Russia-Ukraine war
On the first anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, The Art Newspaper looks at the human and cultural costs of the conflict, the art world’s efforts to support displaced institutions and individuals, and how Ukraine’s built and artistic heritage has been used to tell the opposing narratives of war.
Special investigation: Serious concerns over fate of Ukraine’s museum works taken by Russians
The Art Newspaper probes the complex issues arising from the removal of the Kherson Museum’s collection, sent to Crimea for “safekeeping”
Opinion
'Scythian gold is at the heart of Russia’s identity war'
Art historian and curator Konstantin Akinsha asserts that Russian attempts to claim succession from the ancient Scythians date back to the 18th century
Farewell to contemporary art in Russia: the cancellation of the Moscow Biennale marks the end of an era
Dozens of contemporary art shows have been forced to close since the outset of the war with Ukraine—but this one was meant to serve Putinist propaganda
Manifesta director says the biennial should be held in Ukraine: here are five reasons why it is a good idea
The 2028 edition of the nomadic European exhibition would strengthen the country's cultural scene
Art in the shadow of war: curating a show at Latvia's Mark Rothko Art Centre
Signs of the Russia-Ukraine conflict are everywhere in Latvia—and there's a growing number of culturally disenfranchised citizens, too
Podcasts
What will happen to Ukraine's museum collections after the war?
Plus, Okwui Enwezor’s Sharjah Biennial and Ming Smith at New York's Museum of Modern Art
Saving Ukraine’s heritage: an eyewitness account of relief efforts
Plus, the Cezanne blockbuster at The Art Institute of Chicago and Nicola L.’s Gold Femme Commode at Alison Jacques
Ukraine: the response of the art community and the risks of photojournalism
Plus, Chris Burden's unrealised projects and an in-depth look at F.N. Souza's Mr Sebastian at the Barbican in London
What can the arts do to help Ukrainian refugees?
Plus, NFTs and more at Art Dubai, and Felix Gonzalez-Torres’s golden curtain in Toronto
Artists
No end in sight: artists and curators flee Russia and build new lives in exile as Ukraine war rages on
Georgia has become a major centre of refuge for Russians who oppose the war
Ukrainian artists fight back with radical poster art
Sunseed Art platform offers downloadable images reflecting 'resistance and resilience'
US non-profits have supported more than 130 Ukrainian artists impacted by Russia’s war with emergency and resiliency grants
PEN America’s Artists at Risk Connection, with funds from the Frankenthaler and Warhol foundations, has given more than $180,000 in grants to help affected artists with emergency needs and to keep practising
Canadian foundation will give more than $150,000 to artists of Ukrainian heritage
The Hnatyshyn Foundation will confer awards to ten displaced Ukrainian artists and ten Canadian artists of Ukrainian descent
Heritage
Getty Trust pledges $1m to help protect Ukrainian cultural heritage
The International Alliance for the Protection of Heritage in Conflict Areas is partnering with the Getty to save Ukraine’s museums and monuments
Vladimir Putin’s martial law decree has given Russian forces ‘legal’ cover to loot art in Ukraine
In a move similar to the Nazis’ self-legalised art thefts, ancient gold treasure, paintings and Prince Potemkin’s mummified remains all risk being “preserved” by “evacuation”
Unesco adds Ukrainian city of Odesa to World Heritage List of endangered sites
The decision "recognises the outstanding universal value of the site and the duty of all humanity to protect it", the UN cultural organisation states
Ukrainian stone statues—likened to Easter Island's Moai—destroyed during Russian invasion
Dating from the ninth to the 13th century, the stelae were once considered sacred
Museums
Russia to take over Ukrainian museum collections as formal annexation plans announced
Putin's decree to permanently occupy four regions of Ukraine means thousands of artefacts will become property of Russia
Ukrainian forces win back Kherson region—but Russia has reportedly looted its art collection
The Ukraine territory is one of four illegally annexed on 30 September with decrees by Russian President Vladimir Putin
Kyiv cultural sites reportedly damaged in Russian bombardment
Ukrainian culture minister Oleksandr Tkachenko says buildings have been damaged including the Khanenko Art Museum and the Kyiv Art Gallery
Banksy
Banksy in Ukraine: seven new works appear in war-torn sites
The pieces are located throughout the country, from Kyiv to Borodyanka
High-tech security systems installed on Banksy’s Ukraine murals
Ajax Systems has deployed $13,000 worth of security and monitoring apparatuses at four Banksy murals in and around Kyiv
