. 1970). After being scouted in Covent Garden aged just 15, she quickly rose to prominence in the industry, making history a few years later when, at 18, she became the first Black model to feature on the cover of Paris Vogue (August 1988).
The Polish Minister of Culture, Bartłomiej Sienkiewicz, has announced that the originally selected project 'Polish Exercises in the Tragedy of the World: Between Germany and Russia' will not be shown at next year's Biennale in Venice. Instead, the exhibition project 'Repeat After Me' will be shown.
The National Gallery announced that it has acquired the painting Lot and his Daughters (1624) by Abraham Bloemaert (1566–1651), which has been on loan to the Gallery for the past four years from a private collection. This is the first painting by the artist to enter the National Gallery Collection.
From 2 March until 23 June 2024, Damien Hirst will stage a major exhibition at Château La Coste. Titled The Light That Shines, the presentation will feature sculptures and paintings, including some of Hirst’s most iconic series and some which have never been seen before.
The Board of Directors of La Biennale di Venezia appointed Carlo Ratti as Director of the Architecture Department, with the specific task of curating the 19th International Architecture Exhibition which will take place in 2025. The appointment was recommended by President Roberto Cicutto, in agreement with Pietrangelo Buttafuoco, President of La Biennale di Venezia for the four-year term March 2024-2027.
Bige Örer, Director of the Istanbul Biennial at the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV) since 2008, and Director of İKSV Contemporary Art Projects since 2018, has decided to resign from her duties at İKSV as of 15 January 2024, to continue her work in different projects.
With the support of Fundación Iberdrola España, a Protector sponsor of the Museo del Prado’s Restoration Programme, the painting, an example of Caravaggio’s outstanding originality, has undergone a process of restoration to remove layers of oxidised and opaque varnish from the surface with the aim of recovering the work’s chromatic range and contrasts.
It’s been a historic year at the Rijksmuseum, thanks in part to the Vermeer exhibition, which ran for four months this spring. It was the best-attended exhibition in the history of the museum. For those who would love to enjoy Vermeer one more time, today sees the launch of Vermeer, experience the exhibition from home, an online 360° tour of the exhibition.
‘Our findings from the current year completely change our perception of this settlement area in many different aspects’, says Prof. Radosław Palonka from the Institute of Archaeology of the Jagiellonian University, who for more than a dozen years has been investigating historic sites and customs of the 3000-year-old Pueblo culture on the border between Colorado and Utah. His team is the only Polish and one of the few European archaeological groups to work in the region
UNESCO figures show that 2023 has been a particularly deadly year for journalists who work in conflict zones, with killings almost doubling compared to the past three years. The last three months of this year in particular have already been the deadliest quarter for journalists in conflict zones since at least 2007, with 27 deaths.
Wolf, an Emmy-winning producer and avid collector, is providing significant financial support to The Met with the endowment of the Dick Wolf Galleries. The two major galleries will house works from his exceptional collection of European paintings, sculpture, drawings, furniture, and works of decorative art, including rare masterpieces by artists from Botticelli to Vincent van Gogh
ArtSnacky is an art project established by a group of artists in Zottegem, Belgium. The aim of the vending machine is to distribute art in an accessible and approachable manner. For just one euro, you become the owner of a unique piece of art – ranging from a small painting, collage, photograph, or sculpture to a virtual artwork viewable through QR codes.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr., today announced the return of 30 antiquities to Greece collectively valued at $3.7 million. 19 of the pieces were voluntarily surrendered from New York gallery owner Michael Ward. Three of the pieces were seized from British art dealer Robin Symes.
The painting The Little Cat (Le petit chat) (1888) by Paul Gauguin (1848-1903) is currently at the Van Gogh Museum on long-term loan and will be on display at the museum from today (19 December 2023). The work was last exhibited in 1906, and this is the first time the work will be shown together with paintings that Vincent van Gogh and Paul Gauguin made during the same period of intensive artistic exchange. The Van Gogh Museum plans to conduct extensive research on the work while it is on loan.
The political and cultural climate is coming to a head. The current discussions about artistic freedom and so-called cancel culture are dangerous. Public discourse is increasingly characterised by an inadmissible mixing of topics and tendentious claims. This confusion has led to violations of civil liberties that are unacceptable for a democratic nation.
New research within Operation Night Watch has revealed that Rembrandt impregnated the canvas for his famous 1642 militia painting The Night Watch with a lead-containing substance even before applying the first ground layer. Such lead-based impregnation has never before been observed with Rembrandt or his contemporaries. The discovery underlines Rembrandt's inventive way of working, in which he did not shy away from using new techniques.
In response to the urgency of the climate crisis and the corresponding need for a radical change in the way we think and act, the City of Vienna has launched a new festival. The first Klima Biennale Wien, hosted by the KunstHausWien, will begin on 5 April and run until 14 July 14 2024.
Desert X announced the appointment of Kaitlin Garcia-Maestas as co-curator of Desert X 2025, which will open March 8–May 11, 2025 at sites across the Coachella Valley, California. Garcia-Maestas joins the organization’s curatorial team under the leadership of Artistic Director Neville Wakefield and Executive Director Jenny Gil.
An official request for legal assistance by the German government and with the involvement of the highest state authorities in Germany and Russia, a valuable Rubens painting belonging to the Prussian Palaces and Gardens Foundation Berlin-Brandenburg (SPSG) has been recovered in Moscow. The painting in question is "Tarquinius and Lucretia" by Peter Paul Rubens (1577 – 1640).
During COP28, UNESCO publishes its first ever quantitative report on the “Impacts of Climate Change in Biosphere Reserves and Global Geoparks in Latin America and the Caribbean”. It shows how increasing droughts, wildfires, flooding and landslides pose a growing threat to biodiversity and human lives, while also providing an outlook for the coming decades.
A bakery-prison, where enslaved workers and donkeys were confined and exploited to grind the grain needed to make bread. A cramped room with no view of the outside world and with small windows high in the wall with iron bars to let the light in. In the floor indentations to coordinate the movement of the animals, forced to walk around for hours, blindfolded.
Following nearly four years of intense negotiations, the city of Ostend, together with Participatiemaatschappij Vlaanderen (PMV) and Restotel NV, has succeeded in rescuing the iconic Thermae Palace Hotel and the Royal Galleries (Koninklijke Gaanderijen) from collapse. In all, around EUR 134 million will be invested, with more than half of this being private funds. The partners expect to formally sign the cooperation agreement by the end of the year, following approval by the relevant decision-making bodies.
The Whitney Museum of American Art announces the addition of five curators to help lead the film and performance program for the 2024 Whitney Biennial. Co-organizers Chrissie Iles and Meg Onli have invited Korakrit Arunanondchai, asinnajaq, Taja Cheek, Greg de Cuir Jr, and Zackary Drucker to join them in developing a Biennial that goes beyond the Museum’s traditional in-gallery presentation to showcase the latest creativity and innovation in art, film, performance, and sound.
The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA) announced that the museum has deaccessioned and returned 44 works of ancient art following an investigation by the Antiquities Trafficking Unit of the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and the Department of Homeland Security into the global trafficking of looted or stolen antiquities.
The Turner Prize 2023 has been awarded to Jesse Darling. The winner of the £25,000 prize was announced at a ceremony presented by musician, creative and broadcaster Tinie Tempah at Eastbourne’s Winter Garden, adjacent to Towner Eastbourne, the hosts of this year’s prize.
GRACE (Ghent Research institute for Art & cultural heritage Crime and Law Enforcement) was founded on February 1, 2023 by representatives of the University of Ghent, the Local Police of Ghent and the Museum of Fine Arts Ghent. It started as a Ghent initiative - what's in a name - but soon various Flemish, federal, and even Dutch organizations joined the network.
United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero and FBI Philadelphia Special Agent in Charge Wayne A. Jacobs announced today that the Rosenbach Museum & Library (“the Rosenbach”) voluntarily transferred to the custody of the FBI a sixteenth-century manuscript for return to the Archivo General de la Nación del Perú, the Peruvian national archives.
More than 1,300 artists, including Academy Award winning Olivia Colman, Olivier Award winners Harriet Walter and Juliet Stevenson, BAFTA winners Aimee Lou Wood and Siobhán McSweeney, Paapa Essiedu (I May Destroy You), Susanne Wokoma (Enola Holmes), Youseff Kerkour (Napoleon), Nicola Coughlan (Derry Girls, Bridgerton), Amir El-Masry (The Crown) and Lolly Adefope (Ghosts), have launched an open letter accusing art institutions of censorship on Palestine.
For the first time, UNESCO has brought together experts specializing in both tangible and living heritage at an international conference co-organized with Italy. The conference culminated in the adoption of the Naples Appeal, which urges UNESCO Member States to work closely with local and indigenous populations in the development of heritage site management policies.
All three prints of Van Gogh’s lithograph Old Man Drinking Coffee have been reunited for the first time since 1882. The location of one of the three was long unknown, but the print was recently rediscovered and subsequently sold at auction. The new owner is now offering the lithograph to the Van Gogh Museum on long-term loan, and will ultimately gift the work to the museum. The presentation is now on display at the Van Gogh Museum.
A new decorated stela has been found in context, in the 3000-year-old funerary complex of Las Capellanías, in Cañaveral de León (Huelva, south-west of Spain). It is thought that late prehistoric stelae in Iberia were created to commemorate important personages.
The British Museum has decided to loan the Meidias Hydria, an ancient Greek vase dating back to 420 BC, to the Acropolis Museum in Athens, Greece. This move marks the first time in 250 years that the vase, a masterpiece by the Meidias artist, has left the confines of the British Museum.
A 17th-century portrait of English aristocrat Diana Cecil apparently received a modern-day photoshopping, with portions of Cecil’s face being painted over to make for a lower hairline, among other edited features—the so-called “Kylie Jenner treatment,” as described by The Guardian.
The North Hertfordshire Museum in the UK has announced that it will be adopting new pronouns to reflect the transgender identity of the ancient Roman emperor Elagabalus. The decision to refer to the ruler as “she” is based on classical texts where Elagabalus explicitly requested to be called “lady.”
The story of the remarkable discovery of a group of Egyptian objects uncovered at Melville House in Fife between 1952 and 1984 is being told in full for the first time in an article published in the upcoming Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland.
With the exhibition Art in the third reich – Seduction and distraction Museum Arnhem draws attention to the art from the period of the 'third reich', 1933-1945. What does it look like? Why was there, during a Nazi regime characterized by political violence, war and the Holocaust, so much focus on contemporary art? Did the artists support the regime, did the regime support the artists, or both?
On 6th June 2023, the destruction of the Kakhovka dam caused significant direct damages in four oblasts of Ukraine and had caused dire losses in the south of the country. In the framework of its mandate, UNESCO assessed the impact on culture, education and environment, with more than US$ 485 million needed for the recovery of these sectors over the next decade.
Perhaps few know that the section of the Vatican Walls facing Piazza del Risorgimento includes the Porta di Santa Rosa gateway, and that from that monumental entrance to the Vatican State (created by the sculptor Gino Giannetti and inaugurated in 2006), from next 17 November, it will be possible to directly access the famous archaeological area of the Necropolis along the Via Triumphalis to discover the fascinating “Life and Death in the Rome of the Caesars”.
The Rijksmuseum at Schiphol has opened the doors to its new exhibition 'Aan tafel!' (which is what the Dutch say when dinner is served). The museum at the airport offers travellers the opportunity to admire historical Dutch works of art before the start of their journey.
The Van Gogh Museum has wanted to add a painting by Jean-François Millet (1814-1875) to its collection for many years. The acquisition of Peasant Spreading Manure enables the museum to show how important Millet was to Van Gogh and many other 19th-century artists. The new acquisition is now on display alongside a number of paintings and drawings by Van Gogh, which clearly show Millet’s influence.
The Board of Kunsthalle Bern announces the appointment of iLiana Fokianaki as its new Director. Fokianaki brings a wide range of experience as a curator, writer, theorist, and founding director of State of Concept, an independent art institution in Athens, Greece. She will begin her tenure in spring 2024 following the directorship of Kabelo Malatsie which concludes in February 2024.
Arts and Heritage Minister Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay has placed an export bar on William Hogarth’s satirical painting ‘Taste in High Life’. The work, valued at £2,468,000 (plus VAT of £93,600 which can be reclaimed by an eligible institution), is at risk of leaving the UK unless a domestic buyer can be found to acquire the work for the nation.
The decision to study abroad is akin to taking a leap into a vast sea of cultural experiences, academic enrichment, and personal growth. Every year, thousands of students pack their bags and embark on this transformative journey, seeking knowledge and experiences that extend far beyond the confines of their home universities.
Hampi Art Labs is an arts centre located near the UNESCO World Heritage Site Hampi in the South of India, opening in February 2024. Set across 18-acres of landscape, the centre offers artists unique production facilities, an environment to creatively retreat in and galleries for world-class display. The site comprises exhibition spaces, studios and apartments for residencies, gardens, and a café.
Jerwood Foundation, which has been supporting the arts since 1977 has completed the formalities of merging Jerwood Charity into the Foundation, now sets out funding plans.
As an exhibition organizer, cofounder of Skulptur Projekte Münster, curator of the major exhibitions Westkunst and von hier aus as well as Manifesta in St. Petersburg, Kasper König played an incomparable role in shaping art discourse over the past five decades. He was director of the Museum Ludwig for twelve years (2000–12). In his view, a museum is a public place: “It belongs to everyone and no one.”
The committee tasked with selecting the artistic director for Documenta 16, one of the world’s premier art festivals scheduled for 2027, faced a setback as Israeli artist, philosopher, and psychoanalyst Bracha L. Ettinger resigned last week. The six-person committee had been navigating controversy, including accusations of anti-Semitism and the challenging geopolitical situation in the Middle East.
Nationalmuseum has acquired a painting dated 1822 by Polish-German artist Johann Theodor Goldstein. The imaginary scene depicts a towering cathedral in the early dusk. With its wonderfully visionary qualities, the painting is a novel addition to Nationalmuseum’s German art collection. It will go on show for the first time in autumn 2024 as part of the exhibition entitled The Romantic Eye.
The Ancient City Belkis/Zeugma is located on the banks of the Euphrates River, built on a land of approximately 20 thousand acres. It has maintained its importance in every period of history because it is in the shallowest passable part of the Euphrates and is a very strategic region in terms of military and trade.
Representatives of UK museums, sector bodies and funders took part in the first UK Museum COP at Tate Modern on 31st October 2023 organised by the NMDC. The event secured consensus from museum leaders on collective action to decarbonise the sector and mitigate the impacts of the climate and biodiversity crises.
Even with global efforts to fund education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programs, why do you think a degree in art (fine art and performing art) is still marketable?
As part of the Whitney’s reimagined food and beverage program—which aims to create welcoming, approachable spaces for people to gather, connect, and recharge—Frenchette Bakery, which opened in TriBeCa in 2020, will open a new flagship location, with its first-ever cafe in the Museum’s redesigned ground-floor restaurant space in November 2023.
Christie’s is selling the very fine pearl collier by Fürst, worn by Audrey Hepburn in the final scene of "Roman Holiday". The lot will be offered in the upcoming Jewels Online: The Geneva Edit sale taking place from 3 to 16 November (estimate CHF18,000-26,000). The Fürst family is originally Austro-Hungarian. In the 1850s, Moric Fürst moved to Turin to establish his business as a Jeweller and became a leading supplier for the Savoyard court.
The City of Philadelphia and the Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy (OACCE) today announced that Alvin Pettit is the winning artist to create Philadelphia’s permanent Harriet Tubman statue. The statue will become the first statue of a Black female historical figure in the City’s public art collection and will be located on the northeast apron of City Hall.
The couple from Eure-et-Loire took legal action to cancel the sale to a second-hand dealer in 2021 of the carved wooden mask that belonged to an ancestor, a former colonial governor in Africa, the value of which they were unaware of at the time, according to their lawyer.
L'Atelier 11, painted in 1916 by Chaïm Soutine, has not undergone significant renovations since its construction in the late 19th century. The facades and the interior are in a worrying state, requiring substantial restoration and a major overhaul of the structure across its three levels. Many original elements, such as the typical workshop windows, need restoration, which comes at a significant cost.
It was a turning point in the history of art: Renaissance painting. What had begun in Italy developed into something completely new in Northern Europe in the works of the painters Hans Holbein the Elder (ca. 1464–1524) and Hans Burgkmair (1473–1531), pioneers of this singular art.
The De Pont museum in Tilburg has acquired a significant work by the Dutch painter René Daniëls. The painting, "Lentebloesem" from 1987, was in a private collection in Switzerland for a long time and is now on display for the public at De Pont.
The Rubens Castle in Zemst, Belgium, will become a vibrant place dedicated to Rubens, with a brasserie, guest accommodation, and space for conferences. This was announced by Flemish Minister of Tourism Zuhal Demir, CEO of Tourism Flanders Peter De Wilde, and Mayor of Zemst Veerle Geerinckx.
OMA’s David Gianotten showcased the competition winning design to transform Museo Egizio, the world’s oldest museum for Ancient Egyptian culture. Museo Egizio President Evelina Christillin and Director Christian Greco also presented the museum’s vision as it approaches its bicentenary in 2024.
From 8 November 2023, Tate Britain will present a restaging of a major feminist artwork which has not been seen for almost 50 years: Bobby Baker's radical sculptural installation An Edible Family in a Mobile Home. The installation accompanies Tate Britain’s autumn exhibition exploring art and activism in the 1970s and 80s, Women in Revolt!, which opens on the same day.
