Gareth Harris

Gareth Harris is the Chief Contributing Editor of The Art Newspaper

How a controversial bust of Winston Churchill made its way back to the Oval Office

President Donald Trump has returned the statue—one of an identical pair—to his office, but it has not been a simple journey

UK government flies flag for culture with new soft power advisory council

But art world commentators say focus should instead be on the “parlous state of the arts”

Artists at London's ICA stage mass walkout in support of pro-Palestine protesters

The institution has described the protests at the opening of its New Contemporaries exhibition as "misguided"

Union alleges London museum guards face ‘discrimination, victimisation and unlawful pay cuts’

Around 100 members of United Voices of the World, who are employed by the external contractor Wilson James, will take strike action later this week

As restitutions slow across Europe, UK may be poised for progress

Political turmoil across the continent is hampering plans for national structures to return colonial-era heritage. But the UK, once a laggard, appears to be preparing to review laws

Damien Hirst selects $6.2m banana artwork for UK schools project

The British artist selected Maurizio Cattelan’s infamous conceptual piece to appear digitally in schools across the next two years

National Trust announces plans to address UK's mental health crisis

As part of its ten-year strategy, the heritage organisation will work with mental health charity Mind

All the new art to see on London's Underground in 2025

As part of the Art on the Underground 2025 programme, Ahmet Öğüt, Rudy Loewe and Rory Pilgrim will all unveil works around the city's transport hubs

AlUla festival features 'taster' James Turrell show and Manal AlDowayan

Both artists are working on new commissions in the Wadi AlFann area of AlUla

UK export bar placed on rare 17th-century Fairhaven Panels worth £1.6m

Museums must match the price of the pearl and shell piece which sold at Sotheby’s last year

London museum guards threaten further strike action

Workers employed by contractor Wilson James demand better wages and additional leave

Book Clubfeature

‘The painter in me did not die’: novelist Orhan Pamuk turns his hand to art

Notebooks filled with the Turkish author's drawings reflect events spanning the past decade

Awardsnews

UK New Year Honours for National Gallery director Gabriele Finaldi and artist Rebecca Salter

Charity chief Rose Aidin, designer Tom Dixon and artist Barbara Davis Rae also receive awards

Michelangelo Pistoletto unveils his own version of stolen Caravaggio masterpiece in Sicily

Theft from a Baroque oratory remains unsolved after 55 years, sparking countless conspiracy theories

In memoriam: remembering art world figures who died in 2024

Faith Ringgold, Frank Auerbach, Richard Serra, Barbara Gladstone and Lorraine O’Grady were among those who died this year

Prison inmates and artist Marinella Senatore create light installation for Vatican Jubilee Year

The Holy See will launch a series of contemporary art projects at prisons next year

MFA Boston acquires 38 photographs by Robert Frank capturing life in 1940s Paris

The experimental images feature in a new exhibition centred on a personal family scrapbook

The art of the algorithm—new magazine launches dedicated to Artificial Intelligence works

Biannual publication spotlights 'visual experiments and conceptually refined pieces'

Unesco beefs up protection for cultural heritage in Ukraine

UN heritage body grants 'provisional enhanced protection' to the Odessa Literary Museum and the National Historical and Memorial Reserve Babyn Yar

Ancient Torlonia treasures head for the US and Canada

Discussions continue about reopening the Torlonia Museum in Rome, says foundation director

Uffizi’s secret Vasari Corridor reopens over Florence’s Ponte Vecchio

The private passageway built by the Medici dynasty cost €11m to restore

Santa Fe, Bukhara and Liverpool: the most interesting biennials to visit in 2025

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

London-based Studio Weave wins competition to revamp British Museum entrance

New welcome pavilions and a landscaped forecourt are scheduled for completion early 2026

Naomi Beckwith named artistic director of Documenta in 2027

The deputy director and chief curator of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum says she is "humbled by the breadth of this responsibility"

Arts Council England to face scrutiny as government announces new review

Former minister of state for culture, creative Industries and tourism Margaret Hodge will lead the process

Saudi Arabia launches digital art institute as part of $62.2bn Diriyah complex

A vast new digital art institute, Diriyah Art Futures in Riyadh, opened earlier this month with "cutting-edge labs and immersive exhibition spaces"