Ringleader of group who attempted to steal Banksy mural in Ukraine could face 12 years in prison
The suspect has not been identified by police, but is likely to be an environmental activist who told press that he intended to auction the work in support of the Ukrainian army
Banksy shares behind-the-scenes video of his Ukraine interventions
The secretive artist has dropped a short making-of documentary chronicling his guerilla interventions in war-torn Horenka
Banksy creates mural on bombed out building in Ukraine
The secretive artist apparently created a stencil of a gymnast amid the wreckage of a building in a city northwest of Kyiv
Exhibitions
Postponement of exhibition on Russian architecture school sparks accusations of ‘censorship and historical erasure’
New York’s Cooper Union postponed an exhibition on Vkhutemas, a school that operated in Moscow for ten years in the early 20th century before Stalin shut it down
Effects of war on young Ukrainian artists exposed in PinchukArtCentre Prize exhibition
Contemporary art prize, held in Kyiv, shows images of conflict and ideas for post-war reconstruction by 18 shortlisted artists aged 35 and under
Ukrainian artists’ monumental projection takes over Chicago riverfront
A projection by Kyiv-based studio PHOTINUS and based on composer Mykola Leontovych's work is taking over a building in Chicago, which is home to a large Ukrainian diaspora community
War-ravaged Ukrainian mosaics digitally recreated in London show
Exhibition builds on a project to document Ukraine's monumental and contested public art created during Soviet era
Art Market
Nefarious art world players: after Russian freeze out, will Saudi Arabia or China be next?
For decades Russian billionaires were feted for their free spending on the arts. Now, they are officially personae non gratae. But what of the other individuals and regimes with dubious reputations?
Art fairs have become a lifeline for Ukrainian galleries—even in Basel
Stands offered for free at Liste, while some gallery workers are living on the art fair circuit, unable to return home
Russian culture minister and a billionaire arts patron are included in latest lists of sanctions from the West
Olga Lyubimova has been sanctioned by the European Union and Vladimir Potanin is on the US list
Fabergé egg allegedly found by US officials on $300m yacht seized from Russia oligarch
A photograph of the "egg" has yet to be released, leading to heightened speculation
Interviews
'Art will go back underground': artist Emilia Kabakov on the war in Ukraine and the fate of the Russian art world
Born in the Soviet Union, the artist reflects on how works by her and husband Ilya have taken on new meaning since the war
Alexey Beliayev-Guintovt—a Putin supporter who is one of Russia's best-known artists—discusses why he is happy his country's art market is in ruins
The artist, who has widely been accused of being a fascist, believes that Russia's invasion of Ukraine will free the country from "a Nazi dictatorship”
Sunflowers: the symbol of Van Gogh—and Ukraine
Vincent’s beloved bloom will eventually flourish again in the war-torn country
‘While there are dictators, no one can feel safe’: projects marking anniversaries of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine emphasise need for global vigilance
Among the initiatives launched to mark both 1,000 days since the invasion and its approaching third anniversary is an exhibition in Kharkiv exploring how the concept of safety “has been profoundly redefined by the war”
Bangladeshi artist Ashfika Rahman wins Ukraine's $100,000 Future Generation Art Prize
A ceremony to announce the award, which had been delayed by Russia's full-scale invasion, was held in Kyiv last week
Treasured Constructivist skyscraper in Kharkiv damaged by Russian strike
Derzhprom, completed in 1928, is an important symbol of Ukrainian national identity
Russian military destroys ancient Ukrainian burial mounds, report finds
Satellite imagery and geospatial analysis reveals extent of damage to sites in occupied region
'This year is particularly special': art prize exhibition delayed by Russian invasion opens in Kyiv
In the midst of an ongoing war, the PinchukArtCentre’s Future Generation Prize will award $100,000 to one of 21 shortlisted artists
US government provides more funds and imposes new restrictions to safeguard Ukrainian art
An additional $1m in funding for preservation and conservation efforts follows new import restrictions to help curb Russia’s looting and trafficking of Ukraine’s heritage
President Volodymyr Zelensky visits New York’s Ukrainian Museum, calls for ‘the decolonisation of Ukrainian art’
The Ukrainian president and first lady, who are in New York for the United Nations General Assembly, inaugurated the museum’s major Alexandra Exter exhibition
Former Trump adviser—and Russian state TV commentator—charged with money laundering through art and antiques