The Kunsthaus Zürich advisory board for the upcoming Bührle exhibition, an assembly of art scholars and historians, has resigned. The departure, confirmed by the museum, follows a disagreement over the exhibition’s portrayal of former art owners who fell victim to the Nazi regime.
Moesgaard Museum’s new special exhibition about ancient Egypt lifts the lid on a sensational new international discovery. Scientists have, for the very first time, managed to recreate the scent of a 3500-year-old embalming oil. The fragrance originates from the mummification of a high-ranking Egyptian woman who was the wet nurse of Pharaoh Amenhotep II when he was a baby.
A monumental figure in the California Light and Space movement, Irwin made innovations across painting, sculpture, and installation-based work over the course of nearly seven decades, expanding the contours of the canon and continually pushing the limits of what art can be.
More than 2,700 years ago, Assyrian king Sargon II ordered the construction of his own city in what is now Iraq. Known as Dur Sharrukin, or modern day Khorsabad, the sprawling capital city was meticulously planned and fortified with outer walls broken up with seven gates, according to Britannica. Some of the gates were adorned with massive winged statues.
Recent severe weather conditions have exposed the Museum of Making to substantial flood damage. Whilst the building was designed to withstand an element of flooding, including movable displays on the ground floor and the installation of electrics above the ground, and staff had worked tirelessly to move as much as possible off the ground floor, water levels were higher than predicted and the damage is significant. As a result, the interruption to the museum’s day-to-day activity is expected to be substantial.
AstaGuru is set to unveil a treasure trove of rare and previously unseen artworks in its upcoming 'Iconic Masters' Auction. This finally curated collection of 190 lots is a veritable journey through significant decades of Modern Indian Art and feature works by revered names who shaped the nation's artistic narrative.
The International Council of Museums (ICOM) expresses its deep concern about the current violence affecting Israeli and Palestinian civilians and deplores the significant humanitarian consequences that the conflict has had over the past weeks. ICOM extends its sincerest condolences to those who have lost family, friends, and community due to the violence.
ill Medvedow will step down from her position in December 2024. Over her 25-year tenure as Ellen Matilda Poss Director, Medvedow has led the transformation of the ICA from a small, non-collecting kunsthalle to a major contemporary art museum, a national leader in teen arts education, and a pioneering advocate for the role of art in civic life.
An open letter demanding an immediate ceasefire circulated online last week, receiving signatures from more than 2,000 visual artists, writers, and actors worldwide. On Saturday, a response from the Israeli art community to that open letter began circulating on Instagram.
Co-hosted by the City of Gaziantep, Horasis will hold the 2023 Horasis Global Meeting in Gaziantep, Türkiye over 22-23 October. The theme of the Horasis Global Meeting is to consider how to have a positive impact on Innovation, Sustainability and Reconstruction.
Marcy Carsey, Chair of the UCLA Hammer Museum’s Board of Directors, announced that Director Ann Philbin will retire from the museum on November 1, 2024, after 25 years of leadership that made the Hammer into a landmark institution in Los Angeles and a leading museum of contemporary art for the nation and the world.
Renowned actors Tilda Swinton, Charles Dance, Steve Coogan, Miriam Margolyes, Peter Mullan, Maxine Peake and Khalid Abdalla are among more than two thousand people from across the arts who have signed a letter saying that: “Our governments are not only tolerating war crimes but aiding and abetting them.”
The Fondation Louis Vuitton presents the first retrospective in France dedicated to Mark Rothko (1903-1970) since the exhibition held at the musée d’Art moderne de la Ville de Paris in 1999. The retrospective brings together some 115 works from the largest international institutional and private collections, including the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C., the artist’s family, and the Tate in London
The British Museum has today set out plans to increase access to the collection, and ensure everything is documented and available online. It is estimated that the project will take 5 years, and means that for the first time the entire collection will be accessible to anyone who wants to explore it.
Auguste Rodin's 'The Burghers of Calais' was owned by the city's museums ever since it was displayed at the Glasgow International Exhibition in 1901. After a Freedom of Information request, it has come to light that the sculpture - also titled 'Le Bourgeois de Calais' - was among a total of 1,750 items missing or stolen that were owned by Glasgow Life - the company running Glasgow's museums and art galleries.
Leonardo da Vinci is renowned to this day for innovations in fields across the arts and sciences. Now, new analyses published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society show that his taste for experimentation extended even to the base layers underneath his paintings. Surprisingly, samples from both the “Mona Lisa” and the “Last Supper” suggest that he experimented with lead(II) oxide, causing a rare compound called plumbonacrite to form below his artworks.
The Jury for the Prix Marcel Duchamp 2023 convened on Monday, the 16th of October 2023, to choose the laureate of the Prix Marcel Duchamp 2023 from among the four artists nominated for this edition: Bertille Bak, Bouchra Khalili, Tarik Kiswanson et Massinissa Selmani.
Renowned Korean artist Park Seo-bo, a prominent figure in the development of the dansaekhwa movement, passed away at the age of 92 on Saturday. Earlier this year, Park revealed he had been diagnosed with stage 3 lung cancer and chose not to undergo treatment to continue his artistry.
After almost 80 years, three works lost during the war are returning to the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, a Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden museum. On 23 October 2023, Willem Jan Hoogsteder, an art dealer from the Netherlands, will hand over the “Campagna Landscape” by Jan Baptist Weenix, which had been missing since the end of World War II, to the museum network in a formal ceremony.
Art, in its myriad forms, has been a timeless expression of human emotions, experiences, and perceptions. Whether it's through painting, sculpture, digital media, or any other medium, the essence of art lies in its ability to convey intricate thoughts and feelings in tangible forms.
The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam will no longer offer its Pokemon x Van Gogh Museum promo card featuring Pikachu. This card depicted Pikachu in the style of Van Gogh’s infamous Self-Portrait with Grey Felt Hat painting. According to the museum’s FAQ page, it’s pulling the card due to safety concerns.
Unesco has revealed further details of its plan to create a virtual museum of stolen cultural objects. The organisation, which promotes international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture, first announced the creation of the museum at a conference on cultural policies and sustainable development held in Mexico in September last year.
Two Princeton University Art Museum scholars, Ronni Baer, distinguished curator of 17th Century European Art, and Bart Devolder, Chief Conservator, have made a surprising discovery: a once overlooked painting, Death of Adonis, in the collection has turned out to be an authentic work by Flemish artist Peter Paul Rubens.
This is the eighth year that Endeavor has made available £150,000 for the Fund, set aside exclusively for the acquisition of works at Frieze for Tate’s collection. Since the fair launched 20 years ago, more than 160 works by over 100 artists have been acquired.
The Herculaneum papyri, ancient scrolls housed in the library of a private villa near Pompeii, were buried and carbonized by the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD. For almost 2,000 years, this lone surviving library from antiquity was buried underground under 20 meters of volcanic mud.
Are you a college student looking to save money? Plan a no-spend month with your roommates. Make a financial difference today!
This is the eighth year that Endeavor has made available £150,000 for the Fund, set aside exclusively for the acquisition of works at Frieze for Tate’s collection. Since the fair launched 20 years ago, more than 160 works by over 100 artists have been acquired.
The Collection of Jerry Moss will be sold at Christie's this November during the fall Marquee Week of Sales. Widely known as the “M” in A&M Records, Jerry Moss was a music industry giant who played a critical role in establishing careers of the biggest musical acts in history—Sting, Janet Jackson, Peter Frampton, Cat Stevens, Carole King, and countless more.
Experimenter, a gallery based in Kolkata and Mumbai, India, has been awarded the 2023 Stand Prize at Frieze London for its presentation ‘Do You Know How to Start a Fire’, a group exhibition of seven intergenerational women artists: Bani Abidi (b. 1971, Pakistan), Bhasha Chakrabarti (b. 1991, USA), Biraaj Dodiya (b. 1993, India), Reba Hore (1926–2009, India), Radhika Khimji (b. 1979, Oman), Afrah Shafiq (b. 1989, India) and Ayesha Sultana (b. 1984, Bangladesh).
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr. returns 19 antiquities collectively valued at nearly $19 million to the people of Italy. The pieces were seized pursuant to several ongoing investigations against major antiquities traffickers, including Giovanni Franco Becchina, Eugene Alexander, Raffaele Monticelli, Jerome Eisenberg and Edoardo Almagià.
The 23-meter-high and 6-meter-wide window, the largest in Europe, no fewer than 45,000 pieces of glass in 88 different colors have been incorporated. Together, they create an enchanting kaleidoscope of almost 200 rosettes, which appear differently in the changing sunlight. "I consider it as a long strip of film."
Minister of State for Culture Claudia Roth and Minister of Culture Rima Abdul Malak advanced the establishment of a joint provenance research fund. They signed a declaration outlining the structure and scope of the fund. According to this agreement, the fund is set to commence a three-year pilot phase in February 2024.
Thousands of civilians lost their lives when Storm Daniel hit north-eastern Libya on September 10. The natural disaster also displaced tens of thousands of people, and fundamentally disrupted critical services in Libya, including the education system, the protection of heritage sites and water management.
After three successful years as Artistic Director of viennacontemporary, Boris Ondreička is leaving the art fair to pursue new curatorial projects. Francesca Gavin - who was instrumental in the successful special programs ZONE1 and VCT ACTIVATION at this year’s edition of the fair - will take over the position.
Thousands of metal bottle tops and fragments have been stitched together into three expansive abstract compositions. These undulating forms, which are the artist’s largest work to date, cut through the vast industrial space of the Turbine Hall, reflecting on the expanse of human history and the elemental power of the natural world.
UNESCO and the World Book Capital Advisory Committee commended Rio de Janeiro’s demonstration of the importance of its literary heritage alongside a clearly defined vision and action plan to promote literature, sustainable publishing and reading among young people tapping into digital technologies. This is the first time that a Portuguese-speaking city has been designated World Book Capital.
The sculpture was originally in the collection of the noted poet and musician Juan de Arguijo (1567-1623). It was among the objects he kept in his house in Seville where he welcomed figures such as Francisco Pacheco, Pablo de Céspedes, Fernando de Herrera and Alonso Vázquez and where Lope de Vega stayed as a guest.
The Consulate General of Nepal in New York and The Metropolitan Museum of Art announced that The Met has initiated the return of two works of art—13th-century wooden temple strut and an 11th-century stone image of Vishnu flanked by Lakshmi and Garuda—to the Government of Nepal.
Kerry James Marshall, one of the leading international artists working today, has donated a portrait of prolific author, literary scholar and award-winning filmmaker Henry Louis "Skip" Gates Jr. to the University of Cambridge
the Asian Art Museum Foundation of San Francisco (the “Foundation”) started the process to file a cross-complaint against WHY Architecture Workshop Inc. (“WHY”) in a San Francisco County Superior Court action originally initiated by Swinerton Builders (“Swinerton”) in December 2021.
A team of scientists, led by researchers from the Universidad de Alcalá (UAH) and the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), has discovered and analyzed the first direct evidence of basketry among hunter-gatherer societies and early farmers in southern Europe, (9,500 and 6,200 years ago), in the Cueva de los Murciélagos of Albuñol (Granada, Spain). This site is one of the most emblematic archaeological sites of prehistoric times in the Iberian Peninsula due to the unique preservation of organic materials found there. The study has been published in Science Advances.
The Museum of Modern Art announces changes to its admission pricing and structure that will take effect on October 16, 2023. The new prices will be $30 for adults, $22 for senior citizens 65 and older, $22 for visitors with disabilities, and $17 for students, with children 16 and under remaining free.
Started in 2017 as a project, from 1 October 2023 it will be time to hand over the Van Gogh Worldwide platform to the maintenance department. The project is officially ended. But what does that mean for the institutions that still want to join the platform? And how will the data of participating institutions be updated?
Tate Modern announced a new annual commission to support experimental and visionary new work. It will provide a platform for international artists at the cutting-edge of contemporary practice, enabling them to realise innovative and future-facing projects at a critical point in their careers.
For 75 years, the Jan van Eyck Academie has been welcoming artists, designers, curators, architects, writers, and other creatives to Maastricht. Starting off in 1948 as an academy for higher education rooted in Catholic tradition, the Jan van Eyck has known a long history of successive developments.
See Pikachu, Eevee, Snorlax and many other Pokémon in a whole new way starting 28 September until 7 January 2024 at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. Experience a variety of Pokémon themed activities across the museum and online aimed at introducing and teaching young budding artists about the works of Vincent van Gogh.
From 30 September 2023 to 7 January 2024, Het Noordbrabants Museum in 's-Hertogenbosch (the Netherlands) is bringing together around eighty works by five generations of Brueghels, in the exhibition Brueghel: The Family Reunion. Enterprising, innovative and world-famous, the Brueghel family played a pivotal role on the European art scene from around 1550 to 1700.
This autumn, Imperial War Museums (IWM) delves into one of the most enthralling and elusive areas of conflict, with a major exhibition that interrogates the role, purpose and human cost of espionage, deceit and misdirection, from the First World War to the present day.
Uniting a diverse range of paintings and drawings from throughout Rubens’s career, the exhibition will be the first to challenge the popular assumption that the artist painted only one type of woman, providing instead a more nuanced view of the varied and important place occupied by women, both real and imagined, in his world.
Scottish galleries at the National will open to the public on 30 September 2023. The new spaces will be home to key works from the nation’s historic Scottish art collection, offering more than double the physical display space and transforming the visitor experience.
The Met initiated the return of the two objects after provenance research led by Met scholars established that the works rightfully belong to the Republic of Yemen. At the request of the Republic of Yemen, the ancient stone works will remain at The Met on loan and will be prominently displayed as the repatriated heritage of Yemen.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr., and Ivan J. Arvelo, Special Agent in Charge at Homeland Security Investigations, New York, announced the return of seven artworks to the family of Fritz Grünbaum, an Austrian-Jewish cabaret performer whose art collection was stolen by the Nazi regime.
Hao Jingban will receive 100,000 USD for the production of a screen-based video artwork, for which she now has up to eighteen months to complete. An edition of the work will be donated to and exhibited in each museum and the Han Nefkens Foundation will also have a long-term loan of the produced artwork for presentation at art institutions worldwide with whom the Foundation collaborates with.
France has 67 paintings taken from the Netherlands in the Napoleonic era, a new exhibition has revealed. At the opening of the exhibition called Loot – 10 stories, Mauritshuis director Martine Gosselink revealed that some of a selection of almost 200 paintings that once belonged to William V were confiscated and some never returned.
One of India’s most celebrated artists, Amrita Sher-Gil’s painting has attained the status of the most expensive work of an Indian artist ever sold. The painting titled “The Story Teller” has fetched 6,9 million Euro at Saffronart’s “Evening Sale: Modern Art” in New Delhi.
The number represents a slight dip compared to 2022, during which a record-breaking 283 exhibitors participated. This year’s iteration will focus on the Latin American and Caribbean diasporic scenes, and will feature galleries from Egypt, Iceland, the Philippines, and Poland.
The World Heritage Committee, meeting in Riyadh until 25 September, decided today to inscribe the sites of "The Saint Sophia Cathedral and Related Monastic Buildings and Lavra of Kyiv-Pechersk" and "L’viv – the ensemble of the historic centre" on the List of World Heritage in Danger, due to the threat of destruction the Russian offensive poses.
During the night from Tuesday to Wednesday, September 13, 2023, unknown persons have stolen several pieces from the collection of the Museum of East Asian Art (MOK). Stolen were nine Chinese porcelains dating from the 16th to the 19th century, all from an imperial context. The financial damage is estimated at over one million euros.
The World Heritage Committee, which is meeting in Riyadh until 25 September, decided to remove the site of the Tombs of the Buganda Kings in Kasubi (Uganda) from the List of World Heritage in Danger, following the successful restoration work carried out by Uganda with UNESCO’s support.
World Design Organization (WDO)® announced today that the designation of World Design Capital® (WDC) 2026 will be awarded to the region of Frankfurt RheinMain (Germany) as a result of their demonstrated commitment to design that is rooted in social cohesion, urban transformation and the empowerment of more democratic futures.
The Cobra Museum for Modern Art in Amstelveen is delighted to announce that Marius Touwen has agreed to provide a credit facility. Touwen, a major shareholder in Serra Holding and Rode Kruis Ziekenhuis in Beverwijk, as well as a passionate art enthusiast and collector, has stepped in to save the museum from its acute financial crisis.
Harvard University announced today that Martha Tedeschi, Elizabeth and John Moors Cabot Director of the Harvard Art Museums, will retire at the end of the 2023–24 academic year. Tedeschi’s successful seven-year tenure prioritized the museums’ teaching and research initiatives, expanding access, and making the Harvard Art Museums free to all visitors.
On the evening of Friday September 8th, Morocco was hit by a catastrophic 6.8 magnitude earthquake. As the country mourns the loss of over 2,000 lives and 1,404 seriously injured people, the World Health Organisation estimates that the earthquake has already impacted over 300,000 people. The number is likely to continue climbing.
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced the return of 33 Khmer antiquities to the Kingdom of Cambodia, pursuant to an agreement between the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and the family of the late George Lindemann.
Mission Masterpiece, the family exhibition where children and their families performed technical research on artworks from the Rijksmuseum collection, is transferring to the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp (KMSKA). Visitors to the exhibition at the Rijksmuseum, which closed last weekend, gave it exceptionally high ratings. Two other European museums have expressed interest in re-using the concept and materials for Mission Masterpiece.
