Gareth Harris

Gareth Harris is the Chief Contributing Editor of The Art Newspaper

Chinese artist to auction work for Hong Kong ambulance service after deadly Tai Po fire

The crypto mogul Justin Sun—who famously bought Maurizio Cattelan’s $6.2m banana work and ate it—has also donated $7.8m to the government relief fund

The art world pays tribute to Martin Parr, an ‘extraordinary photographer of people and life in the UK’

Tributes online have come from artists including Grayson Perry and the Pet Shop Boys

Artists protest Alligator Alcatraz at Scope Art Show

The project “invites fairgoers to reflect, respond and enact change through signing a petition that demands the closure of Alligator Alcatraz”, Amnesty says

Hauser & Wirth will expand gallery empire to Italian city of Palermo

The blue-chip gallery has acquired a 19th-century palazzo in need of restoration in Sicily

Who let the dogs out? Beeple unleashes uncanny robot canines at Art Basel Miami Beach

The installation in the fair's new Zero 10 digital art section features robotic creatures with hyper-realistic heads resembling tech moguls

Booksblog

The best art books of 2025, as picked by The Art Newspaper’s editors

The publications that delighted our literary team this year, from important exhibition catalogues and overdue surveys to personal reflections and playful illustrations

Book Clubfeature

The Rembrandt robber: five takeaways from an insider’s book on a notorious art thief

The security expert Anthony Amore provides insights into the curious case of Myles Connor, who stole Rembrandt’s Portrait of Elsbeth van Rijn

Anthony Amore. With an introduction by Gareth Harris
Book Clubfeature

When Masha met Ragnar: Pussy Riot member’s life-changing encounter

In this extract from her new book, Maria "Masha" Alyokhina Alyokhina recalls her first meeting with the Icelandic artist Ragnar Kjartansson

Prizesnews

New £200,000 contemporary art prize is biggest in UK

The Serpentine x Flag Art Foundation Prize is open to artists of any age, based anywhere worldwide, who have been exhibiting professionally for less than ten years

Venice, Sydney, Gwangju: the most interesting biennials to visit in 2026

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

Jorge Pérez donates more than 80 photographs to the Pérez Art Museum Miami

The works by Marina Abramović, Ana Mendieta, Cindy Sherman, Vik Muniz and others are the subject of an ongoing special exhibition

Giant holes near Stonehenge were carved out by humans 4,000 years ago, new studies reveal

Pit diggers may have been trying to connect with the underworld, archaeologist Vincent Gaffney says

New UK law makes restitution easier—but excludes national museums, such as the British Museum

Legislation allows non-national museums established as charities to transfer property on a “moral basis” depending on its value

Courtauld launches art history teaching fund amid £82m redevelopment

The announcement follows a new report which revealed a sharp decrease in the numbers of schools teaching art history

UK government's tourist tax plans could boost funds for culture sector, industry leaders say

The fee, announced ahead of today's budget, would apply to overnight stays, with England's mayors and local leaders able to decide what revenue should be spent on

Miniature Michelangelo drawing—identified as a study for the Sistine Chapel—heads to Christie's

The newly attributed, five-inch-tall sketch of a foot has an estimate of $1.5m to $2m

Politician demands end to Grand Egyptian Museum ticketing system that leaves locals in ‘secondary category’

The newly opened museum currently allocates a percentage of its daily ticket limit to both Egyptians and foreigners

Queer sexuality in Islamic art explored in Norway exhibition

'Deviant Ornaments' at Oslo's Nasjonalmuseet brings together more than 40 objects from the past 1,000 years alongside contemporary art

British Museum stubs out controversial tobacco sponsorship deal

The move follows a recent report which described the partnership as a key part of the tobacco firm’s lobbying strategy

Louvre closes gallery ‘until further notice’ citing structural problems

This latest blow for the Paris museum follows a report on its buildings which highlighted “particular fragility” in its Campana Gallery

‘Mona Lisa of illuminated manuscripts’ goes on show in Rome

The bible, which is considered a masterpiece of Italian Renaissance art, is on display as part of the Vatican’s Holy Year celebrations

French art world slams proposal for new art tax

The fair group Art Basel are among the signatories of a statement criticising a proposal to introduce a levy on “unproductive wealth”

‘The Hay Wain’ to go on show in Constable's home county for the first time

The famed painting will travel to Suffolk next year as part of an exhibition marking 250 years since the artist's birth

Jenny Saville to present unseen Venice-inspired works to coincide with 61st Biennale

An exhibition featuring 30 works by the record-breaking UK artist will open in the lagoon city in March 2026

Art marketanalysis

On the ground at Art Week Tokyo: amid shifting national politics, Japan’s ‘sleeping beauty’ art scene is waking up

The fifth edition of the “post-art fair” event, which took place earlier this month following the election of Japan's first woman prime minister, received largely positive reviews from gallerists and visitors alike

Book Clubfeature

‘Make a lot of bad work for as long as possible’: new book brings you top tips from artists

In Lydia Figes’s publication more than 50 successful artists share their wisdom on everything from defining success to dealing with galleries

Artificial installation: artist hangs own AI-generated work in Welsh museum

The rogue print was on show at National Museum Cardiff for a few hours before it was spotted by staff

Marlene Dumas becomes first contemporary woman artist to join Louvre's permanent collection

Nine new works by the South African-born artist were unveiled at the Paris museum last Thursday