Articles

Artists in Ireland to receive Basic Income
Article date: Wednesday, February 11, 2026

Artists in Ireland to receive Basic Income

The Irish Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport, Patrick O’Donovan TD, announced the successor scheme to the Basic Income for the Arts Pilot scheme.


German University Library transfers Nazi-Looted Books to Frankfurt’s Jewish Community
Article date: Tuesday, February 10, 2026

German University Library transfers Nazi-Looted Books to Frankfurt’s Jewish Community

The Johann Christian Senckenberg University Library (UB) at Goethe University Frankfurt has been systematically reviewing its collections since 2020 to identify Nazi-looted property and return it to its rightful owners.


British Museum raises £3.5 Million to save Tudor Heart Pendant linked to Henry VIII
Article date: Tuesday, February 10, 2026

British Museum raises £3.5 Million to save Tudor Heart Pendant linked to Henry VIII

The British Museum announced it has raised the £3.5 million of funding needed to acquire the Tudor Heart Pendant for its permanent collection, ensuring it will be on public display for generations to come.


Jack Lang steps down as President of the Arab World Institute over the Epstein Files
Article date: Monday, February 9, 2026

Jack Lang steps down as President of the Arab World Institute over the Epstein Files

Former French Culture Minister Jack Lang, 86, steps down as president of the prestigious Arab World Institute amid explosive revelations from Jeffrey Epstein's files.


Three Century Old Sculpture at Risk of leaving the UK
Article date: Monday, February 9, 2026

Three Century Old Sculpture at Risk of leaving the UK

An export bar has been placed on Michael Rysbrack’s sculpture of two ‘putti’ supporting a column to allow time for a UK buyer to be found.


Gerhard Richter's Abstraktes Bild to be a Highlight of Christie's Hong Kong Evening Sale
Article date: Monday, February 9, 2026

Gerhard Richter's Abstraktes Bild to be a Highlight of Christie's Hong Kong Evening Sale

Christie's begins a year of 40th Anniversary celebrations in Asia and commences the Hong Kong spring season with the announcement of Gerhard Richter's seminal and incandescent Abstraktes Bild (estimate: HK$78,000,000 – 98,000,000 / US$10,000,000 – 13,000,000). 


Olivia Colling and Laura Smith are appointed as Co-Directors of The Hepworth Wakefield
Article date: Monday, February 9, 2026

Olivia Colling and Laura Smith are appointed as Co-Directors of The Hepworth Wakefield

Today it has been announced that Olivia Colling has been appointed Executive Director with Laura Smith as Artistic Director.


Bonhams Officially opens its New U.S. Flagship
Article date: Monday, February 9, 2026

Bonhams Officially opens its New U.S. Flagship

Bonhams opens its new U.S. flagship at 111 West 57th Street, marking a bold new chapter in our 233-year history.


Rare Michelangelo Study for the Sistine Chapel sells for $27.2M
Article date: Friday, February 6, 2026

Rare Michelangelo Study for the Sistine Chapel sells for $27.2M

 A photograph sent to Christie's online portal by an unsuspecting owner resulted in a major discovery: a previously unknown study by Michelangelo for perhaps his most famous work, the frescoes on the Sistine Chapel ceiling. 


Auschwitz Museum introduces New Rules for Visitors
Article date: Friday, February 6, 2026

Auschwitz Museum introduces New Rules for Visitors

Starting March 1, individual visitors will be able to book entry cards exclusively online through the official system at visit.auschwitz.org.


Banco Santander will manage the Gelman Collection, Including 18 Pieces by Frida Kahlo
Article date: Friday, February 6, 2026

Banco Santander will manage the Gelman Collection, Including 18 Pieces by Frida Kahlo

Fundación Banco Santander will manage the Gelman Santander Collection, comprising a set of 160 works assembled by the Gelman couple between 1941 and 1998.


Qatar Museums unveils Programme for Rubaiya Qatar, a New Contemporary Art Quadrennial
Article date: Thursday, February 5, 2026

Qatar Museums unveils Programme for Rubaiya Qatar, a New Contemporary Art Quadrennial

Qatar Museums (QM) announced the programme for Rubaiya Qatar, a new nationwide multidisciplinary contemporary art quadrennial developed under the auspices of ALRIWAQ Art + Architecture, the contemporary art and architecture institution of Qatar Museums dedicated to research, exhibitions, and public art. 


The National Gallery of Art, Washington, acquires a Masterwork by Artemisia Gentileschi
Article date: Thursday, February 5, 2026

The National Gallery of Art, Washington, acquires a Masterwork by Artemisia Gentileschi

The National Gallery of Art acquired Mary Magdalene in Ecstasy, a rare painting from circa 1625 by renowned Italian painter Artemisia Gentileschi (1593–circa 1654).


Empress Eugenie's Crown dropped in Louvre Heist to be Fully Restored
Article date: Thursday, February 5, 2026

Empress Eugenie's Crown dropped in Louvre Heist to be Fully Restored

The crown of French Empress Eugenie, which was abandoned by thieves who staged a brazen robbery at the Louvre last year, is nearly intact and will be fully restored, the museum said Wednesday in a pressrelease.


The First Homosexuals: Making Identity Visible, 1869-1939
Article date: Thursday, February 5, 2026

The First Homosexuals: Making Identity Visible, 1869-1939

The exhibition The First Homosexuals at the Kunstmuseum Basel turns a spotlight on the early visibility of same-sex desire and gender diversity in the arts.


India names Artists and Curator for 2026 Venice Biennale
Article date: Wednesday, February 4, 2026

India names Artists and Curator for 2026 Venice Biennale

India announced the artists and theme of its national pavilion for the 61st Venice Biennale. Titled “Geographies of Distance: remembering home,” the exhibition marks the India's return to the Venice Biennale for the first time since 2019.


Hirshhorn announces Expansive Museum Loan Program placing its Collection across the USA
Article date: Wednesday, February 4, 2026

Hirshhorn announces Expansive Museum Loan Program placing its Collection across the USA

The Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden has announced “50 for 50,” a collection-sharing partnership with Art Bridges Foundation starting in 2026. 


Sotheby's sets Record for Rembrandt Drawing with $18M 'Young Lion Resting'
Article date: Wednesday, February 4, 2026

Sotheby's sets Record for Rembrandt Drawing with $18M 'Young Lion Resting'

Young Lion Resting, a masterwork by Rembrandt van Rijn, has sold at Sotheby’s in New York for $17,860,000, placing it among the most valuable Old Master Drawings to be sold at auction.


Giorgia Meloni's Face erased from Rome Angel Fresco
Article date: Wednesday, February 4, 2026

Giorgia Meloni's Face erased from Rome Angel Fresco

A restored fresco of an angel bearing the likeness of Italian premier Giorgia Meloni has been erased from the walls of a landmark church in Rome after days of controversy.


Michelangelo's 'The Last Judgment' Fresco undergoes apx. 3-Month cleaning at Sistine Chapel Rome
Article date: Tuesday, February 3, 2026

Michelangelo's 'The Last Judgment' Fresco undergoes apx. 3-Month cleaning at Sistine Chapel Rome

On 1 February, with the erection of scaffolding in the Sistine Chapel, the extraordinary maintenance of the Last Judgement began: for approximately three months, Michelangelo’s supreme masterpiece will undergo a cleaning procedure.