The children’s rhyme ‘London’s Burning’ may be associated with the Great Fire of 1666 but the calls to ‘fetch the engine’ and ‘pour on water’ would certainly have had a particular resonance with people during and after the Blitz of World War Two. In 1940-41, fire again raged throughout the Capital, with 13 of Sir Christopher Wren’s churches destroyed and the night of 29 December 1940 becoming known as the ‘Second Great Fire of London’.
Vincent van Gogh's painting titled "Spring Garden, the Parsonage Garden at Nuenen in Spring" has finally returned to the Groninger Museum after being stolen three and a half years ago. It was taken on March 30, 2020, from the Singer Laren Museum, where it was on loan for an exhibition.
Humans have had talent and passion for art for almost as long as we have kept records. In the time of the Greeks, philosophy was one of the driving forces behind the art forms they produced. However, fast-forward to today, we have more modern styles that appeal to people today.
Amid the omnipresent forces of globalization and technology, it's only logical that art education is transforming at light speed. Today, colleges work to support a new generation of artists who can push the boundaries of creative discovery to its logical extremes.
The UNESCO Committee for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict held an extraordinary meeting to strengthen the protection of cultural heritage in Ukraine, including the granting of provisional enhanced protection to 20 cultural properties as well as deciding the training of Ukrainian security forces and judiciary personnel on heritage protection.
The Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen is dedicating an exhibition to the magnificent work of Chaïm Soutine (1893–1943). His expressive paintings shed light on his life as a Jewish emigrant and at the same time bear witness to an unstable existence on the fringes of society.
The city of Amstelveen intends to discontinue the annual subsidy of 1.2 million euros to the struggling Cobra Museum starting from next year. Due to the increasing debt burden, the municipality no longer deems it responsible to support the museum with public funds.
Every year, European cities represent the European Capitals of Culture (ECOC). The initiative was developed in 1985 and has already been awarded to more than 50 cities. Selected cities receive €1.5 million in funding from the “Creative Europe” programme.It is designed to foster the contribution of culture to the development of cities. Moreover, it aims to highlight richness and diversity across Europe.
Magritte, Bacon, Ensor, Moore, Jordaens, Rubens … These are just some of the world-famous names on display at the MAS in autumn 2023. The not-to-be-missed exhibition 'Rare and Indispensable' brings a unique selection of masterpieces from the Flemish masterpiece list.
On Wednesday, Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs Lee Satterfield and Ambassador of Yemen to the United States Mohammed Al-Hadhrami, accompanied by the Department’s Special Envoy for Yemen Tim Lenderking, signed a bilateral cultural property agreement that renews and extends protections for Yemeni cultural property which were put in place in 2020 on an emergency basis.
Marleen Boschen has been appointed the institution’s first Adjunct Curator dedicated to art and ecology – a position that will develop narratives around ecological issues and further Tate’s commitment to climate justice. Kimberley Moulton will take on the role of Adjunct Curator specialising in First Nations and Indigenous Art, continuing the innovative research and scholarship undertaken in this field.
The Getty Research Institute has acquired the archive of Maren Hassinger. The archive contains original sketches, drawings for large scale projects, photographs, correspondence, print media, handwritten notes, documentation of exhibitions, and audio-visual material.
On September 1, Dutch Anna Koopstra will start in the position of curator of Early Netherlandish painting. "Her arrival is an important added value for the development of our new research center BRON and scientific research for exhibitions in BRUSK," echoes an enthusiastic response from Musea Brugge.
Karel Holomek was a prominent Roma activist, publicist and politician. He was born on 6 March 1937 into a family of indigenous Moravian Roma who settled in Moravia at the end of the 17th century. Like his father, Tomáš Holomek (the first university-educated Romani person in Czechoslovakia) graduated in mechanical engineering from the Military Academy in Brno and worked there as an assistant for several years.
De Appel will move to and be hosted by Tempel Broedplaats, a cultural centre in Amsterdam's Diamantbuurt. The new location will be inaugurated by Touria Melani, Amsterdam's Alderman for Art and Culture in 2024. In the new location de Appel will continue its ongoing cultural projects as well as launch new programmes.
Avinash Chandra, a luminary of Indian modernist art in the post-independence era, emerges from the shadows of time as a forgotten master. One of the first Indian artists to attain international acclaim, Chandra's legacy has faded from the forefront of art discourse.
On 8 September 2023, a new exhibition about Antwerp during the Second World War opens at the MAS. Antwerp was particularly hard hit by the war. Nazi terror, persecution of Jews and military violence killed 25 000 people. Captivating personal stories make this important part of history tangible.
The Bavarian State Library has recently acquired one of the world's most renowned artworks: Katsushika Hokusai's "The Great Wave" (1760 – 1849). The original title of the woodblock print is "Under the Wave off Kanagawa," and it was created by Hokusai between 1830 and 1832.
The Board of Trustees of Museum of the Moving Image appointed Aziz Isham as their new Executive Director. A veteran non-profit arts executive, Emmy-winning filmmaker, writer, and curator, Isham steps into the leadership position on October 1, 2023, as the Museum explores a major project to redesign its core exhibition.
The British Museum has launched an independent review of security after items from the collection were found to be missing, stolen or damaged. A member of staff has been dismissed, and the Museum will now be taking legal action against the individual. The matter is also under investigation by the Economic Crime Command of the Metropolitan Police.
The Cobra Museum of Modern Art in Amstelveen is facing severe financial problems. The situation is more concerning than what the museum previously conveyed to the city council, according to a letter from the mayor and aldermen. There is said to be an "acute, worrying financial situation".
The J. Paul Getty Museum presents Graphic Design in the Middle Ages, an exhibition that reveals the ways that design influenced the making, reading, and interpretation of medieval books. Drawn primarily from the Getty Museum’s Manuscripts collection, the exhibition goes on view at the Getty Center from August 29, 2023 through January 28, 2024.
Sequences Biennial is delighted to announce the full list of participating artists for its 11th edition, which will open to the public from 13–22 October in Reykjavík, Iceland.Titled Can’t See, the Biennial explore the ever-growing threat of ecological destruction by delving into spaces that cannot be perceived by the human eye, from the depths of the sea and layers of the soil, imagining the debris of the past and visions of the future.
The number of stolen artefacts from the British Museum is “closer to 2,000” with the total value of missing pieces thought to run into “millions of pounds”, reports have said. Last week the British Museum announced that items from its collection were found to be “missing, stolen or damaged” and an unnamed member of staff has been sacked. Legal action is being taken by the museum against the individual and police are investigating but no arrests have been made.
Ötzi's genome was decoded for the first time more than ten years ago. This was also the first time the genome of a mummy had been sequenced. The results provided important insights into the genetic makeup of prehistoric Europeans. Advances in sequencing technology have now enabled a research team from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology and Eurac Research to reconstruct Ötzi’s genome more accurately.
The British Museum has launched an independent review of security after items from the collection were found to be missing, stolen or damaged. A member of staff has been dismissed, and the Museum will now be taking legal action against the individual. The matter is also under investigation by the Economic Crime Command of the Metropolitan Police.
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has followed up on observations by the Hubble Space Telescope of the farthest star ever detected in the very distant universe, within the first billion years after the big bang. Webb’s NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) instrument reveals the star to be a massive B-type star more than twice as hot as our Sun, and about a million times more luminous.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art acquired an important painting attributed to Jacques Guillame Lucien Amans, the French neoclassical painter who worked in New Orleans in the late 1830s through the 1850s. The painting, titled Bélizaire and the Frey Children, of ca. 1837, represents one of the rarest and most fully documented American portraits of a Black individual depicted with the family of his White enslaver. The painting will go on view in Gallery 756 of the American Wing this fall.
The National Gallery has announced that its first-ever Pay What You Wish scheme, launched as a response to the cost-of-living crisis, will continue as part of its major autumn exhibition The Credit Suisse Exhibition: Frans Hals (30 September 2023 – 21 January 2024), having attracted significant new audiences.
From 11 to 15 August, you will discover Brussels City Hall through fresh new eyes. Five days long, some of the world's finest floral artists will transform fifteen rooms in the Town Hall to pay tribute to another Belgian speciality: Surrealism and its great masters. An enchantment of fragrance and colour to inspire the imagination in the most beautiful setting you could dream of: the Grand-Place in Brussels.
A public-space mural by the internationally influential American street artist and activist Shepard Fairey now adorns the STRAAT Museum in Amsterdam. In the gigantic work (14 x 14.8 m | 46 feet high and 48.5 feet wide) Raise the Level on the museum's impressive side wall, the artist calls attention to improving the dire state of our planet and makes an appeal for us to work together to do so.
India's Independence Day, celebrated on August 15th, holds immense significance as it marks the country's liberation from British colonial rule in 1947. This day honours the sacrifices of countless freedom fighters and symbolises the triumph of unity, diversity, and self-determination.
The German Kulturpolitikpreis 2023 will be presented to the former Minister for Culture and Science of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Isabel Pfeiffer-Poensgen, on September 21 in Berlin, in recognition of her long-standing, persistent, and diverse cultural policy engagement.
The Kõmij Mour Ijin expedition aims to bring worlds together to tell a compelling story that will capture the public’s imagination. We voyage to learn and appreciate: to remember, to reimagine, to reinvent. We voyage to reaffirm our home right here and now on Earth and to ensure that all of us can not only survive but also thrive.
Ukraine's coat of arms, the trident, has replaced the Soviet hammer and sickle on the Motherland monument's shield in Kyiv on Aug. 6. The 102-meter-high statue was built in 1981 when Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union. It depicts a woman holding a sword and a shield that was formerly emblazoned with the Soviet hammer and sickle.
The National Gallery of Art has acquired Sentinel (2022) by Simone Leigh (b. 1967), the first work by the artist to enter the collection. Sentinel is a new edition of the sculpture from the US pavilion at the 2022 Venice Biennale, where Leigh was the first Black woman artist to represent the United States in the exhibition’s 127-year history. Her work was also included in the Biennale’s central exhibition, The Milk of Dreams, for which she was awarded the Golden Lion for Best Participant. The sculpture will be installed in the East Building atrium in September 2023.
The National Gallery of Australia today announced it will return three bronze sculptures from its Asian art collection to the Kingdom of Cambodia. The works of art being repatriated are Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara Padmapani, Bodhisattva Vajrapani and Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara Padmapani.
For centuries, dozens of passages in the original manuscript drafts of William Camden’s Annals have been invisible to the naked eye. Often, pieces of paper were pasted over the original text and the passages over-written, implying that Camden was concerned not to offend his patron, King James.
The Van Abbemuseum and Eindhoven Museum collectively bought two works by Jan Toorop: an influential Dutch artist from the period around 1900. This marks the first joint purchase of the Eindhoven museums. The works showcase an important part of the city’s history.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Verizon have launched a first-of-its-kind experience at the Museum, Replica, that allows visitors at The Met to scan artwork and bring elements of the works digitally into the global immersive platform Roblox through augmented reality (AR).
Konrad Klapheck worked on his very own artistic orbit. He began his career after the war, in the heyday of abstraction, with elaborately crafted figurative paintings. He met his heroes Breton and Magritte just before they died and became a belated Surrealist. And when art was already beginning to take an interest in “media”, he still staged irons and typewriters as monuments to an analogue machine world that had long since come to an end.
Following its treatment and analysis by Getty Museum conservators, the bronze will be shown to the public for the first time since its excavation in 2018. Dating from around 500 BC, when the region was inhabited by Greek colonists, the statuette is an exceptional work of Archaic Greek art and a unique example of Albania’s rich archaeological heritage.
From 5 July to 17 September 2023, the Musée Marmottan Monet will host a remarkable collection of engravings belonging to the Swiss Fondation William Cuendet & Atelier de Saint-Prex. With over one hundred masterpieces on display, the exhibition showcases an ensemble of works ranging from the 15th to the 21st century, including Dürer, Rembrandt, Piranesi, Goya, Corot, Manet, Degas, Bonnard, Vuillard… The works of the great masters will be displayed in a dialogue with creations by contemporary artists.
Rome archaeologists on Wednesday announced the discovery of what they believe are the ruins of the Theatre of Nero whose location has always been a mystery. The legendary private theatre was built by Emperor Nero, who reigned from 54-64 AD, however until now it was known only from ancient Roman texts.
Chilean artist Sandra Vásquez de la Horra the Käthe-Kollwitz Prize in 2023. The jury, consisting of Academy members Ulrike Grossarth, Raimund Kummer, and Ulrike Rosenbach, recognizes Sandra Vásquez de la Horra for her artistic expression in addressing conflicts that contemporary society worldwide must confront. Her works encompass archetypes of our collective consciousness, gender issues, sexuality, intercultural reflections, and questions related to spiritual practice.
After an extensive restoration process, Edgar Degas' "Little Fourteen-Year-Old Dancer" (circa 1880) will be back on display at the Albertinum of the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden (SKD) starting Tuesday, 8th August 2023. Edgar Degas' dancer is one of the iconic pieces in art history, and her ballet tutu is undoubtedly the most famous tutu in the world. During the restoration, the tutu was not only cleaned and conserved but also underwent retouching to fix any missing parts of the sculpture.
The triptych arrived at KIK on 28 June, ready for the start of its restoration in 2024. In October, it will sojourn at M Leuven, in the city Bouts once lived and worked. During the DIERIC Bouts. Creator of Images exhibition (20.10.23 through 14.01.24) and the feature exhibition Bouts Studio (16.02.24 through 28.04.24) at M Leuven, the triptych can be seen for the first time ever alongside other Bouts’ masterpieces, such as The Last Supper – his magnum opus – Man of Sorrows, and The Martyrdom of Saint Erasmus.
Library Street Collective is thrilled to present We are the Willing, the first solo gallery exhibition by Los Angeles-based artist Gary Tyler, curated by Allison Glenn, opening on July 8th, 2023. Taken from the first lines of the motto for the Angola Prison drama club, which Tyler was president of for 28 years, “We are the willing” became an anchor for the artist, propelling him to think expansively about the potential impact his leadership could have on the shape of the drama club, where he relied on the space of performance to increase prison literacy, and for members to have a cathartic release through self-expression.
Astrup Fearnley Museet is celebrating its thirtieth anniversary in 2023. To mark this significant milestone, the museum is undertaking an extensive exhibition titled Before Tomorrow featuring works from the Astrup Fearnley Collection, which will fill the museum’s two buildings designed by Renzo Piano.
In 2021, when a New York art gallery debuted paintings by Hunter Biden with asking prices as high as $500,000, the White House said that buyers’ identities were known only to the gallery, not to Hunter Biden himself. Internal documents from Georges Bergès Gallery show Biden sold $1.3 million worth of art. Of that amount, a single buyer bought 11 Biden artworks for $875,000. The identity of the $875,000 buyer is unclear, Business Insider reported.
As of now Berlin galleries have the opportunity to apply for grants for artfair participations in a pilot funding program for the year 2023. Each gallery can receive a maximum of 12,000 euros for up to two artfair participations, both in German and international fairs.
On view for the first time in a US museum, HUMAN ONE’s explorer asks viewers to look closely at the worlds they encounter. The explorer walks through imagined landscapes ranging from those inspired by terrains in our own world, like alpine mountains, to those that reach deep into the worlds of dreams and popular culture to reimagine what forms landscapes can take.
Tate Liverpool and the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) are forming a new partnership on Liverpool’s historic waterfront. Tate Liverpool + RIBA North will see the art gallery join RIBA’s national architecture centre from 27 October 2023 to coincide with the temporary closure period of the museum’s building for its redevelopment, which is due to be completed in autumn 2025.
AEA Consulting is pleased to announce the release of the 2022 Cultural Infrastructure Index. Established in 2016, the Index seeks to measure investment in capital projects in the cultural sector globally, identifying projects with a budget of US$10 million or more that were publicly announced or completed within a calendar year.
Tupac Shakur’s Gold, Ruby, and Diamond Crown Ring, Designed and Commissioned by Tupac Shakur in 1996 soared to $1,016,000, marking the most valuable Hip Hop artifact ever sold at auction*, and the only Hip Hop artifact to surpass $1 million. The ring was sold following a determined battle between bidders and achieved more than triple its $300,000 high estimate.
An installation by the influential artist Gülsün Karamustafa will be presented at the Türkiye Pavilion at the 60th International Art Exhibition - La Biennale di Venezia, to be held between 20 April and 24 November 2024. Curated by Esra Sarıgedik Öktem, the exhibition will take place at the Türkiye Pavilion located in its long-term venue at the Arsenale, secured by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV) for the duration of 20 years from 2014 to 2034.
The Indian Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism, and Culture presented its “Three Hundred Forty Eighth Report” addressing the issue of “Heritage Theft – The Illegal Trade in Indian Antiquities and the Challenges of Retrieving and Safeguarding Our Tangible Cultural Heritage” in both Houses of Parliament.
Photographs play a central role in the memory of World War II. As a supposedly objective source, they were and are reproduced in books, films, documentaries and exhibitions and continue to shape visual memory to this day. This also applies to the war against the Soviet Union, in which the Germans committed unprecedented crimes against prisoners of war and the civilian population after the invasion on June 22, 1941.
Tyeb Mehta’s virtuosity radiates through the identity of his protagonists; through the sense of universality, they exude. Unrestrained, they straddle seamlessly through the realms of faith, culture, nationality, geography and political ideology. Their place of origin is indeed a mystery since they exist solely in the space of human emotions recognised by all yet vanquished by none.