Dimitri Simes and his wife Anastasia have been charged with three counts of violating US sanctions, including money laundering through the acquisition of art
18-year-old artist Veronika Kozhushko killed in Russian airstrike on Kharkiv
The prominent Ukrainian poet Serhiy Zhadan described her as “very young, sincere and gifted," adding: "There is no explanation for this. And there is no forgiveness either”
A Hamptons art gala raises money for Ukrainian children, with an assist from actor Liev Schreiber
As the summer season in the tony Long Island enclave wound down, the humanitarian organisation BlueCheck and Manhattan’s Mriya gallery teamed up for a benefit auction
Volta New York champions Ukrainian artists
The satellite fair’s new director visited Kyiv in the spring to forge partnerships with artists and dealers there
Sasha Skochilenko: I just happened to be the winner of the ‘Hunger Games’
The Russian artist, who was freed in a prison swap, on life under President Putin and spending more than two years in prison for an art intervention opposing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
Release of Olena Pekh highlights plight of other Ukrainian cultural workers languishing in Russian prisons
Through Vatican mediation, the museum researcher was freed alongside nine others earlier this summer
Ukrainian worker manages a wrecked museum in exile
Mariupol museum’s Oleksandr Hore, trapped in Odesa, is documenting losses and monitoring looting
New York City’s ‘first Ukrainian art gallery’ highlights artists living in the war zone
“Some of the works that we’re selling here, I’m very confident that in three years they will double in price,” says Mriya gallery founder Artem Yalanskiy
Russian dissident artist released as part of historic prisoner swap
Sasha Skochilenko, who was arrested in 2022 for an art intervention opposing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, was freed along with Wall Street Journal writer Evan Gershkovich and 15 others
Russian artist imprisoned for three and a half years over alleged anti-war supermarket protest
Anastasia Dyudyaeva is the second artist in less than a year to be jailed for allegedly disseminating anti-government messages in such a setting
‘These are terrible crimes’: A Ukrainian museum director’s fight to recover art
Alina Dotsenko of the Kherson Art Museum explains how her team is working to find stolen objects
Anglo-French actor brings Ukrainian art to London with new festival
Edward Akrout is launching Kyiv Art Sessions at the Old Sessions House this weekend
‘There is no panic’: artist Pavlo Makov on working in the beleaguered Ukrainian city of Kharkiv
Meanwhile, the Royal Academy in London prepares to launch a major survey of Ukrainian Modernist art in the wake of Russia’s invasion
Artur Snitkus, Ukrainian artist and musician, killed in combat near Donetsk, aged 36
In tributes, friends and colleagues described him as “icon of the Ukrainian queer underground” and “a holy man”
Exiled Russian artist reflects on the impact of war on his hometown in Peckham show
Pavel Otdelnov's show at the Old Waiting Room in south London aims to “discover the origins of the catastrophe unfolding before our eyes today”
Ukrainian museums call for better recognition of their role in reconstruction
More than 100 Ukrainian museum professionals, meeting in Berlin, pledge to rebuild a modern, inclusive cultural sector
Huge Soviet-era monument taken down in Kyiv as Ukraine continues 'derussification'
The Pereyaslav Rada sculpture celebrates a historical agreement between the two nations
Russian security forces search Moscow’s Garage Museum
The raid was reportedly related to an investigation into dissident artist Pyotr Verzilov
Head of New Holland art centre in St Petersburg resigns after husband's social post
Roxana Shatunovskaya stepped down from the space founded by Dasha Zhukova and Roman Abramovich after her husband posted about the Moscow terrorist attack on Facebook
'The desire to create is still there': Ukraine's first lady Olena Zelenska launches country's pavilion at the Venice Biennale
President Zelensky's wife gave a video address to visitors of the show in Venice
War, refugees, destruction: how Venice Biennale 2024 will reflect our era
Thousands have called for Israel’s pavilion to be cancelled, a proposed Palestinian exhibition was rejected, while Ukraine’s pavilion deals with its ongoing war
Russia lending its Venice Biennale pavilion to Bolivia
The Russian pavilion will host a group exhibition of artists from South America organised by Bolivia’s Ministry of Cultures, Decolonisation and Depatriarchalisation
Leading Ukrainian art academy devastated by Russian air strike
The Mykhailo Boichuk Kyiv State Academy of Decorative Applied Arts and Design reportedly sustained serious damage from falling fragments of a missile