Latest
Christie’s to sell an almost unknown Van Gogh double-sided drawing
These were sketches for paintings which were never completed - or are lost
The Louvre’s new director is inheriting a troubled, traumatised museum—can he repair the damage?
Christophe Leribault, the former director of the Château de Versailles, faces a “derelict” infrastructure at the Paris museum and the fallout from last year’s devastating theft
Santiago museum, set on fire during 2020 protests, reopens
The works of Chile’s most famous folk artist, singer and composer return to the Violeta Parra Museum, which now has enhanced security
Arts organisation enlists celebrities in fight to save Manhattan church
The Center at West Park has been marshalling support from famous actors led by Mark Ruffalo to stop the demolition of West Park Presbyterian Church
Arts and heritage organisations largely exempted from new UK regulations on memberships
Representatives for the Victoria and Albert Museum, the National Trust and the Tate had warned that the legislation could have severely impacted their funding
Visitor Figures 2025
The Art Newspaper’s Visitor Figures survey is conducted annually, and is the foremost authority on the attendance of art museums worldwide
Exclusive | The world's 100 most visited art museums in 2025: new venues a big hit with visitors
Our annual survey shows that some of the world’s most venerable institutions are still struggling to attract the number of visitors they had before Covid, but there is enthusiasm for new museums, and in regions such as Asia and Latin America
National Museum of Korea Seoul sees a surge in visitor numbers
According to our 2025 Visitor Figures survey, the Seoul location of the museum is attracting more international guests
How museum funding in Denmark has become reliant on visitor numbers
Danish government reforms have resulted in increased funds for museums, but some question the equity of grants based on footfall
Art market
Vaccine billionaire buys $17.9m Raja Ravi Varma, setting new record for Indian painting at auction
Cyrus Poonawalla is the latest collector to pay top prices for South Asian art, as the Indian art market continues a bull run
Art crowd saddles up at the High Desert Art Fair
A motel in Pioneertown, a community in California's Mojave Desert, offers local grit and an antidote to art fair fatigue
Trey the Triceratops sells for $5.5m via Pharrell Williams's auction site
The skeleton of a young adult dinosaur, excavated in Wyoming during the 1990s "Bone Rush", sold on the musician's online Joopiter platform
Christie’s to hold its first South Asian Modern art sale in London in seven years
The auction, scheduled for 11 June, will bring together 93 works including rare Bengali pieces
Guillaume Cerutti departs Christie's and other positions in Pinault’s companies
The news follows his sudden departure as president of the Pinault Collection
Museums & Heritage
Arts organisation enlists celebrities in fight to save Manhattan church
The Center at West Park has been marshalling support from famous actors led by Mark Ruffalo to stop the demolition of West Park Presbyterian Church
In a month of war, Iran’s cultural heritage has suffered huge damage
Some of the country’s most precious historic sites and buildings are in need of major repair following bombing by Israel and the US
Unesco grants enhanced protection to 39 Lebanese heritage sites as war escalates
The cultural body has also unlocked more than $100,000 in emergency funding for urgent operations on the ground
Ancient golden helmet recovered after Dutch museum heist
The helmet and two golden bracelets, belonging to the eastern European Dacian civilisation, were returned as part off a court case against the alleged thieves
Mexico’s art community calls for greater transparency in management of treasured collection
More than 300 Mexican cultural professionals are calling for clarity surrounding the Gelman Santander Collection, a trove of works by Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, José Clemente Orozco, María Izquierdo and others
Exhibitions
New York’s Jewish Museum opens Paul Klee exhibition without its centrepiece
The German artist's "Angelus Novus", once owned by Walter Benjamin, remains at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem due to war-related flight suspensions
Gagosian chooses Paris location to present three important late paintings by Francis Bacon
The artist had a deep relationship with the French capital
‘Maurizio will offer the chance of a miracle’: artist-provocateur Cattelan opens hotline for confessions and reimagines pope-themed work
The conceptual artist revives his sculptural portrait of John Paul II in a confessional-raffle this Easter
Exhibition of UAE-based art in Seoul looks beyond the gilded stereotypes
Collaboration between Seoul Museum of Art and Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Foundation presented works by 47 UAE-based artists in Korea
Members of European Parliament call on EU to pull Venice Biennale funding over Russian participation
Dozens of MEPs signed a letter decrying Russia’s plan to return to the Biennale and urging the suspension of all EU funding
The Week in Art
A podcast bringing you the latest news from the art world, every week
Should English museums charge tourists? Plus, Raphael at the Met and Senga Nengudi at the Whitechapel Gallery—podcast
In this week's episode, Ben Luke discusses the UK government’s response to a report about the future of Arts Council England, talks to the curator of a new Raphael exhibition in New York, and takes a look at a work by the multimedia artist Senga Nengudi
Opinion
Comment | A generational moment for Nazi-looted art claims in the US
Expanded version of the Holocaust Expropriated Art Recovery (Hear) Act in the US fundamentally alters the legal landscape for both claimants and current owners
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
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
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
An expert's guide to Alexander Calder: six must-read books on the US sculptor
The best Calder publications, from a comprehensive two-volume biography to a children’s book about his moveable circus—selected by the curators Dieter Buchhart and Anna Karina Hofbauer
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
Textiles weave tales of Palestine’s rich but troubled history
Embroidery has long been a key form of artistic expression
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
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 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
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.
Epstein files reveal Leon Black as a key collector of Van Gogh works
The New York collector Black is revealed to have bought five of the artist’s pieces
Diary
Damien Hirst offers his hot take on art dealers
Speaking on a podcast, the artist likened art galleries to estate agents
Innocent mistake? Italy's prime minister appears as a cherub in Rome church
A double of Georgia Meloni was spotted in the chapel of the Basilica of St Lawrence in Lucina
Can you feel the love tonight? Elton John's cosy family portrait captured by Catherine Opie
Picture featuring his sons, husband David and their dogs goes on show at the National Portrait Gallery in London
‘Haters will say this urn is mid’: US National Gallery of Art curator is Insta hit with Gen Z
Deputy head of sculpture's slang-heavy posts appeal to a new generation of art lovers
See you, Searle: Guardian chief art critic bows out after 30 years
Adrian Searle has described writing for the paper as “an exhilarating ride”












