A new study from Tel Aviv University and Tel-Hai College solves an old mystery: Where did early humans in the Hula Valley get flint to make the prehistoric tools known as handaxes? The researchers applied advanced methods of chemical analysis and AI to identify the geochemical fingerprints of handaxes from the Hula Valley's oldest prehistoric sites, Ma'ayan Barukh and Gesher Benot Ya'aqov.
Instituto Inhotim inaugurated its twentieth permanent gallery, dedicated to Yayoi Kusama (Matsumoto, Japan, 1929), one of the most renowned and emblematic artists working today. Galeria Yayoi Kusama features two of her works: I’m Here, But Nothing (2000) and Aftermath of Obliteration of Eternity (2009). They belong to the Instituto Inhotim Collection; the former was acquired in 2008 and the latter in 2009.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Deputy Director and Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Director Patrick J. Lechleitner traveled to Rome to repatriate an original edition of a stolen 15th century Columbus letter to Italian officials on July 19. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) had collaborated with international partners and subject matter experts since September 2011 on this multifaceted international investigation.
The recovery of this archaeological artifact, which is of great historical and cultural importance, is the result of the joint work done by both ministries and the INAH. The research and report done by INAH specialists and the legal arguments presented by Mexico’s representation in Germany led to the voluntary return of the carving, which was found in an antique store.
The Chrysler Museum of Art will present Paul McCartney Photographs 1963-64: Eyes of the Storm from December 5, 2023 – April 7, 2024. Traveling from the National Portrait Gallery in London to Norfolk, the Chrysler Museum of Art will be the first venue in the United States to host this major exhibition, burnishing the Chrysler’s reputation as an institution committed to the presentation of the diverse histories of photography through exhibitions and the permanent collection.
Finn will steer the direction of the Miami Beach edition as it continues to innovate, overseeing the team staging the fair, cultivating and expanding Art Basel's network of galleries, collectors, and artists in the Americas, and working in concert with Miami and South Florida's world-class museums, institutions, and cultural partners.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr., announced the return of two antiquities collectively valued at $1.26 million to the people of Libya. The pieces, “Marble Face of a Ptolemaic Queen” and “Female Bust,” were looted from the ancient city of Cyrene and smuggled by convicted British art trafficker Robin Symes, who served as the front man for multiple smuggling networks selling looted antiquities to high-end European and American buyers.
Interest and research in generative AI models has accelerated in recent months with advancements in natural language processing that lets machines understand and express language, as well as systems that can generate images based on text input. Today, we’re showcasing CM3leon (pronounced like “chameleon”), a single foundation model that does both text-to-image and image-to-text generation.
The Roswitha Haftmann Prize 2023 is being awarded to the Brazilian artist Cildo Meireles (b. Rio de Janeiro, 1948). With a value of CHF 150,000, the Roswitha Haftmann Prize is Europe’s best-endowed art award and has been presented since 2001 by a jury chaired by the Director of the Kunsthaus Zürich.
To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Tate St Ives, Their Majesties The King and Queen visited the Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden. They were given a tour of Hepworth’s studio and garden, which is cared for by Tate St Ives, and were introduced to several people who have played important roles in Tate St Ives’s success over the past 30 years.
The Van Gogh Museum concludes its 50th anniversary year with Van Gogh along the Seine. This pioneering exhibition explores how the area along the Seine near Asnières, to the north-west of Paris, was crucial to the artistic development of Vincent van Gogh and his contemporaries: Paul Signac, Georges Seurat, Emile Bernard and Charles Angrand.
Transport Secretary Mark Harper has today given the go-ahead to a twin-bore 3km tunnel and some 2km of massive approach cuttings to be gouged through the unique landscape of the Stonehenge World Heritage Site (WHS). The WHS was designated by UNESCO as of “outstanding universal value” to mankind for its remarkable remains of the Neolithic and Bronze Ages.
The Dutch national photography museum, Nederlands Fotomuseum, will open in a new prime location in Rotterdam in 2025. The museum will move to a newly renovated historic warehouse situated on the Rijnhaven harbour, providing a new home for the national collection of over six million photographs.
A suspected arson attack in Naples destroyed a work from Italian artist Michelangelo Pistoletto’s Venus of the Rags (1967–1974) series yesterday, Wednesday, July 12. The piece was unveiled two weeks ago in the city’s central Piazza Municipio as part of a city-wide initiative to bring art into public spaces. Italian police announced last night that they arrested a 32-year-old unhoused man in connection with the incident. The authorities identified the suspect through security footage and traced him to a soup kitchen.
The Burrell Collection is announced as Art Fund Museum of the Year 2023 this evening (12 July 2023). Duncan Dornan, Head of Museums and Collections for Glasgow Life, was presented with the £120,000 prize - the largest museum prize in the world - by the artist Sir Grayson Perry at a ceremony at the British Museum, London.
Bonhams announces its best-ever first-half year results in the company's history. From January to June 2023, the Bonhams network achieved more than $550,000,000 with sales across the globe.
In view of the brutal Russian attack on Ukraine, a comprehensive biennial project in Kyiv long seemed deeply uncertain, if not impossible. But, with a cascade of openings – starting in Kyiv and Vienna in October 2023, finishing in Berlin in 2024 – the fifth Kyiv Biennial will take place.
A team of specialists and students led by UNC-Chapel Hill professor Jodi Magness has uncovered a spectacular mosaic panel in the late Roman (ca. 400 C.E.) synagogue at Huqoq, an ancient Jewish village in Israel’s Lower Galilee. The panel, which identifies the mosaic donors or artists, decorates the floor just inside the main entrance.
In 2024, the Zurich Art Prize, awarded annually by Museum Haus Konstruktiv and Zurich Insurance Company Ltd, goes to Olaf Holzapfel (b. 1967 in Dresden, lives and works in Berlin and Brandenburg). He is the 17th winner of the renowned award. Endowed with CHF 100,000, the prize consists of an CHF 80,000 budget for the production of a solo exhibition at Museum Haus Konstruktiv and CHF 20,000 in prize money.
The Illinois State Museum has returned 37 wooden memorial statues, known as vigango, to the National Museums of Kenya for repatriation to Mijikenda communities. These statues are considered sacred cultural objects and are believed to carry the spirits of male elders who have passed away.
For the 2023 edition of their joint initiative, the Musée du Louvre and Paris+ par Art Basel have invited Annabelle Ténèze, presently Director of Les Abattoirs, Musée - Frac Occitanie Toulouse and incoming Director of the Louvre-Lens Museum, to curate an exhibition for public audiences in the Tuileries Garden, this time bringing together contemporary works by more than 20 international artists.
The development of a National Contemporary Art Gallery for Wales is a commitment in the Programme for Government and in the Co-operation Agreement with Plaid Cymru. Delivery is being taken forward through a collaboration between the Arts Council of Wales, Amgueddfa Cymru and National Library of Wales.
At the end of June, the Hermitage Amsterdam announced that it would change its name to H'ART Museum, effective 1 September. The rebranding of the Hermitage Amsterdam comes in the wake of the museum’s decision to cut all ties with Russia following the invasion of Ukraine.
In 1996, 25-year-old Tupac Shakur was prepared to enter a new phase in his ever illustrious career. Leaving behind a period of incarceration, and having signed the now notorious deal with Death Row Records, Tupac—always a multi-hyphenate dreamer—spent the first half of that year strategizing the expansion of his artistic empire.
Tate Modern launches a major new exhibition celebrating the dynamic landscape of photography across the African continent today. Bringing together 36 artists from different generations and geographies, A World in Common: Contemporary African Photography explores how photography and video has allowed artists to examine legacies of the past while imagining more hopeful futures. Unfolding across three chapters, the exhibition charts the dialogue between photography and contemporary perspectives on cultural heritage, spirituality, urbanisation, and climate change to reveal shared artistic visions that reclaim Africa’s histories and reimagine its place in the world.
The first major exhibition to celebrate the colorful and dynamic pop culture of South Korea will make its U.S. debut at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), in March 2024. Hallyu! The Korean Wave traces the country’s meteoric rise from a nation ravaged by war in the 1950s to a leading cultural powerhouse by the dawn of the 21st century.
Spike Lee: Creative Sources, a rare glimpse into the world of Spike Lee (born Atlanta, Georgia, 1957; raised in Brooklyn, New York), one of the most influential and prolific American directors, who has transformed the landscape of contemporary cinema and the art of filmmaking. Through an immersive installation of objects that have been touchpoints in his creative process, visitors will discover the sources of inspiration that have fueled Lee’s work.
Cleveland Triennial for Contemporary Art reaffirms its commitment to artistic and scholarly leadership by appointing artist, dramaturge, and writer Asad Raza as Artistic Director of its third edition that will be on view from July 16 to October 5, 2025 and distinguished scholar and curator Magdalena Moskalewicz to the institutional position of Chief Curator.
Angelina Jolie, an actress and humanitarian, signed a deal for renting a place where Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat worked and lived. This apartment lies on 57 Great Jones Street in New York. John Roesch and Garrett Kelly, directors at the real estate agency Meridian Capital Group, confirmed the deal yesterday. Jolie will use it for her creative studio, Atelier Jolie.
Russian writers are no longer able to publish their work freely in their home country. In collaboration with Russian refugee writer Maxim Osipov, Van Oorschot Publishers is launching Fifth Wave, a magazine that will offer a platform to independent Russian writing.
The Antwerp City Council has approved the architectural assignment for the Antwerp Collection Center, a new building that will house the city's extensive heritage collection. In addition to storage and management, the building will provide public access to art treasures, promote specialized expertise, and implement an active restoration policy. The city is also committed to innovation and sustainability, aiming to create a passive building with a minimal ecological footprint.
Governor Hochul unveiled her vision for a new commuter-first world-class Penn Station and revitalized surrounding neighborhood that reflects the community's needs and focuses on public transit and public realm improvements. The plan prioritizes the reconstruction of the existing station while the station expansion and the Gateway Project initiatives, both of which the Governor strongly supports, continue on their federally-established timelines. Governor Hochul's new plan thus allows the expedited reconstruction of the existing Penn Station, 60% of whose users are subway and LIRR riders.
The German National Foundation was established in 1993, shortly after the German reunification. The purpose of the foundation is to promote German culture within the EU through art, science, literature, politics and law. Since 1997, the Foundation has awarded the National Prize (Deutscher Nationalpreis) to people or institutions that contribute to European integration.
At the request of Indonesia and Sri Lanka , the Netherlands will be returning 478 objects of cultural significance to Indonesia and to Sri Lanka. The objects were wrongfully brought to the Netherlands during the colonial period, acquired under duress or by looting . The decision to return them was made by Secretary of State for Culture and Media Gunay Uslu, following the recommendations of the Advisory Committee on the Return of Cultural Objects from Colonial Context, chaired by Lilian Gonçalves-Ho Kang You. The works are currently in the collections of the National Museum of World Cultures and the Rijksmuseum.
Adam Khan Architects have been selected to lead the refurbishment of the Palais de Danse. This historic building in the heart of St Ives served as Barbara Hepworth’s sculpture studio in the 1960s and will now be reimagined as a space to showcase and build on her artistic legacy. After an extensive search, Khan has been appointed to lead a project team comprising Thread, Price & Myers, and Ritchie+Daffin.
Carine Bachmann, the Director of the Federal Office of Culture (FOC),handed over a fragment of a statue of the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses II to the Egyptian Embassy in Switzerland. The restitution is carried out in accordance with the implementation of the Federal Act on the Transfer of Cultural Property (TCCP).
In response to the devastating fires of 2022 at Rapa Nui Park, UNESCO completed in June 2023 a detailed diagnosis of the damage to archaeological resources and stressed the need for short-term interventions to protect and preserve this world-renowned heritage site.
S.M.A.K. (Municipal Museum of Contemporary Art) in Ghent is taking an important step towards the long-awaited expansion of the museum. The Ghent urban development company sogent is seeking a multidisciplinary design team through the Flemish Government Architect’s Open Call procedure. The team will draw up the design for a renewed S.M.A.K., comprising the current building and the so-called ‘Casino end’ of the Floraliënhal on the opposite side of the building cluster.
In an unexpected pressrelease, Frank Demaegd and Eliane Breynaert announce the closure of Zeno X Gallery, a renowned Belgian gallery, at the end of 2023. Zeno X Gallery has been home to celebrated artists such as Luc Tuymans, Michael Borremans, Dirk Braeckman, and many others.
The Maria Lassnig Foundation has awarded the Maria Lassnig Prize to Turner Prize-winning artist Lubaina Himid. Born in Zanzibar in 1954, Himid's practice has long dealt with themes of colonialism, slavery, identity, and gender. In 2017, she became the first Black woman to win the Turner Prize, and she received a CBE for her contributions to art in 2018.
In 2022, the Louvre Museum lent the iconic artwork "The Seated Scribe," a masterpiece from the Department of Egyptian Antiquities, to the Louvre-Lens to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Louvre-Lens museum. A year later, the Louvre reaffirms its commitment to the Louvre-Lens by loaning "The Lacemaker" (1670-1671), a masterpiece by Johannes Vermeer.
Antonia Ruder will take over as director of Gallery Weekend Berlin on November 1st, 2023. As Maike Cruse’s successor, she will work together with the existing team and advisory board to further develop Berlin’s most important art weekend and continue expanding its established format with both national and international appeal.
BMW announced a collaboration at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City with internationally renowned New York-based artist, Julie Mehretu, to create the 20th BMW Art Car. Mehretu was unanimously chosen by an international jury of museum directors and curators and will be given total creative freedom to design the next installment in BMW’s legendary collection of “rolling sculptures.”
UNESCO and the European Commission have just signed an agreement to accelerate global implementation of the UNESCO Recommendation on the ethics of artificial intelligence adopted in November 2021 by the 193 Member States of the Organization. A budget of €4 million will be dedicated to supporting the least developed countries in the establishment of their national legislation.
The volcano is located less than fifty kilometers from Vesuvius and could cause a new catastrophe if it erupts. Mount Vesuvius is probably one of the most famous volcanoes in the world and is located in the Gulf of Naples, Italy. Less known than Vesuvius, but potentially equally dangerous, is the Campi Flegrei, located in the same Italian region.
The Gwangju Biennale Foundation (President Park Yang-woo) and 15th Gwangju Biennale Artistic Director Nicolas Bourriaud are pleased to announce the title and theme of the 15th Gwangju Biennale, Pansori - a soundscape of the 21st century. The title pays tribute to pansori, a musical form which originated in south-west Korea in the 17th century to accompany shamanistic rituals. Its literal meaning being “the sound of the public place,” in other words, the voice of the common people.
The new presentation, which opens on 3 November and is scheduled to run for at least a year, is entitled ‘A Future for the Past. The Bührle Collection: Art, Context, War and Conflict’. The exhibition examines the historical context of the genesis of the Emil Bührle Collection, and adopts a nuanced approach to it in the immediate present. Differing interpretations and perspectives will be juxtaposed in order to highlight the manifold interconnections and dilemmas involved.
Director Annabelle Birnie announced new international partnerships with the British Museum, Centre Pompidou and Smithsonian American Art Museum bringing world-famous art collections to Amsterdam. They mark a fresh start for the museum known as H’ART Museum from Friday 1 September. The new H’ART Museum shows the uniting force of art and opens its windows to the world.
The Windrush Generation is being celebrated in a series of ten new portraits that will go on public display for the first time from today for visitors to Edinburgh’s royal palace. Commissioned by His Majesty The King in 2022 when Duke of Rothesay, the special display commemorates the positive contributions these pioneering men and women have made to the United Kingdom.
Engravings made on the walls of the cave of Roche-Cotard (Indre-et-Loire, France) using fingers have recently been dated to over 57,000 years ago. Created by Neanderthals, these engravings make Roche-Cotard the oldest known decorated cave with engravings in France - and possibly even in Europe.
The Harvard Art Museums today announce a new free admission policy for all visitors, effective immediately. The new policy represents a significant expansion of free access to the museums’ collections, exhibitions, and research for public audiences. The museums are open to visitors Tuesday through Sunday, 10am to 5pm (except major holidays), and during monthly Harvard Art Museums at Night programs on the last Thursday evening of each month.
The Diego Rivera Theater is set to become the cultural heart of the City College of San Francisco campus. Situated in a new academic precinct along Frida Kahlo Avenue, the Theater will be the home of Diego Rivera’s Pan American Unity mural while providing a central base for the music and drama academic departments.
Aviva, Manchester City Council and Factory International today announce a long-term partnership which includes landmark support for Manchester’s iconic new arts and culture venue to be named Aviva Studios. The venue, which will be the home of Factory International, is predicted to add £1.1 billion to the economy of Manchester and the surrounding region over a decade. It will support up to 1,500 direct and indirect jobs and provide training and engagement opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds.
The President of La Biennale di Venezia, Roberto Cicutto, and the Curator of the 60th International Art Exhibition, Adriano Pedrosa, today announce the title and theme of the Biennale Arte 2024, which will take place from 20 April to 24 November 2024 (pre-opening 17, 18, 19 April) at the Giardini, the Arsenale and various venues in Venice.
Uzodinma Iweala and the team at The Africa Center will be presented with the Leo Award at ICI's upcoming Fall Benefit and Auction, taking place on Thursday, October 26, 2023. As the leading arts organization committed to advancing curators in contemporary art, ICI presents its Leo Award (named after the legendary art dealer and early ICI supporter Leo Castelli) in recognition of those who have shown extraordinary support to curators and artists and created new infrastructures that serve a broader art world.
