Latest

Ghanaian artist Ibrahim Mahama considering legal action after alleged police assault

The artist alleges that he was attacked by members of a special operations team known as ‘Black Maria’ while in a vehicle in Tamale, northern Ghana

Gameli Hameloabout 24 hours ago

Researchers at Art Gallery of Ontario identify painter and subject of 18th-century portrait of Black woman

Curators at the gallery are now piecing together the transatlantic journeys of Eleonora Susette, an enslaved woman who travelled from present-day Guyana to Amsterdam and back

Larry Humberabout 18 hours ago

French government blocks sale of newly discovered drawing by German Renaissance master Hans Baldung

The portrait has been deemed “a work of major historical and artistic interest“ for France’s national heritage

Hong Kong’s West Kowloon Cultural District signs partnerships with 12 international institutions

The agreements will see an artist-in-residence pilot programme established with the Misk Art Institute in Riyadh and collaborations with Museums Victoria in Australia

Gareth Harrisabout 19 hours ago

The Met’s blockbuster Raphael exhibition looks beyond the artist’s idealised Madonnas

The show at the New York institution presents a much wider “social and historical context” of motherhood and childhood mortality

J.S. Marcus2 days ago

Art Basel Hong Kong 2026

Pride of place: the rise of LGBTQ+ art in Hong Kong

Several landmark shows have changed the landscape of how queer art is viewed in the region

Lisa Moviusabout 1 hour ago

Hong Kong’s contemporary art scene is blossoming in difficult times

With four new art spaces opening, cultural workers see a bright future for the city

Ten must-see works in Art Basel Hong Kong's new section

The fair’s Echoes section is dedicated to art created in the last five years

Eddy Frankelabout 1 hour ago

New Hong Kong fairs offer fresh opportunities for a changing market

The events spotlight mid-career artists, try new fee structures and show works that fit inside a suitcase

Brady Ng1 day ago

Exhibitions to see during Art Basel Hong Kong

From woven photographs by the late Dinh Q. Lê to a survey of 21st century Chinese art

Art market

Art Dubai 2026 to be postponed and adapted in response to regional conflict

The fair’s 20th edition will be rescheduled to mid-May and have a “more focused and flexible format”, as Iranian strikes in the UAE show no signs of abating

Global art sales grew 4% in 2025 but remain below pre-pandemic levels, Art Basel and UBS report finds

Political volatility and mounting operational costs weigh heavily on the trade, which ticked up to an estimated $59.6bn in 2025 after two years of decline

Gullah artist Sam Doyle’s narrative portraits shine at Outsider Art Fair in New York

His works, painted on found wood and discarded tin, illuminate culture on the remote Saint Helena Island

Major collection of Indian paintings and calligraphy to be offered at Christie's

Following the success of the Aga Khan sale in October, works from the collection of Seattle-based Mary and Cheney Cowles will be sold in London in April

The rise and fall of ‘buy-one, give-one’ art sales

A once-popular mechanism that allowed collectors to secure an in-demand work if they gifted a second to an institution, market shifts have made "bogos" less viable

Museums & Heritage

Zurich's Museum Rietberg transfers 11 Benin Bronzes to Nigerian government

Nine of the objects will stay in Switzerland despite the change of ownership

London National Gallery’s visitor numbers remain below pre-Covid levels, despite renovation boost

Meanwhile, London’s Natural History Museum overtakes British Museum as most-visited attraction in the UK

New Chilean president reverses predecessor’s policies, cutting culture budget

The 3% cut to all ministries' budgets, which has raised concerns within the National Union of Artists, is part of José Antonio Kast’s plan to bring down public spending

Mexico’s culture ministry urges eBay to halt sales of pre-Hispanic artefacts

The Florida-based seller claims the listed objects were purchased legally, adding: “I suggest you research the laws”

Art Fund launches new fellowship scheme for global majority curators

The scheme will aim to address imbalances in the cultural sector, explore transcultural perspectives and engage with communities

Gareth Harris2 days ago

Exhibitions

The Week in Art

A podcast bringing you the latest news from the art world, every week

Hong Kong International Cultural Summit

The event returns to WestK from 22-23 March

Reimagining communities: inside the Hong Kong International Cultural Summit

As cultural leaders from across the world meet in Hong Kong, we speak to three of the key figures at the city's West Kowloon Cultural District (WestK) to find out how they are rethinking their audiences

In partnership with WestK

Opinion

Comment | All hail the rise of the art internship

Against a backdrop of a contracting job market for graduates, initiatives such as the Sotheby’s Institute’s fellowship programme are supporting the next generation of art industry experts

Melanie Gerlisabout 24 hours ago

Comment | Climate change is forcing tough choices—how much heritage can we save before it is too late?

