Cultural figures take a stance against court ruling condemning Ashraf Fayadh for apostasy

56th edition drew record crowds over a longer period

Exhibition co-organised by Germano Celant signals Iran’s soft power offensive

Jean-Luc Martinez calls for safe havens for antiquities, European centre to combat smuggling and reconstruction fund

Fundació Gaspar will host a major exhibition of works by Paul McCarthy in 2016

The British Museum and British Library will contribute to events across the country

This year’s edition of Old Master fair was the last in its current form

City’s outspoken mayor is backing the biennial, which could transform the island’s identity

Leading directors oppose Cimam president at centre of censorship row in Barcelona

Culture bus heads to Washington in bid to change attitudes to the Middle East

Curator Nadim Samman will choose participating artists through a “transparent” selection procedure

Refurbished gallery gives more space to Modern objects but older artefacts still take pride of place

Participants, including Douglas Coupland, invest in a simulated stock market shaped by technological developments

Hirshhorn holds preliminary talks but Berlin first in queue to borrow works by artists such as Gauguin, Pollock, Rothko, Picasso and Bacon

The vast installation at the Grand Palais reflects the changing world order

Interest grows in younger generation active in Tehran’s lively art scene and the Iranian diaspora

Performances from poetry readings to gospel singing will run 24/7 for the Chicago-artist’s first public art project in the UK

Sam Thorne takes the reins after joining Tate St Ives only last year

Painting’s 19-year-old subject lined up as “poster boy” for the Holburne Museum’s centenary

At Tony Salamé’s $100m Aishti Foundation, visitors can see a major show of abstract works or shop in a string of luxury boutiques

Art world will have to rethink its schedule as London fair moves earlier in the month

Paris Internationale and Asia Now look to attract art world footfall

Haroon Mirza is honoured for his audio compositions that fuse sound and light

The fair returns to rival Frieze across the channel

Gentrification in Battersea forces Middle Eastern arts foundation to look for another home

Country's artists are reaping the benefits of a diplomatic thaw between Iran and the West

PLUS: Get your private parts painted in public at Frieze, dealers have their say on if Renoir is crap, working the aisles with Graham Norton and David Furnish and more fair gossip