Following the recent Supervisory Board and shareholders’ meetings, documenta und Museum Fridericianum gGmbH can announce the approved and adopted annual financial statements for the financial year 2022. This means that documenta fifteen (June 18 – September 25, 2022) has remained within its EUR 42.2 million overall budget.
The Monuments Men and Women Foundation recently restituted a papal bull issued by Pope Pius IX and turned over custody of the rare document to Italian officials. Odessans Sondra and Toby Eoff generously helped underwrite the restitution costs. The papal bull, an official decree issued by the Vatican, was signed by Pope Pius IX in 1862. It established the Catholic Church of Santo Stefano in Scascoli, located south of Bologna and still in existence today.
Conducted under the scientific direction of the Capitoline Superintendency for Cultural Heritage, and made possible by an act of patronage by the Maison Bvlgari, the interventions finally allow the full usability of the Sacred Area of Largo Argentina with a new visit itinerary that, for the first time, allows you to access the site and visit it systematically, reading the stages of life from the Republican age through the imperial and medieval era, up to the rediscovery that took place in the last century with the demolitions of the 1920s.
the Mellon Foundation announced its latest round of grantmaking through The Monuments Project—a commitment to give $250 million by 2025 to transform the nation’s commemorative landscape through public projects that more completely and accurately represent the multiplicity and complexity of American stories. This summer, nine grants totaling $25 million will be awarded directly to municipalities to fund publicly oriented initiatives, bringing total grantmaking through The Monuments Project past its halfway mark to $151.9 million.
Austrian Minister for Arts and Culture, Andrea Mayer, commissioned an internationally composed expert panel in January 2022 to develop recommendations for dealing with objects from colonial contexts in federal museums. These recommendations are now available and were presented by State Secretary Andrea Mayer, together with the chairman of the panel and director of the Weltmuseum Wien, Jonathan Fine, during a press conference.
The Standard Bearer, one of the last masterpieces by Rembrandt which remained in private hands for almost 400 years, was acquired for the Rijksmuseum thanks to a grant of €150m from the Dutch government and further contributions from the Rembrandt Association, VriendenLoterij and the Rijksmuseum Fund.
An exceptional collection of photographs depicting the deportation of the first Poles to the newly established German Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz, which took place 83 years ago on June 14, 1940, has been discovered and published. Digital reproductions of these significant documents were given to the Museum by a Tarnów collector Marek Tomaszewski, the author of the publication "Tarnów – KL Auschwitz: The First Transport to Hell."
As part of its digital strategy, the EU wants to regulate artificial intelligence (AI) to ensure better conditions for the development and use of this innovative technology. AI can create many benefits, such as better healthcare; safer and cleaner transport; more efficient manufacturing; and cheaper and more sustainable energy.
The Rein Dool painting depicting board members of Leiden University will be moving soon to the Reception Room in the Academy Building, where more people will be able to see it. The work will have a label and will also be part of temporary exhibitions of other works. Leiden University will also appoint a new Art and Debate Committee for the Academy Building.
Susan and Matthew Weatherbie and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), have reached an agreement with the heirs of art dealers Paul Graupe and Arthur Goldschmidt resolving the ownership of Adriaen van Ostade’s painting Customers Conversing in a Tavern (1671), which had been sold to Adolf Hitler in the early 1940s. The agreement allows the painting to be retained and exhibited at the MFA, and donated to the Museum at a future date by the Weatherbies.
The Advisory Commission on the return of cultural property seized as a result of Nazi persecution, especially Jewish property, chaired by Prof. Hans-Jürgen Papier, decided on 16 May 2023 in the case of the heirs of Hedwig Lewenstein Weyermann and Irma Lewenstein Klein versus Bayerische Landesbank, to recommend the restitution of the painting Das bunte Leben [The Colorful Life] (1907) by Wassily Kandinsky to the heirs of Hedwig Lewenstein Weyermann and Irma Lewenstein Klein.
The five shortlisted artists for the 2023 Sobey Art Award, Canada's preeminent prize for contemporary visual artists, were announced today by the National Gallery of Canada (NGC) and the Sobey Art Foundation (SAF). Works by the five finalists will be on view at the Gallery from October 13, 2023 until March 3, 2024. The winner will be announced in November. Artist Divya Mehra won the $100,000 Sobey prize in 2022.
Throughout the 20th century and to the present day, the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s Lady with a Guitar has been the subject of deep fascination and many questions. Long catalogued as a ‘Copy after Vermeer’ in the John G. Johnson Collection at the Museum, the work is a replica or close duplicate of Johannes Vermeer’s The Guitar Player (c.1672) today in the collection of Kenwood House, London. The hairstyles of the sitter are different – the Philadelphia musician does not have corkscrew ringlets – but otherwise the images are nearly identical.
Larry's List released the second edition of the private art museum report. The report provides a systematic exploration of the global landscape of privately founded contemporary art museums with analyses by continent, country, and city. It gives an overview of museums that have opened over the past years and provides an understanding of their legal setup and operations. A deep-dive chapter explores the social media activities of the museums.
Two environmental activists have been found guilty of vandalism for gluing themselves to a statue in the Vatican Museums. In the conclusion of the much-talked-about trial on Monday (June 12), Vatican judges sentenced the activists to nine months in prison and charged them a 1,500 euro fine with a suspended sentence of five years.
On 9 June 2023, the Supreme Court of the Netherlands ruled that the Amsterdam Court of Appeal correctly applied the law in the case involving the disputed objects from Crimean. The objects must be handed over to the state of Ukraine as determined by the Court of Appeal in its judgment of 26 October 2021.
What did the Girl with a Pearl Earring look like when Vermeer applied his final brushstroke to the canvas and he took the -now world-famous painting- off the easel? Are we still looking at the same painting as he once intended? And what painting techniques would he have used? In the freely accessible presentation Who's that Girl? the Mauritshuis shares key research findings on what the Girl must have looked like in 1665. The presentation in the museum's foyer also includes a mega-sized 3D print of the Girl, which you can see ánd touch. Thanks to very advanced research techniques, we have come a whole lot closer to Vermeer.
In response to growing political, public and industry concern over the rapid proliferation of artificial intelligence (AI) foundation models and calls for regulation, UNESCO is publishing a policy paper demonstrating how the UNESCO Recommendation on the Ethics of AI can help identify and clarify key ethical concerns related to AI systems, guiding policy responses. The paper suggests a procedural framework to address and mitigate risks that may arise with their use across the AI project life cycle.
In Carnac, a small municipality in the French region of Brittany, at least 38 menhirs or prehistoric stones have been demolished for the construction of a DIY store. This has been reported by various French media outlets. Carnac is known as an area where menhirs are abundant. A local archaeology association is considering filing a complaint against the municipality.
M Leuven welcomes Study of a Head of a Bearded Man into its collection. It is a recently discovered painting from the oeuvre of Michaelina Wautier, who worked in Brussels in the seventeenth-century. This extremely rare study from c. 1655 was authenticated by Wautier expert, Katlijne Van der Stighelen (KU Leuven). The work will be presented in the new collection presentation at M in 2024. Through this display, the museum aims to further redress the balance between female and male artists and to highlight an underexposed area of art history.
A large piece of wood discovered by chance, lying in peat in excellent condition during the construction of a workshop in Boxford, Berkshire, has been identified by Historic England as being more than 6,000 years old, making it the oldest decoratively carved wood in Britain. It was carved 2,000 years before Stonehenge was built and 4,500 years before the Romans came to Britain.
14 art objects were returned to Italy, which were illegally exported from Italy and partly originated from thefts or looting. Among the cultural goods are an ancient drinking vessel from the 6th century BC, a bronze helmet from the 3rd or 4th century BC, and a Venetian jewelry box from the 16th century.
The exhibition features works by 15 artists: Francesco Arena, Terry Atkinson, Massimo Bartolini, Eteri Chkadua, Maxim Dondyuk, Harun Farocki, Leon Golub, Alfredo Jaar, Mario Merz, Richard Mosse, Pedro Reyes, Martha Rosler, Sim Chi Yin, and Ran Slavin. War is over! Peace has not yet begun, through the selection of artists’ works, invites us to look at the apparently concluded conflicts of our time and of the past, and to reflect on the profound difference between the mere closing or deadlock of the armed phase of a conflict and the establishment of a true condition of peace, following a reflection on the power and meaning of images in the history of art and communication.
After fifteen years of service, Manuel Borja-Villel stepped down as the director of Madrid's Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía. As a result, the Spanish Ministry of Culture engaged in a country-wide search for his replacement. Finally, the chips fell on Manuel Segade.
From painful waxes to irritating shaves, we can trace the modern obsession with hair removal back to the Romans, English Heritage has said today (24 May), as the charity displays a collection of tweezers used to remove armpit hair from Roman men and women in a new museum at Wroxeter Roman City, Shropshire – a Roman town once as large as Pompeii. Amongst over 400 artefacts, most of which have never been on display, other objects related to Roman cleanliness and beauty practices include a strigil (skin scraper), perfume bottles, jet and bone jewellery, make-up applicators and amulets for warding off evil. The new museum at Wroxeter opens to the public tomorrow.
The National Museum of Antiquities (RMO) in Leiden is no longer allowed to conduct excavations in Saqqara, the famous burial ground near the Egyptian capital, Cairo. The Egyptian authorities have imposed this ban in response to anger over an exhibition currently on display at the Leiden museum, first reported by NRC.
Despite having carefully limited numbers in order to give visitors the best experience possible, the Rijksmuseum’s Vermeer exhibition finished as the most successful exhibition in its history with 650,000 visitors from 113 nations, over 16 weeks from 10 February to 4 June 2023
Lee will join the Whitworth from London’s Tate Modern, where she is a Senior Curator of International Art. Since 2019 she has led the ‘Hyundai Tate Research Centre: Transnational’, a major research initiative in partnership with Hyundai Motor, exploring new perspectives on global art histories. In 2021 she was also appointed Artistic Director of South Korea’s 14th Gwangju Biennale, which opened in April 2023.
Returning for its 12th consecutive year, the annual Photoville Festival is excited to feature the return of the Photoville Village in Brooklyn Bridge Park with some of our classic shipping containers, in addition to open-air exhibitions throughout all five boroughs of New York City.
Battistero di San Giovanni Battista dates back to 1167. Built in Romanesque style, it has an octagonal floor plan with a diameter of 20.5 metres and a height of 34 metres. It originally had three doors, two of which were closed in 1588; the third, which is still visible today, consists of a portico with two lions.
Les Enfants d’Ouranos is a new work by artist JR (b. 1983, Paris, France) presented as a large-scale, site-specific installation on the south façade of the Museum for an entire year. The 200-foot long banner, depicting children playfully running, will cover much of the exterior wall and be visible from Montauk Highway. JR’s presentation follows previous façade installations by Hank Willis Thomas, Martin Creed, and Clifford Ross.
On Friday 2 June, the Van Gogh Museum celebrated its 50th anniversary: a significant milestone for the renowned museum that is devoted to the work of Vincent van Gogh and his time. During the anniversary celebration on Museumplein, Princess Beatrix received a sunflower on behalf of Emilie Gordenker (Director of the Van Gogh Museum) and Janne Heling (Chairwoman of the Vincent van Gogh Foundation). The Princess’ mother, Queen Juliana, was also presented with a sunflower at the opening of the museum 50 years ago.
In conjunction with the 60th International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale, a major exhibition dedicated to Willem de Kooning, among the most innovative and influential artists of the 20th century, will be held at the Gallerie dell’Accademia in Venice. This was announced by the director of the Gallerie dell’Accademia Giulio Manieri Elia.
A remarkable unseen trove of Freddie Mercury’s handwritten working drafts for Queen’s immortal hits will be unveiled for the first time today at Sotheby's New York, before travelling to Los Angeles and Hong Kong. The manuscripts will then return to London as part of a month-long exhibition in August prior to their sale in “Freddie Mercury: A World of His Own” this September.
A remarkable unseen trove of Freddie Mercury’s handwritten working drafts for Queen’s immortal hits will be unveiled for the first time today at Sotheby's New York, before travelling to Los Angeles and Hong Kong. The manuscripts will then return to London as part of a month-long exhibition in August prior to their sale in “Freddie Mercury: A World of His Own” this September.
Sotheby’s today announces plans to acquire the iconic Breuer building from the Whitney Museum of American Art, relocating its flagship galleries and auction room to the heart of New York’s Upper East Side alongside the Museum Mile. Designed by Modernist master Marcel Breuer and completed in 1966, the new flagship located at 945 Madison Avenue will include state-of-the-art gallery and exhibition space to showcase Sotheby’s full suite of offerings—including a reimagined signature auction room, exhibitions spanning Sotheby’s 71 categories across fine art and luxury, all while maintaining this landmark architectural masterpiece. The Sotheby’s galleries will be free and open to the public.
This summer Neue Galerie New York is undertaking enhancements to this historic building to promote sustainability and improve the visitor experience on every level. To accommodate this necessary work, the Neue Galerie – including the galleries, shops and cafés – will be closed from June 1 through August 31.
Established at the initiative of the avid art collector Kiran Nadar, the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art (KNMA) opened its doors to the public in January 2010, as the first private museum of art exhibiting Modern and contemporary works from India and the sub-continent. Located in the heart of New Delhi, India’s capital city, KNMA as a non-commercial, not-for-profit organization intends to exemplify the dynamic relationship between art and culture through its exhibitions, publications, educational, and public programs.
It was not just the eruption that led to the death of the inhabitants of Pompeii but also the simultaneous earthquake. Turmoil, confusion, attempted escapes and, in the meantime, an earthquake, showers of pumice, volcanic ash and hot gases. This was the inferno of the eruption of AD 79, the living hell in which the inhabitants of the ancient city of Pompeii found themselves, including the two victims whose skeletons were recently discovered during the excavation of the insula of the House of the Chaste Lovers.
Rock legends, Hollywood stars and sports heroes. Mention a global celebrity from the second half of the 20th century and that person probably posed for Terry O’Neill’s camera. This Summer, Fotografiska New York is opening its doors to Stars – featuring iconic portraits of Brigitte Bardot, Mick Jagger, Audrey Hepburn, Frank Sinatra, David Bowie, The Beatles, Kate Moss and many more.
In common with many arts organisations, and other universities across the sector, the University of Brighton faces financial challenges which means that we are having to reduce our expenditure. The decade-long freeze in undergraduate tuition fees has reduced their value in real terms by around a third, while the increase in our costs as a result of generationally high levels of inflation has created further pressure. This has led to the difficult decision to close the BCCA
A group comprising AI industry pioneers, renowned academics, and notable figures, including celebrities, issued a compelling statement on Tuesday. The statement, published by the Center for AI Safety, emphasizes the criticality of reducing the risk of a global catastrophe caused by artificial intelligence (AI). It asserts that preventing an AI extinction event must be recognized as a paramount global priority, comparable to addressing challenges such as pandemics and nuclear warfare.
Three 1850-year-old stone ossuaries retrieved in an operation carried out to prevent antiquity looting near Kafr Kanna in Galilee. The stone ossuaries (small burial chests) were discovered in a plot near the village of Mashhad, located south of Kafr Kanna in Galilee, in a joint operation by the Kafr Kanna Police and the Israel Antiquities Authority Theft Prevention Unit.
The death of the artist was confirmed by the Ilya and Emilia Kabakovy Foundation. “It is with deep sorrow that we announce the death of Ilya Kabakov, a great artist, philosopher, beloved husband, precious father and adored grandfather,” says the foundation’s Facebook message. It says that Kabakov died surrounded by his loved ones on May 27, the cause of death is not specified.
Two climate activists were indicted by a federal grand jury following an April protest that included smearing paint on the case protecting Edgar Degas’s “Little Dancer Aged Fourteen” sculpture in the National Gallery of Art, the U.S. attorney’s office in Washington said Friday.
Ida Sophia has been named the winner of the Art Gallery of South Australia’s $100,000 Ramsay Art Prize, the nation’s most generous prize for Australian artists under forty. The winning performance-based video work, Witness will be premiered in the Ramsay Art Prize 2023 exhibition.
Monster Chetwynd combines historic references, theatrical aesthetics, and popular culture to tell stories that reflect on society and morality. Her installation, Pond Life: Albertopolis and the Lily, reveals the entwined histories of Gloucester Road station and the vast programme of cultural redevelopment that followed the Great Exhibition of 1851 in Hyde Park.
A celebration of the iconic Greek mythological figure Helen of Troy, Bust of Helen, is a masterpiece in marble, created between 1816 and 1817, by the Italian titan of neo-classical sculpture Antonio Canova (1757-1822) which will be a highlight in the Old Masters Part I Sale on 6 July, during Classic Week London (estimate: £2.5 million - 4 million).
In excavations carried out on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority in the City of David, within the Jerusalem Walls National Park, and funded by the City of David Foundation, a small fragment of a stone tablet was discovered, bearing an inscription that was produced for financial purposes.
Yoshitomo Nara (b. 1959) is one of the best-known artists of his generation worldwide. Since the 1990s, he has attracted international attention with his so-called “Angry Girls,” heavily stylized images of girls with grim expressions, vampire fangs, and knives in their hands. With their childlike cuteness, the figures recall the aesthetics of comics and cartoons, ranging from snotty brats to naïve, sweet-looking characters.
The Institute of Museum and Library Services announced the eight recipients of the 2023 National Medal for Museum and Library Service. The National Medal is the nation’s highest honor given to museums and libraries that demonstrate excellence in service to their communities.
