Latest
‘We haven’t stopped a minute’: foreign collectors and curators fuel buoyant start at SP-Arte, Brazil's biggest fair
The São Paulo fair is benefiting from renewed interest in art from the Global South, says founder Fernanda Feitosa, thanks in part to Adriano Pedrosa’s 2024 Venice Biennale
Did Thomas Kinkade secretly make good art? A new film investigates
A deep dive into the self-styled “painter of light” uncovers a treasure trove of unseen works by the artist everyone loved to hate
In a rare interview, Khaled Sabsabi speaks of his ‘devastation’ after being dropped as Australia’s representative at the 2026 Venice Biennale
The artist criticises Australia’s arts funding body for failing to allow him to defend “misinformation” about his art, and says he hopes to take his planned work to Venice independently
Smithsonian leader: institution will continue to operate ‘free of partisanship’ following Trump attack
Smithsonian secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III has affirmed in a memo to staff that the institution will “remain steadfast in our mission to bring history, science, education, research and the arts to all Americans”
Miami collecting couple gift multi-million pound Joan Mitchell work to Tate
Jorge and Darlene Pérez will also fund curatorial endowment and have pledged to make a donation of African art
Art market
Gagosian to stage first Willem de Kooning show in 12 years
The gallery brought on Cecilia Alemani to curate the show, which will span five decades
Long undervalued, Bangladeshi artists begin to rise at auction
Modernist paintings by artists such as Zainul Abedin and Mohammad Kibria soared past their estimates at recent sales in New York
Mystery in Manhattan: why New York galleries are turning to intrigue this spring
Several dealers are taking a “less is more” attitude by, for example, giving little away in press releases—and it’s making a notable difference
Slim Hong Kong evening sales at Christie's and Sotheby's draw solid results for a 'tough season'
Both auctions represent significant decreases from previous sales seasons, but strong sell-through rates and increased bidding from mainland China indicate signs of recovery
New York print fairs see new energy and an influx of young collectors
The IFPDA Print Fair's crowded preview and the launch of the Brooklyn Fine Art Print Fair echo recent signals that the medium is increasingly in demand
Museums & Heritage
Museu de Arte de São Paulo traces its own history and evolution across exhibitions in its new tower
The museum’s inaugural programming in its new 14-storey wing chronicles and builds on the museum’s 78-year legacy
California’s creative economy buttressed by Hollywood and college arts departments
This is according to the latest edition of the Otis College Report on the Creative Economy
‘We can’t predict the future or what will happen’: Trump’s slashing of US foreign aid hits heritage conservation
Restoration and preservation projects in countries from Sierra Leone to Ukraine are now at risk following US government’s sudden cuts to aid funding
US museums seek to provide safe spaces for LGBTQ+ communities amid government rollbacks of their rights
As Republicans and the Trump administration target DEI initiatives and queer and trans communities, vocal leaders at a few institutions are standing firm
Princeton University Art Museum to open in brand-new building on 31 October
Just in time for Halloween, the museum will celebrate with a 24-hour open house
Visitor Figures 2024
Insights from The Art Newspaper's annual, exclusive and worldwide visitor figures survey
Exclusive | The world’s most-visited museums 2024: normality returns—for some
A new museum in Shanghai leaps into our top ten and European museums continue their strong performance, but our exclusive annual survey finds that some British institutions are still lagging behind
How many visitors is too many? Paris museums confront ‘over-attendance’
Visitors have streamed back after Covid-19, but the influx has been a double-edged sword, forcing some institutions to consider their long-term sustainability
Museums are losing social media followers amid users' mass X-odus
Some institutions have ditched their accounts in protest, while others have chosen to “quiet quit” and stopped posting on the Elon Musk-owned platform
Museums in southern Brazil still recovering after last year’s floods
Damage and destruction decimated visitor numbers to cultural events and institutions last year but optimism is high they will return in 2025
Comment | Scrapping DEI initiatives could damage US museums’ visitor numbers
As art institutions—particularly in Washington, DC—succumb to the White House’s anti-diversity directives, a veteran of the museum world warns of the dangers of giving in to the whims of the Trump administration
Exhibitions
Giuseppe Penone on his plans to take over London's Serpentine South—and the park beyond
Ahead of the opening of his largest UK exhibition to date, the Italian artist discusses what will make this show unique
From artisans to AI: London exhibition explores the legacy of William Morris
A show in Walthamstow examines the influence of the British artist, designer and political activist through a plethora of objects—many donated by the public
Rhode Island School of Design shuts down students’ pro-Palestine exhibition
The exhibition, originally staged in a publicly accessible café, will reopen in a building that is not open to the public
April's must-see exhibitions: Matisse, Morris and the design of the 1940s
The Art Newspaper's pick of the top shows to see around the world this month
Yoko Ono’s acclaimed Tate Modern retrospective will travel to MCA Chicago
The museum will be the only US venue for the exhibition, which brings together more than 200 objects including participatory installations and performance documentation
Book Club
The trials and tribulations of putting together Lucian Freud’s catalogue raisonné
The forensically researched volume on the British artist's oil paintings offers a depth of scrutiny that he himself was famous for
An expert’s guide to Ruth Asawa: five must-read books on the Japanese American artist
All you ever wanted to know about Asawa, from a graphic novel biography to tales from her time at the celebrated Black Mountain College—selected by the curator Janet Bishop
New book looks at the shaping of Modern art in the Middle East beyond politics and war
The Arab art specialist Saeb Eigner talks about his comprehensive new biography spanning from 1900 to today
Tacita Dean on why she has made a book about her night in a museum with Cy Twombly’s art
The British artist has published a new book of detailed photographs of her hero’s work
Art Week Riyadh
Art Week Riyadh will ‘bring together the many layers of Saudi Arabia's art scene’
The inaugural event will take place from 6 to 13 April across the city
Opinion
Comment | The 1930s all over again? Trump and ‘Entartete Kunst’ revisited
There are alarming echoes of the notorious Nazi-organised exhibition in America today—but we also need to acknowledge the differences between the world today and 1930s Europe
Comment | Why Edinburgh was the obvious location for the Palestine Museum's first satellite branch
While many jurisdictions are making it increasingly hard for Palestinian artists, Scotland's hospitality has been heartwarming, says the Connecticut-based institution's director
Comment | Works of art are living things—so should we let them die?
