Latest
Inside the Jewish Museum’s $14.5m renovation in New York City
The institution's revamped third and fourth floors present reconfigured galleries, expanded education spaces and a luminous display of more than 100 menorahs from around the world
First Americans may have sailed from north-east Asia
New research comparing stone tools found at sites across the US and on Japan’s northernmost island suggests a different timeline and mode of travel for the first humans to arrive in North America
Crypto entrepreneur proposes colossal, $450m statue of Prometheus for San Francisco’s Alcatraz Island
Ross Calvin envisions the logistically complex colossus, which would be around 50% taller than the State of Liberty, as a symbol of American ingenuity
UK government set to scrap English baccalaureate, which made arts education ‘the preserve of a privileged few’
Campaigners have welcomed the change, which they say represents a move away from inequality
Five must-see shows this Dublin Gallery Weekend
Running from 6–9 November, the 2025 programme promises “bold, experimental and unapologetic” work
Art market
As Art X Lagos opens, Nigeria's next generation of artists emerges
The energy of the country's contemporary art scene is in the hands of a growing constellation of artists, curators and galleries, writes curator Aindrea Emelife, and deeply rooted in tradition
‘Complete shock’: Trump tariffs upend decorative arts trade in US
Dealers are scaling back international purchases to avoid having to pay new import duties, some of which are set to rise to 50% in January 2026
Lagos art fair defies macroeconomic headwinds to reach double figures
The growth of commercial galleries across Nigeria’s biggest city has been fuelled by the ongoing success of Art X Lagos—a regional hub for collectors of African art
Star drawing from world’s largest private Rembrandt collection could bring $15m at auction
Thomas S. Kaplan’s Leiden Collection will part with one of its earliest acquisitions, “Young Lion Resting”, at Sotheby’s in February
After 14 years with Pace, Yoshitomo Nara's work now represented by David Zwirner
The popular Japanese artist will have his first show with David Zwirner in New York
Museums & Heritage
Opening date for London’s V&A East Museum announced
The institution will join venues for the BBC, Sadler’s Wells East and London College of Fashion in the new East Bank cultural quarter
Philadelphia Art Museum’s director ousted following divisive rebrand
Sasha Suda had been in the role for three years, but board members complained of a lack of transparency around the institution's recent rebranding
Comment | Time is running out for justice on Nazi-looted art—but it is not yet too late for museums to act
It is time for Congress to pass the new HEAR Act and for museums to deliver provenance transparency, writes Gideon Taylor, the president of the World Jewish Restitution Organization
Italy condemns ‘shameful’ comments from Russia after medieval tower collapse
A Russian foreign ministry spokesperson linked the caving in of Rome’s Torre dei Conti—which led to the death of a worker—to Italy’s support for Ukraine, sparking backlash
Heritage experts call for international task force to plan Palmyra rebuild
Following a recent conference, discussions are underway to rehabilitate the ancient Syrian city, including its museum and artefacts
Exhibitions
Long-running Azores art festival blossoms into a biennial
Walk&Talk, launched in 2011 as a celebration of street art, this year hosts an abundance of works by more than 80 artists in nine venues around the island of São Miguel
Catch of the day: Winslow Homer’s delicate watercolours get very rare outing in Boston
The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, presents a display of the artist’s fragile, light-filled works celebrating his mastery of sea, sky and shore
Trajan’s force: Houston exhibition to explore Ancient Rome’s imperial peak
Giant statues and a section of Trajan’s Column flaunt the might and culture of the empire under the successful ruler
Performa brings digital doubles, kids reciting animal noises and more to New York
New York’s performance art biennial also features a slate of Lithuanian artists, a reimagined tale of supernatural mourning and a pop-rock supergroup singing protest songs
Twisting tale of ‘Henry VIII’s lost dagger’ to be told in London exhibition
An Ottoman blade once believed to have been owned by the famous monarch is at the heart of Strawberry Hill House’s latest show
Art Week Tokyo 2025
Art Week Tokyo returns for its annual showcase of the city’s creativity and diversity, 5-9 November
How Art Week Tokyo is opening up routes into Japan’s contemporary art landscape
Now in its fourth edition, the event promises comprehensive exhibitions, thoughtful symposiums and opportunities for connection on a global scale, says Mami Kataoka, director of the Mori Art Museum
Five must-visit exhibitions during Art Week Tokyo
From Phung-Tien Phan’s everyday objects and Eiki Mori’s anti-authoritarian flags, to human/natural catastrophes, guerilla art and the African diaspora
Gently woven rituals: Art Week Tokyo’s video programme speaks to traditions of life and death