On 25th May, Artcurial’s Books & Manuscripts department, in collaboration with booksellers and experts Benoît Forgeot and Philippe Luiggi, will present a part of the collection of Marie-Puck Broodthaers. Daughter of Belgian artist Marcel Broodthaers (1924-1976), gallery owner and collector, she offers for sale a set of more than 230 lots, divided into two chapters.
The Rijksmuseum has received a gift of 12.5 million euros from a private donor, the largest financial gift ever made to the museum. The donation will enable the museum to continue its annual sculpture exhibitions in the Rijksmuseum Gardens for 10 years. The benefactor has been supporting the series since 2013.
The exceedingly talented as well as early successful artist Louisa Clement (*1987) studied at the Staatliche Akademie der Bildenden Künste in Karlsruhe and at the Kunstakademie in Düsseldorf, where she was previously provided to be a master student of the very well-known, proficient photography expert Andreas Gursky.
Art Fund annually shortlists five outstanding museums for the Museum of the Year. The 2023 edition celebrates 10 years of Art Fund Museum of the Year, a prize grounded in 50 years of history championing the UK's 2,500 museums, galleries and heritage sites. The shortlisted museums demonstrate transformational impact, redeveloping their offers with diverse and inspiring stories at their heart and shaping the response to vital issues of today.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr., announced the return of two ancient stone antiquities, a Mesopotamian limestone elephant and a Sumerian alabaster bull, to the people of Iraq. Collectively valued at $275,000, these artifacts were looted from the ancient city of Uruk, now known as Warka, one of the oldest civilizations in human history.
Christie's conducted the first of a two-part auction of real estate investor Gerald Fineberg's collection, resulting in a total sales figure of $153 million. However, many of the items were sold for prices that were either below or close to their estimated minimum values, and a few pieces were left unsold. Jeff Koons’ Humpty Dumpty sold for 40% below the low estimate. Nevertheless, the event did establish new auction records for five artists, Alma Thomas, and Alina Szapocznikow amongst them.
The international symposium Rethink and Reload is dedicated to the multifaceted culture of monuments in contemporary democracies. It considers the overthrow and new settings and genres of monuments as two inseparable sides of one development: the effort to make our increasingly diverse democracies more democratic.
This report into artists’ pay and working conditions published by Industria and a-n The Artists Information Company reveals the extent of underpayment of artists in the UK’s public art sector. Structurally F–cked draws its title and data from testimonies gathered through Artist Leaks, an anonymous online survey of visual artists conducted by Industria.
The monumental sculpture, which weighs almost 1.5 tonnes, is cast in iron from a giant tree root of the endangered Pequi Vinagreiro tree, typically found in the Bahia Coastal Forest of eastern Brazil. The piece was crafted using the ancient techniques of 'lost wax' moulding and casting.
Oxford University has undertaken a review of its relationship with the Sackler family and their trusts, including the way their benefactions to the University are recognised. Following this review, the University has decided that the University buildings, spaces and staff positions using the Sackler name will no longer do so. These review outcomes have had the full support of the Sackler family and were approved by the University Council on 15 May 2023.
Oxford University has undertaken a review of its relationship with the Sackler family and their trusts, including the way their benefactions to the University are recognised. Following this review, the University has decided that the University buildings, spaces and staff positions using the Sackler name will no longer do so. These review outcomes have had the full support of the Sackler family and were approved by the University Council on 15 May 2023.
The year 2023 is a commemorative year in the Netherlands because 150 years ago Slavery was abolished in Suriname and the Caribbean parts of the Dutch Kingdom. In this context CBK Zuidoost initiated a collaboration with the Cultural Heritage Agency (RCE) to create the group exhibition Knights in Shining Armour (reappropriating the appropriated). The curator of this exhibition, Claudio Ritfeld, was inspired by the reappropriated definition of the word “N ”, and the artistic/political intentions of Mark Steven Greenfield; reappropriate in order to neutralise the effects of racial stereotypes.
The Public Prosecutor's Office in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, and the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) searched a motor yacht in northern Germany on May 3, 2023, as part of an investigation against a 67-year-old entrepreneur from the Russian Federation. According to Der Spiegel the person of interest is Russian oligarch Farchad Achmedow.
Today’s technological advancement and interculturalism have completely transformed the philosophical interpretation of what is aesthetically pleasing or engaging, altered perspectives on culturalism as well as offer a wide range of media needed to express one’s ideas and thought processes. Subsequently, contemporary African artists derive impetus from these contemporary unlimited possibilities to invent multifaceted artistic formalisms.
The artists, who have been commissioned to create new works by the Government Art Collection, were stationed across England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and New York for the Coronation weekend and will offer their unique perspectives to commemorate the events.
In the exhibition “Expressionists at Folkwang” the partial reconstruction of the Schiele collection of the Folkwang museum's founder Karl Ernst Osthaus, which was confiscated by the National Socialists in 1937, was a particular highlight. Now Museum Folkwang has succeeded in reacquiring one of Egon Schiele's works for the collection.
The Centre Pompidou’s retrospective exhibition dedicated to Norman Foster reviews the different periods in the architect’s work and highlights his cutting-edge creations, such as the headquarters of the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (Hong Kong,1979-1986), the Carré d’Art (Nîmes, 1984-1993), Hong Kong International Airport (1992-1998) and Apple Park (Cupertino, United States, 2009-2017). The exhibition is designed by Norman Foster in collaboration with Foster + Partners and the Norman Foster Foundation.
In 2019, the Ampersand Foundation launched the Ampersand Foundation Award, a biennial UK prize offering an institution the funds to produce their dream exhibition or visual art project. The foundation aims to let curators and directors realise a project that they have always wanted to do but have been unable to achieve due to funding constraints.
Art historian Bram Donders, who works as a researcher at Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, has received a Dutch Research Council (NWO) grant for his research project, Bequeathed, into women who have gifted or bequeathed artworks to Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen since 1849.
The Rijksmuseum has acquired three works by Marlow Moss: the 1948 painting White and Black (No 27) and two untitled drawings made around 1940 and 1957 respectively. Moss played an important role in the development of abstract art in Europe in the beginning of the 20th century.
The Gwangju Biennale Foundation announced on May 10 that writer and curator Nicolas Bourriaud will serve as the artistic director for the 15th Gwangju Biennale, set to open in September 2024. Bourriaud is an esteemed figure in the international art scene, renowned for his expertise in art theory and curatorial abilities.
It is no secret that the rich history of Egypt is full of remarkable rulers. One name in particular has transcended the centuries like no other... that of Ramses the Great, or Ramses II. A warrior who reconquered lost lands of the Egyptian empire, negotiator of the most famous peace treaty of antiquity, and builder of pharaonic Egypt, his representations are countless.
New York Department of Financial Services (“DFS”) announced that the City of Frankfurt and Städelsches Kunstinstitut (“the Städel”) Museum restituted the painting Portrait of Lady by Fritz von Uhde to the heirs of Gustav Rüdenberg. Portait of a Lady is one of the few works from the Gustav Rüdenberg collection to have survived the Nazi Regime and World War II.
The inaugural exhibition of the Eyal Ofer Pavilion The exhibition Alberto Giacometti: Beginning, Again presents, for the first time in Israel, a comprehensive selection of works by Alberto Giacometti (1901–1966), one of the most influential artists of the 20th century.
Handaxes from the period of the first human migration out of Africa, eggshells of extinct ostriches, and a unique collection of rock engravings. An international team led by the Institute of Archaeology of the CAS in Prague has successfully completed its third excavation season in Oman. Thanks to the unique findings, the researchers will be contributing, among other things, to the reconstruction of the climate and history of the world’s largest sand desert.
Raphaela Vogel will take over De Pont Museum in Tilburg with the exhibition KRAAAN. In recent years, Vogel (Nuremberg, 1988) has captured the attention of the international art world with her installations, in which sculpture, painting, experimental videos and music all flow together to yield a theatrical whole.
“Aki Sasamoto uses everyday objects, movement, set design, and food in her performances to evoke the absurdity of the human experience. She improvises environmental elements such as equations or sounds in ways that are impossible to anticipate. This intangibility keeps us on our toes and somehow coalesces into magical coherence. The resulting energetics resonate with my grandfather’s own experiential art.” – Alexander S. C. Rower
Art Basel appointed Maike Cruse, presently Director of Gallery Weekend Berlin, to the newly created position of Director, Art Basel in Basel, effective July 2023. In this role, Cruse will lead Art Basel's premier Swiss edition, overseeing the team in Basel and working closely with the fair's network of galleries, collectors and artists as well as nurturing close relationships with the city's leading museums, institutions and cultural partners. Reporting to Vincenzo de Bellis, Director, Fairs and Exhibition Platforms, and working in concert with Andreas Bicker, Head of Business and Management Europe, Cruse will be responsible for shaping the fair's direction and strengthening its pre-eminent position as a global platform for discovery and encounters that drive the art world. Cruse is returning to Art Basel, having served as Communications Manager from 2008 to 2011.
The restoration of the Ghent Altarpiece, also known as the Adoration of the Mystic Lamb, has been a lengthy process. From 2012 to 2016, the outer panels were restored, followed by the central panel in the second phase until 2019. During this phase, the original eyes of the lamb were uncovered, revealing a distinctly shaped nose and large frontal eyes, different from the overpaintings.
Founded in 2004 as Turkey's first museum of modern and contemporary art, Istanbul Modern is committed to sharing Turkey’s artistic creativity and cultural identity with art enthusiasts everywhere. To date, the museum has hosted 8 million 500 thousand visitors and provided free art education to 850 thousand children and young people.
Produced in partnership with Peckham 24, south London’s innovative three-day photography festival, the prize amplifies the voices of women, champions diversity and promotes equality in the arts. It has been made possible by the support of Ms. Ruth Monicka Parasol and The Parasol Foundation Trust.
Light, Gaze, Presence, an exhibition by Y.Z. Kami (Tehran, 1956) with a selection of works shown for the first time in Florence in some of the most iconic venues of the city: Museo Novecento, Museo di Palazzo Vecchio, Museo degli Innocenti and, exceptionally, in the thousand-year-old Abbazia di San Miniato al Monte
Catherine Colonna, Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs, and Rima Abdul Malak, Minister of Culture, received Jean-Luc Martinez, Ambassador for International Cooperation in the Field of Heritage and Honorary President and CEO of the Louvre, who submitted to them the report commissioned by the President of the Republic in order to prepare the outlines of a framework law on the restitution to their country of origin of cultural property belonging to the French public collections , which, in the current state of law, are inalienable and may be returned only on the basis of a special law.
Since the earliest days of print journalism, illustration has been used to elucidate and add perspective to stories. Even with the advent of photography in the 19th century, hand-drawn illustrations continued to have their place, both as a synthesis of the artist’s vision and the writer’s meaning. The illustrator’s art still speaks to something not just intimately connected to the news, but intrinsically human about story itself.
Édouard Manet (1832-1883) and Edgar Degas (1834-1917) both played a pivotal role in the new painting of the 1860s-80s. This exhibition, which brings together the two painters in the light of their contrasts, forces us to take a new look at their real bond. It shows the heterogeneous and conflicting nature of pictorial modernity and reveals the value of Degas’ collection, in which Manet occupied a larger place after the latter’s death.
The Cobra Depot shows the works of the founding fathers of the Cobra movement and contemporary artists who have continued to work in the spirit of Cobra. The collection includes paintings, graphic works, sculptures, and applied arts. The versatility of the movement is reflected in the richness of this collection, which continues to expand.
His Majesty will wear vestments which featured in the Coronation Services of King George IV in 1821, King George V in 1911, King George VI in 1937 and Queen Elizabeth II in 1953, including the Colobium Sindonis, the Supertunica, the Imperial Mantle, the Coronation Sword Belt and the Coronation Glove.
The future of democracy worldwide depends in part on whether the Ukrainian army can break the current stalemate and achieve complete victory. In a new cover story reported from frontline Kherson, President Volodymyr Zelensky’s office, and other cities and military bases across Ukraine, The Atlantic’s staff writer Anne Applebaum and editor in chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, write that now is the moment for the United States and the Western world to help Ukraine launch its counteroffensive, take back Crimea, and win the war.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr., announced today the return of three antiquities valued at $725,000 to the people of Yemen. The objects were recovered pursuant to the recently concluded criminal investigation into antiquities purchased by Shelby White, a private collector based in Manhattan.
Looking back at the effects of Covid two things stand out. Firstly online buyers and sellers have become familiar and that familiarity has increased the trust in online platforms. Secondly the Covid boost in growth across the online art market has delayed the anticipated consolidation of the sector by effectively extending the lifespan of those that were struggling. That is likely to change in the next couple of years as a combination of a gloomy global economy and rising interest rates start to bite.
On 30 June 2022, more than 100 years after his death in 1917, Canadian soldier John Lambert found his final resting place at New Irish Farm Cemetery, near Ypres, in the presence of his family. Although they never knew him, they attached great importance to his commemoration. Even after the death of the last veterans and their acquaintances, the emotional attachment to the former battlefields and those who died there still appears to be very strong.
The Mauritshuis has acquired a new flower still life by Balthasar van der Ast. Vase with a Single Tulip from c. 1625 is a rare painting (26.5 x 20 cm) showing only one flowering tulip. Watercolour drawings with the same scene have been preserved in full, such as in tulip albums for bulb growers. In contrast, only two Dutch paintings with a single tulip are known from the 17th century. In 2022, the panel was part of the exhibition In Full Bloom as a showcase for the tulip theme. With Vase with a Single Tulip, the Mauritshuis can present an even more complete picture of the developments in flower still lifes from the early 17th century onward. The acquisition was made possible thanks to the support of the VriendenLoterij.
The Minister of Culture, Rima Abdul Malak, introduced a bill to facilitate the restitution of cultural property in the public domain and which has been the subject of dispossession in the context of the anti-Semitic persecutions perpetrated between 30 January 1933 and 8 May 1945 by Nazi Germany and by the authorities of the territories it occupied, controlled or influenced, in particular the Vichy regime, designated in the law by the consecrated expression «de facto authority calling itself "government of the French State».
It is an important puzzle piece in the history of the Bible and one of the oldest witnesses to the Gospels: a small manuscript fragment of the Syrian translation from Greek, which was written in the 3rd century and copied in the 6th century. A researcher from the Austrian Academy of Sciences has now discovered the fragment with the help of ultraviolet photography in the Vatican Library.
The emblem pays tribute to The King’s love of the natural world, unifying the flora of the four nations of the United Kingdom; the rose of England, the thistle of Scotland, the daffodil of Wales and the shamrock of Northern Ireland. Together, the flowers create the shape of St Edward’s Crown, with which His Majesty The King will be crowned during the Coronation Service at Westminster Abbey on Saturday, 6th May. The emblem has been designed using the red, white and blue of the union flag.
The Rijksmuseum has purchased for its collection a drawing by the Flemish artist Pieter Coecke van Aelst (1502-1550). The artist drew this Old Testament scene titled The Marriage of Tobias and Sarah around 1540–1545. It is very rare compositional sketch by the artist, and the only known design for a tapestry from the final phase of his career. This work was part of the Rijksmuseum collection from 1964 until recently, when, at the recommendation of the Restitution Committee, it was restituted to the heirs of the Jewish private collector Dr Arthur Feldmann. The Rijksmuseum attaches great importance to the serving of justice to the heirs of Dr Arthur Feldmann in this way. The heirs have sold the drawing to the Rijksmuseum.
Wakehurst, Kew’s wild botanic garden in Sussex, will soon be home to one of the UK’s largest outdoor art installations. Commissioned to wrap the Elizabethan Mansion, currently undergoing an extensive roof restoration, Planet Wakehurst is a bespoke photo montage from Australian-born artist Catherine Nelson.
Artists Ghita Skali, Jonas Staal, Josefin Arnell and Michael Tedja have been nominated for the Prix de Rome Visual Arts 2023. The Prix de Rome jury has selected these four artists for the shortlist for the prestigious incentive award for talented visual artists. The shortlist was announced today by the Mondriaan Fund, which organises and finances the Prix de Rome award.
In 2022, the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium received a unique edition of 'Théâtre' by Maurice Maeterlinck (1862-1949). The three volumes bring together some of his writings for theatre. No fewer than 348 original drawings by Ostend artist Léon Spilliaert (1881-1946) illustrate the whole. The work was acquired by the Eliane Vercaempt Fund managed by the King Baudouin Foundation. Because of their cultural-historical and artistic significance, the books have the status of Masterpiece of the Flemish Community.
Old Dongola (Tungul in Old Nubian) was the capital of Makuria, one of the most prominent medieval African states. Research in this city, initiated by Prof. Kazimierz Michałowski, has been providing groundbreaking results practically every year. Such was the case of the last excavation season of the Starting Grant project "UMMA - Urban Metamorphosis of the community of a Medieval African capital city" financed by the European Research Council and carried out by a team led by Dr. hab. Artur Obłuski from the Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology, University of Warsaw.
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that ANGELA CATHERINE HAMBLIN, a citizen of the United Kingdom, was extradited today from Germany to the United States to serve a prison sentence for selling fake works of art through a commercial auction website and in private transactions.
In its 39th year, Art Brussels continues to be renowned for its spirit of discovery and convivial atmosphere, further amplified by its strategic location in a host city known for its rich tradition of collecting. One of Europe’s oldest and most established fairs, the 2023 edition brought together 152 galleries from 32 countries, and the move to Brussels Expo brought a refresh to the overall experience for the many devotees. Focussed SOLO presentations helped to drive robust sales across the fair and local and international collectors, along with numerous institutions and high-profile personalities including Alexander De Croo, the Belgian Prime Minister, added to a palpable sense of renewed energy.