The cost—financially and environmentally—of preserving works of art can be huge. Perhaps it is time to rethink how we look after them
Comment | Balanchine is Modern master whose impact on contemporary art should not be overlooked
The choreographer’s formal gestures and patterns make him crucial to contemporary performance art
Comment | The UK is attempting to pry open a notorious data ‘backdoor’—here's why that's alarming for artists
Emma Shapiro on the UK government's secret order to break end-to-end encryption and allow access to all citizens’ Apple iCloud data
Technology
News, background and analysis on the latest tech developments—artificial intelligence tools; Web3, the blockchain, NFTs; virtual and augmented reality; social media platforms—and how they affect the art market, museums, artists and curators.
Museums are losing social media followers amid users' mass X-odus
Some institutions have ditched their accounts in protest, while others have chosen to “quiet quit” and stopped posting on the Elon Musk-owned platform
Did AI just authenticate a version of one of Rubens’s most famous works?
A Swiss company has examined a version of Rubens’s ‘The Bath of Diana’, which was long thought to be a copy, and believes it could be authentic—the leading authority on the artist takes a different view
Marina Abramović in her Element: performance artist announces new NFT drop designed to create a ‘bridge’ to young generation
Her first NFT collection since 2022 is inspired by different aspects of her life and work
RedNote and TikTok: what is social media like in the Chinese art world?
Killer algorithms, a huge influencer culture and the 'sweet spot' of RedNote
Here's how the EU is aiding artists in tackling social media moderation issues
Out-of-court dispute settlement bodies are an important development in supporting creative expression
Books
Japan is opening its eyes to women photographers—and to the female gaze
Denied recognition and even credit for their work until recent times, Japan’s women photographers are challenging and subverting traditional assumptions about the female body
Review | ‘An utterly positive and dangerously irrelevant’ book written by the chief executive of Arts Council England
This journey through the UK’s publicly funded arts carefully averts its eyes from the many signs of crisis
A new monograph places the writing, painting and archive photographs of Aubrey Williams in thrilling conversation
The publication about the Guyanese-born artist includes diary entries and several works that have been photographed for the first time
New book celebrates William Butterfield, a master of High Victorian Gothic architecture
Nicholas Olsberg’s publication offers a learned analysis of the architect’s work, which includes Oxford’s Keble College and central London’s All Saints church
A new volume explores the intimate art of drawing, as seen through a wider lens
This “alternative” history navigates the medium through artists on the margins, as well as established practitioners
Diary
Paris Metro stubs out exhibition ad featuring smoking David Hockney
The octogenarian and cigarette evangelist has called the decision “complete madness”
Let them eat cake—and custard: Food Museum launches school dinners exhibition
The show promises free tasters that may “provoke delight or disgust, depending on your memories of school food”
Avast me hearty: much loved National Maritime Museum curator gets touching send off
Visitors to the museum's pirates exhibition may spot ongoing tributes from staffers
London’s Dulwich Picture Gallery is feeding more than passions
The gallery in leafy south London suburb will begin hosting a farmer’s market this weekend
Grayson Perry flips the bird at art world snobbery with Masked Singer appearance
The Turner prize winning potter stunned viewers and hosts of the popular TV show after revealing himself as the voice behind the kingfisher costume
A brush with... podcast
A podcast that asks artists the questions you've always wanted to
A brush with… Celia Paul — podcast
In this first episode of the new series of A brush with…, Ben Luke talks to the painter Celia Paul about her influences—including writers as well as contemporary and historic artists—and the cultural experiences that have shaped her life and work
The Week in Art
A podcast bringing you the latest news from the art world, every week
The Frick: Annabelle Selldorf interview and our review, plus a Taiso Yoshitoshi woodblock print—podcast
A chat with the architect behind the New York institution’s transformation and an art historian’s view on it, plus a discussion about a sea-themed work by the last great ukiyo-e master
Obituaries
Remembering Rosalind Savill, the porcelain expert who transformed the Wallace Collection
During her 19-year tenure as its director, she turned a sedate institution into a vibrant tribute to the culture of 18th-century France
Jack Vettriano, immensely popular artist whose market success reflected 'an appetite for the glamorous', has died, aged 73
The sale of “The Singing Butler” at Sotheby’s in 2004, for a record price for a painting by a Scottish artist, caused a sensation and turned attention on Vettriano's critical and institutional neglect
Serge Lasvignes, former president of Centre Pompidou, has died aged 70
The Centre Pompidou extended its international reach during Lasvignes's tenure
Mel Bochner, conceptual artist known for text paintings and wry humour, has died, aged 84
Bochner was a pioneer of conceptual art, creating works rooted in information systems and decontextualised language
Remembering John Mawurndjul AM (Balang Nakurulk), the Australian Indigenous artist whose meticulous bark paintings captured a hidden power
The painter was also a keen supporter of women artists
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.
You’ve got mail: pathbreaking exhibition on Van Gogh’s postman opens shortly in Boston, then heads to Amsterdam
While painting Joseph Roulin and his wife and children, Vincent wrote in great excitement: “I’ve done the portraits of an entire family”