The ten works will be screened on a loop at the SMBC East Tower
Meet the chef behind the Art Week Tokyo Bar—who is exploring what restaurants should be
Shinobu Namae’s sustainable, sociological ethos is shaping Tokyo’s evolving culinary scene
Bangla metal and a resuscitated Roman sculpture: highlights from the Art Week Tokyo Focus exhibition
The curator of Art Week Tokyo’s centrepiece exhibition, which asks “What Is Real?, introduces some of the works on show
The Week in Art
A podcast bringing you the latest news from the art world, every week
Gauguin ‘fake’ is real, Mrinalini Mukherjee and her circle, Franz Xaver Messerschmidt’s head piece—podcast
Ben Luke discusses the Gauguin saga with special correspondent Martin Bailey, and meets the curators of new shows in London and Vienna
A brush with... podcast
A podcast that asks artists the questions you've always wanted to
A brush with… Peter Doig—podcast
Peter Doig talks to Ben Luke about his influences—from writers to musicians, film-makers and, of course, other artists—and the cultural experiences that have shaped his life and work
Book reviews
The story of Jean-Michel Basquiat’s brief but dazzling life, as told by an art-world insider
A former Christie’s president examines the meteoric rise of the “radiant child”, and his legacy following his untimely death
How the Sienese painter Ambrogio Lorenzetti spoke truth to power
A new book explores Siena's heyday—the good, the bad and the sceptical
New book highlights Vorticism’s toxic side—and puts its women pioneers back in the frame
James King’s study places Jessica Dismorr and Helen Saunders at the centre of the movement
Martin Parr steps out from behind the camera lens in informal autobiography
An intimate and chatty biography gives the artist space to reflect on his career in photography and the practice’s evolution
From royal visitors to extortionate eBay sales: new book offers rare behind-the-scenes glimpse of Vermeer blockbuster
A collection of essays about the Rijksmuseum‘s show also fascinating insights into the struggle for loans and what accompanying research revealed about its 17th-century subject
Opinion
Comment | Fifty years on, John Berger’s writing is still relevant—and troublingly prescient
The writer went beyond the noble occupation of the art critic, smuggling hope into our lives
Comment | Exhibitions comparing artists can be problematic, but the Barbican brings Giacometti, Bhabha and Hatoum together with perfect judgement
Affinities and distinctions are equally welcomed in a pair of exhibitions at the London venue
Comment | A spate of dealer anniversaries offers hope amid art market doomerism
Several New York galleries have hit major milestones in recent months—what lessons can those in charge impart?
Comment | Museums can't get enough of anniversary exhibitions—but surely there's better ways to serve the public
This year museums are falling over themselves to celebrate Robert Rauschenberg’s 100th birthday. But, asks Julia Halperin, who is it really all for?
Comment | Executive odour: Trump’s fervour inspires more flag burning
Trump’s order attempting to criminalise the burning of the US flag has led to defiant actions from artists and activists
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.
Diary
No such thing as bad press: makers of lift used in Louvre theft launch ad campaign
Social media users have been left—largely—amused by the German company's tongue-in-cheek approach
Francis Bacon’s Paris pad honoured with plaque
The artist had “a very full existence” in the French capital during the 1970s
Look what she made them do: Taylor Swift fans descend on German museum
Swifties have been arriving in droves to catch a glimpse of Friedrich Heyser's Ophelia, which appears in a recent music video by the showgirl superstar
Talking point: visitors to Versailles can now meet the AI Apollo
An new app allows visitors to ‘speak’ with 20 statues in three languages
Despite past legal drama, Madonna still seems hung up on the V&A
The Queen of Pop’s 2003 visit sparked a lawsuit—but she was spotted there again just last month
Obituaries
Agnes Gund, collector and philanthropist who helped transform MoMA, has died, aged 87
In addition to supporting many art institutions, Gund was a passionate funder of arts education and criminal justice reform initiatives
Remembering Robert Redford, the Hollywood star with the sensibility of a struggling painter
Redford, an Oscar-winning actor, director and founder of the Sundance Institute, died yesterday at his home in Utah
Rosalyn Drexler—Pop Art painter, polymath, and travelling wrestler—has died aged 98
Drexler, who was a fixture of the Pop Art scene by the early 1960s, was also a member of an all-women wrestling troupe under the pseudonym Mexican Spitfire
Giorgio Armani, designer who changed how museums engage with fashion, has died aged 91
As well as for his iconic designs, Armani will be remembered for his broad cultural legacy
Sylvain Amic, ‘open spirited’ head of Musée d'Orsay, has died aged 58
His death was announced on Sunday by the French culture minister, Rachida Dati