The Museum of Contemporary Art Antwerp (M HKA) is currently housed in a converted and expanded grain silo on Leuvenstraat in the Antwerp South district. Various preliminary studies have shown that it is not possible to meet the expectations set out in the Cultural Heritage Decree within the current infrastructure, particularly with regards to public functions and the presentation of the important collection.
Museum Beelden aan Zee in The Hague is showing a large-scale retrospective of the world-famous British artist Henry Moore next year. The themed exhibition will feature top works from his oeuvre and give visitors a unique insight into the artist's methods and artistic development. Henry Moore by the Sea: Form and Material is a collaboration with the Henry Moore Foundation and can be seen until 22 October 2023.
In a meeting on Thursday, April 20th, the council of the state capital of Düsseldorf decided to restitute the painting "Portrait of the Artist's Children" (1830) by Wilhelm von Schadow to the "Dr. Max and Iris Stern Foundation". The agreement with the Stern Foundation stipulates that the work will remain in the city's collection through a repurchase.
The 12th edition of Liverpool Biennial ‘uMoya: The sacred Return of Lost Things’ addresses the history and temperament of the city of Liverpool and is a call for ancestral and indigenous forms of knowledge, wisdom and healing. In the isiZulu language, ‘uMoya’ means spirit, breath, air, climate and wind.
From its origins in mid nineteenth-century Paris, the idea of bohemia has been a powerful component of what it means to be an artist. Bohemia, a real place, has thus given its name to a cultural movement and a way of living. Its values have always centred around a commitment to art in all its forms, an embrace of total freedom, a hostility toward work and conventional ambition, and a willingness to accept poverty.
The GEM Complex is now offering limited tours to test site readiness and the visitor experience ahead of the official opening. Access is currently limited to the Grand Hall, Glass Court, conference center, commercial area and exterior gardens. All other interior spaces, including access to the galleries and collections, are restricted until the official opening.
The Nairobi Space Station initiative, a partnership between the art futurist organization Kairos Futura, Documenta 2022 first prize winner, Wajukuu Arts and Brush Tu Artist Collective has brought together a diverse group of 20 artists and over a hundred volunteers to create immersive experiences, performance art, and public installations imagining the future of Nairobi.
Kunstmuseum Den Haag proudly presents its latest acquisition: Martha, My Ouma from 1984 by Marlene Dumas (1953). The painting comes from the estate of Jan Maarten Boll and has been transferred to the state. Martha, My Ouma will have a permanent place at the museum. From April 22nd to November 19th, Kunstmuseum Den Haag will welcome the painting in an intimate collection presentation.
The Philharmonie de Paris is organizing the first-ever exhibition dedicated to Jean-Michel Basquiat’s powerful relationship with music. A feast for the ears as well as the eyes, Basquiat Soundtrack presents a rich and heroic score to the meteoric output of a peerless artist, offering new insight into how his visual work was informed by music – from Beethoven to Madonna, zydeco to John Cage, Louis Armstrong to the Zulu Nation.
There is an error in the caption of Van Gogh's famous painting 'Red coals and onions'. They are not onions at all, but garlic. Chef Ernst de Witte of Restaurant Feu in Utrecht discovered this and contacted the Van Gogh Museum to report the error. After investigation by the research team, the museum corrected the caption.
Some people fight against oppression with weapons. Russian-born artists Vitaly Komar and Alexander Melamid chose to wield paint brushes dipped in mockery. Tongue-in-cheek humor and sharp criticism of the Soviet Union, American capitalism and the art market will be on display in the Zimmerli Art Museum’s latest exhibition, Komar and Melamid: A Lesson in History, a retrospective of the artists, both U.S. immigrants who worked together from 1972 through 2003.
The EMOWAA (Edo Museum of West African Art) Trust is delighted to announce the appointments of Professor Chika Okeke-Agulu, Nigerian art historian and Professor of African and African Diaspora Art at and Director of the Program of African Studies at Princeton University and Slade Professor of Fine Arts at Oxford University, as Senior Advisor, Modern and Contemporary Art and Nigerian-British curator Aindrea Emelife as the new Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art.
An ambitious politician whose scheming to seize power in Rome would hasten the end of the Republic. In the spring of 52 BC fate placed him at the foot of the Gergovia oppidum (Gallic fortified town), where he suffered his main defeat during the Gallic War against Vercingetorix.
Bank of America announced today that 23 cultural institutions have been named as recipients of the 2023 Bank of America Art Conservation Project. They represent a diverse range of artistic styles, media and cultural traditions across China, Colombia, France, Lebanon, Mexico, Singapore, South Africa, Sweden, the U.K. and the U.S.
Using not only sculpture, drawing and performance but also writing and pedagogical formats, Otobong Nkanga (Kano, Nigeria, 1974) analyses the notion of ‘earth’ as a geological and discursive formation. She often starts from the systems and procedures used locally to excavate raw materials, processing them technologically and distributing them on a global scale. From this point, she follows the threads that bind together the minerals, material culture and the construction of desire with the redistribution of power and knowledge.
Paleis Het Loo will open its doors on 22 April. This completes an unique renovation within five years and an expansion of over 5,000 m2 located under the palace's forecourt. This ambitious project has added space for permanent and temporary exhibitions and new visitor facilities. The renovated Paleis Het Loo exudes the grandeur befitting one of the Netherlands' most renowned museums.
Kenneth C. Griffin ’89 has made a gift of $300 million to the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) to support the School’s mission and to advance cutting-edge research and expand access and excellence in education for students and scholars regardless of economic circumstances. This unrestricted gift furthers Griffin’s philanthropic legacy at Harvard, which spans four decades and totals more than $500 million.
At the beginning of February 2023, the disturbing message came that a request for demolition had been submitted to the municipality of Ghent for the building at Veurestraat 48a in Afsnee. Now the historical significance of the property in question is apparently little or not known to most - sine culpa. Author : Piet Boyens
A one-time auctioneer has agreed to plead guilty to lying to FBI agents about the origins of paintings attributed to Jean-Michel Basquiat that were seized last year from the Orlando Museum of Art, admitting in court papers filed today that he and another man created the fake art and that he falsely attested to the paintings’ provenance.
Italy Plans to Charge Tourists who Damage Monuments. This was stated by the Minister of Culture, Gennaro Sangiuliano, following today's Cabinet meeting, which approved the bill he proposed titled "Sanctioning Provisions for the Destruction, Dispersal, Deterioration, Defacement, Smearing, and Illicit Use of Cultural or Landscape Assets".
Clues to better understanding the religious rituals, political life and societal hierarchy of the Moche people are coming into view as a multi-year excavation continues at Pañamarca, led by a team of women archeologists and conservators, including a local Denver resident and Denver Museum of Nature & Science scientist.
A stained-glass window installed in 1878 in the former St. Mark’s Church, Warren, Rhode Island, USA, shows Christ engaged in conversation with several biblical women. All have dark skin. The window invites dialogue and interpretation. While the current stewards seek a permanent home for the window, they invite collaborators to decipher and interpret it together. Authors : Hadley Arnold and Virginia Raguin
Old Dongola (Tungul in Old Nubian) was the capital of Makuria, one of the most prominent medieval African states. Research in this city, initiated by Prof. Kazimierz Michałowski, has been providing groundbreaking results practically every year. Such was the case of the last excavation season of the Starting Grant project “UMMA – Urban Metamorphosis of the community of a Medieval African capital city” financed by the European Research Council and carried out by a team led by Dr. hab. Artur Obłuski from the Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology, University of Warsaw.
Vincent van Gogh had a great love for the Brabant landscape, as can be seen in many of his paintings. Over a century after he left his native Dutch province, this landscape is now under pressure. The number of floods is increasing while farmers, cities, industry, and nature lovers are fighting over the available space. Given the complications of the Dutch nitrogen crisis, permit applications for projects in Natura 2000 protected areas have come to a standstill. How can Brabant find the balance between idyll and progress? At the initiative of Midpoint Brabant, MVRDV and the Van Gogh Homeland Foundation developed a meaningful experience that aims to make the public more aware of the region’s coming challenges. By combining knowledge of architecture, landscape design, and sustainability, along with expertise in the leisure industry, the initiators want to reignite the enthusiasm of both young and old people for the Brabant landscape. The ambition is to show, in an attractive and accessible way, how the landscape that inspired Vincent van Gogh 150 years ago can be made more sustainable and greener in the future.
The Brooklyn Nets have unveiled their 2023-24 NIKE NBA City Edition Uniform, created with renowned Brooklyn-based artist KAWS. The uniform was designed as part of a two-year partnership between the Nets and the artist, making this the first-time KAWS has collaborated with a professional sports team.
Proclamation addressed "To all our loving Subjects of what degree or quality soever", making an appeal in the face of the "generall Distraction and Confusion which is spread over the Whole Kingdome", outlining the terms on which he would return to Britain and assume the throne, "at Our Court at Breda this 4/14 day of Aprill 1660, in the twelfth yeare of Our Reigne", 4 pages, folio (333 x 230mm, watermark of a crowned Medici coat of arms), with papered privy seal, later numbering in ink and pencil ("No 191", "201", and "5", the last cancelled), later neat repairs to nicks and short fold tears affecting one letter of one word, remains of guard, dust staining, creases
Until July 10, the Museo Picasso Málaga is showing The Painter and the Model (1963), an oil painting by Pablo Picasso from the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, in exchange for the loan of works from the Málaga museum to the Madrid institution for its exhibition Picasso 1906. The Great Transformation as part of the Celebration Picasso 1973–2023 programme.
The market of art, antiquities and other cultural objects has attracted criminals, organised crime groups and terrorists to launder proceeds of crime and fund their activities. Criminals seek to exploit the sector’s history of privacy and the use of third-party intermediaries while terrorist groups can use cultural objects from areas where they are active to finance their operations.
Kunsthal Rotterdam is proud to present a large-scale exhibition by one of today’s most prominent artists, the tireless activist, and critic of authoritarian power systems Ai Weiwei. In Search of Humanity will be his most comprehensive retrospective to date. Including cultural ready-mades, paintings, works made from LEGO bricks, sculptures, installations, photography, and video works, the exhibition will present an impressive overview of Ai Weiwei's over-four-decades-spanning career and feature key works from all his different creative periods.
The Inside Out Centre for the Arts is a not-for-profit foundation, established by artist-photographer Roger Ballen to serve a dual purpose. First, the Inside Out Centre acts as an art exhibition space, presenting shows that explore issues related to the African continent from a distinctively aesthetic and psychological perspective. Second, the Inside Out Centre facilitates a dynamic programme of educational talks, panel discussions, masterclasses and presentations that reflect on the current exhibition and on topics relevant to the arts. We will also have special programmes for high school groups based on the current exhibition. These include programmes for Visual and Dramatic Arts, Language Studies, Social Sciences and project-based learning.
“Gerhard Richter. 100 Works for Berlin” shows for the first time the long-term loan of the Gerhard Richter Kunststiftung to the Nationalgalerie. The central work in the exhibition, held in the Grafisches Kabinett of the Neue Nationalgalerie, is the series “Birkenau” (2014), consisting of four large-format, abstract paintings. “Birkenau” is the result of Richter’s long and in-depth engagement with the Holocaust and the possibilities of representing it. Alongside the “Birkenau” series, other works from various phases of Richter’s career will be exhibited, among them “Squatters’ House” (1989), “4900 Colours” (2007), and “Strip” (2013/2016). There is also another large group of works from Richter’s striking series of overpainted photographs, in which he addresses the tension between photography and painting. The exhibition has been realised in close collaboration with the artist.
Berlin’s Pergamonmuseum on the Museumsinsel (Museum Island) closes completely to visitors on 23 October 2023. This step is necessary so that the building’s major refurbishment as part of the “Museumsinsel Master Plan” can continue as intended. The North Wing of the museum and the hall with the Pergamon Altar are expected to reopen in spring 2027.
Since the late 1970s, Ann Veronica Janssens (Folkestone, UK, 1956; lives and works in Brussels) has developed her research around light and its relationship to what surrounds it, often creating site-specific works that challenge the immutable nature of sculpture and installation.
UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay carried out a two-day mission to Ukraine, with visits to Kyiv, Chernihiv and Odesa, to reaffirm the Organization's support to the population and to advance the reconstruction of the country’s cultural sector. President Zelensky welcomed the “concrete results” of the emergency measures taken by UNESCO since the beginning of the war.
Innovative methods have revealed new information, including previously unrecorded markings and further evidence of the Stone’s provenance .Cutting-edge digital technologies and scientific analysis have revealed more of the story of the Stone of Destiny, the ancient symbol of Scotland’s monarchy which has long held fascination and intrigue due to the mystery of its earliest origins.
Today, the National Portrait Gallery announces its acquisition of John Barry, O Kelly, Sonny and Richard Moore (2022), a tapestry by leading artist, Michael Armitage, that depicts four refuse collectors at work during the UK’s first national lockdown in 2020. The tapestry was made after Armitage’s painting of the same name, created as part of a public commission in 2020 by the Southbank Centre to recognise the efforts of key workers during the Covid-19 pandemic. Acquired by the National Portrait Gallery, the work will be displayed in its tapestry form for the first time when its building reopens on 22 June 2023, hanging in the newly created The National Lottery Heritage Fund Gallery.
The Independent Administrative Institution National Museum of Art (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, President: Osaka Eriko) will launch the National Center for Art Research (Director: Kataoka Mami) within the Institution as a new comprehensive hub, the nation’s first of its kind, to sustainably and internationally develop the promotion of art in Japan at a time when contemporary society is undergoing great change.
Helsinki Biennial 2023 is delighted to share the 29 international artists and collectives participating in its second edition, New Directions May Emerge, curated by Joasia Krysa and produced by HAM Helsinki Art Museum. Opening to the public on 12 June, an annual Helsinki Day celebration in in the Finnish capital, the biennial comprises around 50% new commissions and site-specific works which engage with some of the pressing issues of our time, encompassing environmental damage, political conflict and the impact of technology. For New Directions May Emerge, Krysa has joined forces with five curatorial collaborators: Critical Environmental Data, Museum of Impossible Forms, TBA21-Academy, ViCCA @ Aalto Arts, and an A.I. Entity.
The Finding Committee of documenta 16 consists of six renowned international experts in contemporary art: Bracha Lichtenberg Ettinger, Gong Yan, Ranjit Hoskoté, Simon Njami, Kathrin Rhomberg, and María Inés Rodríguez. The Supervisory Board at documenta gGmbH today appointed the Finding Committee for the exhibition, which will be held in Kassel from June 12 to September 19, 2027.
The seventh edition of The Art Basel and UBS Global Art Market Report provides a comprehensive, macro-economic analysis of the state of the global art market in 2022. The Art Market 2023 looks closely at how the lingering effects of the pandemic continue to affect the market and forecasts key trends for the year ahead. The Art Market 2023 is written by cultural economist Dr. Clare McAndrew, founder of Arts Economics, and published by Art Basel and UBS.
An Egyptian-German research team has uncovered yet another series of colorful ceiling paintings at the Temple of Esna in Upper Egypt. The researchers reported that the Egyptian restoration team, led by Ahmed Emam, succeeded in completely restoring and re-coloring a representation of the heavens.
From 14 to 16 April 2023 miart, Milan's international modern and contemporary art fair, organised by Fiera Milano and directed by Nicola Ricciardi will be back.
The National Portrait Gallery and Getty today announced plans to jointly acquire and share ownership of Sir Joshua Reynolds’ masterpiece, Portrait of Mai (Omai), in a new model of international collaboration that will maximize public access to this supremely important work.
A team of archaeologists have discovered the remains of a lost palace of the kings of Girsu, in modern day Tello, Southern Iraq. Dating back at least 4,500 years to the third millennium BCE, this significant discovery is a result of the Girsu Project, a joint initiative and new holistic approach to saving endangered heritage sites between the British Museum, the State Board of Antiquities and Heritage (SBAH) of Iraq, and Getty.
From April 4 to June 11, 2023, the Galleria Borghese brings to fruition its research on landscape painting and the relationship between Art and Nature with Dosso Dossi. The Aeneas Frieze, a never-before-seen exhibition – the first dedicated to the great Ferrarese master’s pictorial cycle-curated by Marina Minozzi.
Julien’s Auctions and Turner Classic Movies (TCM) announced today an exclusive collection featuring over 1,400 iconic items from over 100 years of pop culture history to be presented in “Hollywood: Classic & Contemporary”, taking place live Saturday, April 22nd and Sunday, April 23rd
In 2018, the Fondation Louis Vuitton featured the Basquiat x Warhol, Painting Four Hands exhibition, a huge success that drew an estimated 700,000 visitors. In 2023, from April 5 to August 28, the Fondation will continue its exploration of the work of Jean-Michel Basquiat, revealing, this time, his collaboration with Andy Warhol.
Hugo van der Goes (c. 1440–1482/83) was the most important Netherlandish artist of the second half of the 15th century. His works impress with their monumentality and intense colours as well as with their astonishing closeness to life and emotional expressivity. In March 2023, 540 years after the artist’s death, Berlin’s Gemälde- galerie will celebrate a premiere: for the first time, almost all of the artist’s surviving paintings and drawings will be presented in one exhibition.
Museum Paleis Het Loo is set to open the new modern extension with large spaces for temporary and permanent exhibitions. Designed by KAAN Architects the new spaces are ingeniously located directly underneath the courtyard of the historical palace, once a home to King William III and Queen Mary II.