As increasingly extreme weather threatens cultural sites, archaeologists are turning to technology to try and record them before they are lost forever

Comment | Art is more than its original context

The place where we observe a work of art—and the feelings we have—play a crucial role in our experience

Comment | Time for a rethink: women artists were never meant to merely be canon fodder

Exhibitions pairing Munch with Paula Modersohn-Becker and Maria Lassnig provide opportunities to subvert the established order

How do we stem the decline in students studying art history in the UK?

We need to reframe the subject as one worth knowing about, rather than focusing on its use

Obituaries

Obituary | Umberto Allemandi, visionary publisher who founded 'Il Giornale dell’Arte', has died aged 88

The editor built an international network of publications—including 'The Art Newspaper'—that transformed cultural journalism

Pedro Friedeberg, key figure in Mexican art renowned for hand-shaped chair, has died at age 90

Beyond his famous chair design, Friedeberg created a singular world of ornament, architecture, and irony

Liliana Angulo Cortés, director of Bogotá’s Museo Nacional de Colombia, has died, aged 51

Angulo’s work was devoted to decolonising the museum, anti-racism and reparation with a special focus on diversifying narratives to include more Black and Indigenous voices

Renowned gallerist Marian Goodman has died, aged 97

The dealer was known for her support of conceptually challenging artistic practices, and credited with bringing key European figures like Gerhard Richter and Marcel Broodthaers to the US

Remembering Gathie Falk, Canadian artist whose singular practice sparked comparisons to Surrealism and Pop art

Shaped by the austerity of her Mennonite upbringing and the bustling Vancouver art scene of the 1960s and 70s, she developed a playful, poignant and exacting visual language

Books

Clash of the Renaissance titans: an intriguing double biography of Titian and Michelangelo

The book about the two Old Masters, who probably only met twice, considers what they had in common and how they differed

New book digs into the little-known gallery that brought Modern art to America

The publication's author on how it has taken decades of research to tell the story of the New York gallery, which exhibited artists such Picasso and Mondrian

An expert's guide to John Constable: five must-read books on the British painter

The best publications to learn all about Constable, from a journey through the landscapes that inspired him to a children's activity book—selected by the curator Emma Roodhouse

A short guide to the hidden meanings in great paintings

An A to C extract from the glossary of Painted Mysteries, which deciphers common motifs and symbols in famous works

A brush with... podcast

A podcast that asks artists the questions you've always wanted to

A brush with… Danh Vo—podcast

Danh Vo talks to Ben Luke about her influences—from writers to musicians, film-makers and, of course, other artists—and the cultural experiences that have shaped her life and work

Hosted by Ben Luke. Produced by David Clack and Aimee Dawson
Sponsored by Bloomberg Connects

The Year Ahead

Fair behemoths bet on Gulf plus new, bigger venues for Independent—a quick look at art fairs in 2026

Art Basel and Frieze are expanding in the Middle East while Art Cologne is reinstating its Mallorca edition

Venice, Sydney, Gwangju: the most interesting biennials to visit in 2026

Plus, full listings of the biennials, triennials and festivals taking place throughout the year

Art market 2026 predictions: underwhelming rebound and another Frieze fair

Our columnist gazes into her crystal ball to spot the major trends—from London regaining its lustre to AI fatigue—that are set to dominate the trade over the coming 12 months

Adventures with Van Gogh

Adventures with Van Gogh is a weekly blog by Martin Bailey, our long-standing correspondent and expert on the artist. Published every Friday, his stories range from newsy items about this most intriguing artist to scholarly pieces based on his own meticulous investigations and discoveries.