Sasha Suda, the George D. Widener Director and CEO of the Philadelphia Museum of Art have shared news that the museum will create a new Center to be endowed by Trustee Ira Brind, dedicated to the study, acquisition, and care of art from continental Africa and the African Diaspora.
The Joan Mitchell Foundation (JMF) has sent a cease and desist letter to Louis Vuitton Malletier demanding that the company immediately withdraw its print and digital advertising campaign that illegally reproduces and uses at least three works by artist Joan Mitchell for the promotion of its commercial goods.
The Musée d'Orsay in Paris has been ordered by a French administrative court to restitute four major works by Renoir, Cézanne, and Gauguin, which were stolen during World War II.
Aïda Patricia Schweitzer develops a critique of the body as an artistic tool and site of representation, thought as a scenario resulting from precise human decisions, through a heterogeneous artistic practice that crosses performance, painting, drawing, embroidery, installation and video.
The milestones reached in past years are product of a transformative model executed by a team led by Manuel Borja-Villel who have understood the needs of contemporary society and have allowed for the redefinition of the museum institution and the reformulation of its relationship with the many different audiences that exist today.
The year 2022 highlights the 20th anniversary of Artcurial’s creation. In addition to the renovation of the exhibition spaces, the creation of a new permanent sales room and the reopening of the bookshop, Artcurial is celebrating this anniversary with a record result for the year.
Dating back to around 1445, the painting was restored by the Opificio delle Pietre Dure thanks to the full financing, through Art Bonus, by patron Giampaolo Cagnin. This delicate operation, which started in 2019 with an extensive diagnostic campaign, has been unveiled to the press.
In collaboration with the Ministry of Culture’s Institute for Women, the Museo Nacional del Prado is offering a new perspective on its permanent collection through a thematic route devised with the academic supervision of Noelia García Pérez, associate professor of art history at the University of Murcia.
A collaboration between Raheem Sterling Foundation and the National Portrait Gallery launches a new creative youth engagement and skills development programme – Making of Me – in London in a bid to raise the career aspirations of young people interested in expressing themselves through art.
High Line Art announces the third High Line Plinth commission: Old Tree, a 25-foot-tall sculpture in vivid pink and red, by artist Pamela Rosenkranz. Located on the park at West 30th Street and 10th Avenue, the Plinth, as a landmark destination for major public art, features a rotating program of new monumental commissions.
Disentangling archives give us the ability to enter a new era as we disposition between organic and artificial telepathic communication. In this article, the aim is to overcome digital colonization of the human brain by analyzing the 20 years of the Pixelache archive.
Curator, programmer, writer and researcher Rita Ouédraogo and curator Azu Nwagbogu have been selected to be the first curators for the newly founded multidisciplinary space Buro Stedelijk. They applied for the position as a duo, with their commencement date slated for December 1, 2022.
This important work of art has been on public display in The Lowry’s galleries since it opened in 2000, on loan from the Professional Footballers’ Association. Following their decision to sell it, there were no guarantees that future owners would share the commitment to keeping the work on public view and free to access.
Highlights include a rare example of nineteenth-century Lenape (Delaware) beadwork; contemporary works by Miles Greenberg, Oscar yi Hou, and Liza Lou; photographs by Laurie Simmons and Mahtab Hussain; an important Egyptian talatat relief block; and several additions to the Arts of the Islamic World, Asian, Contemporary, Decorative Arts, and Feminist Art collections.
Lawrence Abu Hamdan is the third recipient of the Future Fields Commission in Time-Based Media, a joint initiative by Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo and the Philadelphia Museum of Art that supports the creation of innovative new work in video, film, performance, sound and digital art...
Hamburger Bahnhof – Museum für Gegenwart – Berlin is responding to current developments and sending a signal during the ongoing energy crisis. The museum is turning off the light installation Dan Flavin mounted on the façade for its opening in 1996 – probably until late March 2023.
A U.K. national was arrested for conspiracy to violate U.S. sanctions imposed on Russian Oligarch Oleg Vladimirovich Deripaska and wire fraud in connection with funding U.S. properties purchased by Deripaska and efforts to expatriate Deripaska’s artwork in the United States through misrepresentations.
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art transferred ownership of 29 Benin bronzes to the National Commission for Museums and Monuments in Nigeria. The bronzes, which were part of the museum’s collection, were stolen from Nigeria during the 1897 British raid on Benin City.
On 24 September, the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp was officially reopened by Flemish minister-president and minister of culture Jan Jambon. The museum announced a weekend of celebrations on the museum square. We find it inappropriate not to pay attention to the colonial shadow side of the square on the occasion of the reopening.
The Minister of Culture of the French Republic and the Minister of Culture and Sports of the Kingdom of Spain, officially launched the year of commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the death of the artist Pablo Picasso: the "Picasso Celebration 1973-2023".
We have tried our best to stay above the chaos, hostility, racism and censorship that have engulfed this edition of documenta. We have tried our best to stay focused and committed to our work and the promises and hopes of the lumbung. We have been resilient and in solidarity with our communities, friends, supporters, hosts and guests...
Nadine Dorries is to step down as secretary of state at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) after a year in the role.
What this article brought up will not go away, but after many conversations with family and friends, I decided to defend myself by speaking out, and of course legally. I will take action against this defamation. However, I’m sure that even if it works legally, the damage will still be there...
At a meeting with UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay at the Organization’s Headquarters, Oleksandr Tkachenko, Ukrainian Minister of Culture and Information, announced that his country will request the inscription of Odesa on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.
The Fundação Bienal releases the first curatorial text written by Diane Lima, Grada Kilomba, Hélio Menezes and Manuel Borja-Villel announcing the title and theme of the 35th Bienal de São Paulo – choreographies of the impossible, which will take place from September to December 2023.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the port of Memphis, TN intercepted an ancient Egyptian artifact shipped from Europe. The shipment was manifested as an antique stone sculpture over 100 years old, and sent from a dealer to a private buyer in the U.S.
Dr Zahi Hawass Launches Petition to Return Rosetta Stone to Egypt. The petition also calls for the return of several other Egyptian artefacts from European museums, such as the bust of Queen Nefertiti in Berlin, and a sculpted Zodiac ceiling at the Louvre in Paris.
A drug gang was arrested on Saturday, with the possession of a stolen painting by the well-known artist Picasso, valued by millions of dollars according to the General Directorate for Combating Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances in the Ministry of Interior.
The Contemporary Austin has announced artist, Lubaina Himid as the winner of the 2024 Suzanne Deal Booth / FLAG Art Foundation Prize. In addition to receiving a $200,000 cash award, Himid will present a solo exhibition premiering in Austin in spring 2024 at The Contemporary’s downtown venue, the Jones Center on Congress Avenue.
The Painters of Pompeii Museo Civico Archeologico, Bologna 23.09.2022 - 19.03.2023 Exhibition curated by Mario Grimaldi, presented at the Museo Civico Archeologico, Bologna, in collaboration with the Municipality of Bologna and the National Archaeological Museum of Naples, and produced by MondoMostre.
The University of Cambridge is supporting a claim for the return to Nigeria of 116 objects currently held in the University’s Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (MAA) collections that were taken by British armed forces during the sacking of Benin City in 1897.
The next artworks that will take pride of place on the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square have been chosen. Antelope by Samson Kambalu will occupy one of the highest profile public art spaces in world from 2022, while emoji 850 Improntas’ (850 Imprints) by Teresa Margolles will be installed from 2024.
Creative Time, Governors Island Arts, and Times Square Arts are pleased to present the first public art exhibition by Charles Gaines, The American Manifest. The serial public art installation will unfold in three parts, or chapters, across three locations over the course of two years
In the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the United States has led an unprecedented effort to isolate Russia’s economy. It has frozen Russian assets, restricted trade and financial flows, seized luxury yachts, and banned Russia’s wealthy class from travel. But the American-led sanctions regime has a chink in its armor: the American art market.
World Monuments Fund (WMF) has launched four new projects as part of its recently established Ukraine Heritage Response Fund to address the immediate, critical needs of heritage professionals in Ukraine and to lay the groundwork for the future rehabilitation and long-term recovery of cultural heritage in the country.
When The University for the Creative Arts announced a week prior that Banksy was going to be awarded an honorary professorship, they likely didn’t expect anyone to walk across the stage and claim the honor. But as the endless register of student names was coming to an end, one student decided to do just that...
An archaeological team from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill recently returned to Israel’s Lower Galilee to continue unearthing nearly 1,600-year-old mosaics in an ancient Jewish synagogue at Huqoq. Discoveries made include the first known depiction of the biblical heroines Deborah and Jael as described in the book of Judges.
Due to a depiction of a figure in the work People’s Justice (2002) by the collective Taring Padi, which triggers anti-Semitic readings, the collective, together with the management of documenta and the Artistic Direction of documenta fifteen, has decided to cover up the work in question at Friedrichsplatz and to install an explanation next to the work.
We, the lumbung community (the artists and members of documenta fifteen), add our collective voices in support of the letter that was published on May 7 by ruangrupa, the artistic team of documenta fifteen, and some curators of the failed forum “We Need to Talk! Art – Freedom – Solidarity,”
Paris Photo has announced its 2022 guest curators. Championing emerging talent, China/Switzerland-based curator Holly Roussell will present the Curiosa sector. Bringing women in photography to the forefront, writer, curator, lecturer Federica Chiochetti will present the Elles x Paris Photo program.
The Andy Warhol Museum has announced that the museum will spearhead a major new cultural and economic development project that intends to transform a six-block section of the museum’s neighborhood on Pittsburgh’s North Shore into a thriving hub for expansive cultural programming, creative workforce development and ultimately a new cultural tourism destination.
e-flux wrote of this letter: "This is a letter from ruangrupa, the artistic team of documenta fifteen, and the curators of the recently canceled forum We need to Talk! Art — Freedom — Solidarity reflecting an ongoing debate in Germany around the upcoming edition of documenta".
For the first time in Spain, the Thyssen-Bornemisza museum is presenting a selection of letters and postcards written by painters such as Delacroix, Manet, Degas, Monet, Cézanne, Van Gogh, Gauguin, Matisse, Juan Gris, Frida Kahlo and Lucian Freud, loaned from the Anne-Marie Springer collection.
The PinchukArtCentre (Kyiv, Ukraine), Victor Pinchuk Foundation and M HKA (Antwerp, Belgium) in partnership with Bozar (Brussels, Belgium), the European Parliament (Brussels, Belgium), and the Office of the President of Ukraine present Imagine Ukraine, a three-part project continuing the cultural front against Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Many artifacts and works of art have been in the Smithsonian’s holdings for decades or, in some cases, more than 150 years. They recognize that ethical norms and best practices in collecting have changed, particularly with respect to collecting cultural heritage from individuals and communities, and that the Smithsonian has collections it would not have acquired under present-day standards.
63-year-old Belgian multidisciplinary artist Jan Fabre who was accused of sexual abuse four years ago following an interview in which he stated he had never had any harassment issues, as reported by the Brussels Time, has been convicted of sexual harassment and bullying.
The Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp (KMSKA) is the first museum in Europe to adopt an innovative funding method to expand its collection. From 27 April, people can buy a virtual share in a piece of fine art in an Art Security Tokens Offering. This allows the museum to strengthen its collection and gives everyone an opportunity to invest in art. The piece will be exhibited at the KMSKA after its grand reopening on 24 September 2022 so that it can be enjoyed by all.
The partners of the Cultural Deal for Europe – the European Cultural Foundation, Culture Action Europe and Europa Nostra, also acting on behalf of the European Heritage Alliance wrote to the Ministers of Culture of the EU Member States calling for support to cultural actors from Ukraine.
Rembrandt’s 1636 masterpiece The Standard Bearer was purchased by the Dutch state in January 2022 with the support of the Rembrandt Association and the Rijksmuseum Fund. It is widely considered the final major important painting by Rembrandt to enter a public collection.
Diébédo Francis Kéré, architect, educator and social activist, has been selected as the 2022 Laureate of the Pritzker Architecture Prize, announced Tom Pritzker, Chairman of The Hyatt Foundation, which sponsors the award that is regarded internationally as architecture’s highest honor.
Cinoa, the international art and antiques dealers’ association, on Friday published an open letter, signed by seven art trade groups, calling for an international review of policy making after the US Treasury’s recent report into money laundering and terror finance decide the majority of the art market to be low risk.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24 made us live with the thought that war in the heart of Europe is possible in the XXI c. We watch horrifying videos and photos from Ukraine picturing destroyed residential areas, refugees, and dead bodies of civilians.
On 24 February 2022, at 5 am the armed forces of the Russian Federation attacked Ukraine, launching a full-scale invasion on our country. It is a completely unjustified attack that, as of 28 February, killed 352 civilians, including 14 children, wounded 1,684, and caused great destruction of civil infrastructure.
After the House of Representatives, the Senate has also approved the purchase of the painting The Standard Bearer by Rembrandt.
The Dutch king ruled out Thursday using, for now at least, the royal family's "Golden Carriage," one side of which bears a painting that critics say glorifies the Netherlands' colonial past, including its role in the global slave trade.
Coinciding with the end-of-year festivities, the Centre Pompidou is providing the public with its first “chatbot“, a French and English-language conversational agent designed with artificial intelligence to explore the collection of the Musée national d’art moderne.
An oil painting that went unsold at an auction in Madrid in April may have been painted by the 16th-century Italian painter Caravaggio.
Anselm Reyle is undoubtedly one of the most established contemporary artists. Known primarily for his impressive ‘foil paintings’, Reyle’s recognisable visual language consists of primarily found objects in recontextualised and/or visually altered situations combined with glass and paint.
When artworks feature in works of fiction – be it novels, films, theatre pieces, poems, … – they can serve multiple purposes: they can be mere decoration, they can function as a conversation piece, or they can play an important metaphorical role in the video clip for the song 70 Million by the band Hold Your Horses! many artworks are referenced.
Due to the retirement of Ms Mechtild Rössler from her post as Director of the Centre on 30 September 2021, UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay launched a call for candidates (internal and external) to replace her. At the end of the process, she selected Lazare Eloundou Assomo.
The Dutch government wants to buy the painting De Vaandeldrager by Rembrandt and “bring it into the public domain for good”.
Noted NFT artist Pak sold nearly $92 million worth of “mass” tokens for his experimental Merge NFT project on Nifty Gateway.
The Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden has successfully completed the public consultation process for the revitalization of its Sculpture Garden.
When artworks feature in works of fiction – be it novels, films, theatre pieces, poems, – they can serve multiple purposes: they can be mere decorations, function as a conversation piece, or they can play an important metaphorical role. Let’s take a closer look at one specific artwork in the 2003 film titled Mona Lisa Smile.
When artworks feature in works of fiction – be it novels, films, theatre pieces, poems, … – they can serve multiple purposes: they can be mere decoration, they can function as a conversation piece, or they can play an important metaphorical role. In this series Tamara Beheydt takes a closer look at art in fiction, starting with one of her favourites: the film A Clockwork Orange (1971).
Welcoming more than 60 artists and thinkers for its inaugural season, this new French cultural institution in the U.S. is reinventing the traditional French residency model seen in the Villa Medici by hosting residents in 10 major American cities and exploring intersections between culture and the urgent questions of our time.
The Monuments Men Foundation for the Preservation of Art (Foundation), recipient of the National Humanities Medal, presented by the President of the United States for its work honoring the Monuments Men and Women of World War II, has identified a major work of art on view at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (Museum), which it believes rightfully belongs to the heirs of a German Jew, Dr. Max J. Emden.
Interdisciplinary research by the Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage (KIK-IRPA, Brussels) and the University of Antwerp (AXIS Research Group, UA) has lead to a breakthrough in one of the greatest mysteries in art history: the precise contribution of Jan van Eyck and his illustrious elder brother Hubert van Eyck to the creation of the Ghent Altarpiece (1432).
UNESCO will celebrate a significant victory in the fight against the illicit trafficking of cultural objects when one of the oldest literary works in history is formally handed back to Iraq by the United States of America at a ceremony at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC.
Showing at Bonniers Konsthall, Stockholm until November 7, 2021, is one of the most expansive exhibitions by Lawrence Abu Hamdan to date, which includes a new series of work alongside pieces by Abu Hamdan that allow for an interrogation of witnessing and testimony.
The loan of the famed Bayeux Tapestry by the UK from France may not come to pass after a condition report revealed damage to the artwork. The Museums Journal reports that the 230-foot-long work has been found to be in poor condition, with stains and holes among the issues needing attention and repair.
Artdependence has received the following communication from Mr Jean-Charles Méthiaz concerning Simon Hewitt’s article, requesting we publish it as a Droit de Réponse (‘Right of Reply’). Artdependence fully respects Freedom of Speech and we are therefore happy to publish Mr Méthiaz’s reaction in full:
"In the few past months of isolation while all kind of performances and concerts were canceled, a public dialogue opened around the support of artists in Athens, Greece. Artists have found themselves again unprotected and full dependent on government decisions and lack of state care for the arts".
ArtDependence Magazine is an international magazine covering all spheres of contemporary art, as well as modern and classical art.
ArtDependence features the latest art news, highlighting interviews with today’s most influential artists, galleries, curators, collectors, fair directors and individuals at the axis of the arts.
The magazine also covers series of articles and reviews on critical art events, new publications and other foremost happenings in the art world.
If you would like to submit events or editorial content to ArtDependence Magazine, please feel free to reach the magazine via the contact page.