Helen Stoilas

Helen was previously Editor, Americas and has worked for The Art Newspaper since 2003. She regularly reports on political and social issues that affect artists and institutions.

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Some of Hagia Sophia’s mosaics will be covered during Muslim prayers

A spokesman for Turkish President Ergodan said curtains would hide depictions of the Virgin Mary and the archangel Gabriel when the site opens for worshippers on Friday

Lawnews

New York grand jury indicts Inigo Philbrick on federal fraud charges

The dealer was arrested by the FBI on the Pacific island Vanuatu last month and transferred into federal custody

An adventure with photography: MoMA receives 300-work Gayle Greenhill Collection

The gift from the late patron’s husband will also help create a photography endowment fund through the sale of some works

Hagia Sophia will be mosque again, Turkish president Erdogan says

The controversial decision is likely to set off a storm among cultural heritage officials

Murals that ‘whitewash’ American history come under fire

Monuments are not the only problematic depictions of the past

‘It's the end of civilisation’: Alexis Rockman on his new watercolour series created during lockdown

The paintings depict animals shipwrecked by the networks of capitalism grinding ecosystems to a nub, the artist says

Milton Glaser, the man behind ‘I ♥ NY’ logo, has died, aged 91

The influential designer helped define the visual culture of the 1960s and 70s in America

Suspected arson damages Andy Goldsworthy’s Spire in San Francisco’s Presidio park

The 100ft-tall sculpture is still standing after a major blaze, but crews will determine if it can remain in place

See how artists have been handling the pandemic in Hirshhorn Artist Diaries series

Howardena Pindell, Arlene Shechet, Eric Gottesman, and Marina Abramovic reflect on what it is like to work in isolation as part of a “living archive” of videos commissioned by the museum, and shared exclusively with The Art Newspaper

The mechanics of sponsorship in 2020: an interview with Rena De Sisto, the head of Bank of America’s arts and culture programme

‘We help museums do what they do best,’ says the executive who oversees the company’s support of international institutions

Christo, who wrapped the Reichstag and installed The Gates in Central Park, has died, aged 84

With his late wife and partner Jeanne-Claude, the artist created monumental interventions on architecture and landscape

The cultural consequences of the Second World War carry into today

From art restitutions to how museum adapted to wartime constraints, we continue to feel the fallout 75 years after the conflict’s end

Game on: artists turn to the virtual world of video games during the pandemic

As lockdown continues, video games are proving to be ripe territory for artists and budding curators to experiment (and play)

Market forces still at work: why we need to look to our past to understand our future

Our first collection of archival stories looks at the major financial shifts and trends that have impacted collectors and those in the trade since 1990—and continue to be relevant today

Legoland vs the Louvre: how do museums stack up against other popular visitor attractions and public events?

They might not always draw the crowds that flock to malls and amusement parks, but museums are seen as valuable additions to communities—even by people who have never stepped foot in one

‘It’s almost like science fiction’: artists share their experiences with the coronavirus

We spoke with artists in the US and Europe about how Covid-19 has so far affected them and their work, from cancelled exhibitions to concerns about the future

More than 2,000 artists and cultural figures sign letter endorsing Elizabeth Warren for US President

The Artists for Warren campaign launched on Super Tuesday, as many US voters head to the polls to choose the Democratic candidate

Neri Oxman harnesses the powers of 17,000 silkworms for New York show

The designer has employed natural processes and used materials from plants and shellfish for her exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art

'Universally admired' arts patron Agnes Gund stars in new documentary at MoMA

The film, directed by her daughter Catherine, shows the roots of the collector's social activism

MoMA acquires historic Gordon Parks series The Atmosphere of Crime

The photographs will go on view in the New York museum's permanent collection galleries in May, along with a selection of works by other artists and a clip from the classic 1971 film Shaft

Lawnews

San Francisco artist sues Disney for copying her ‘tremendously cool’ painted van in Pixar film

Sweet Cecily Daniher rented her unicorn decorated vehicle to the studio for a party, only to find out its doppelganger will appear in the animated movie Onward

Trump retracts threats against Iranian culture sites saying: ‘I like to obey the law’

The US president’s reversal comes after widespread condemnation and defense officials’ assurances that military would abide by international law

Cultural heritage officials condemn Trump’s threats against Iranian sites

Meanwhile, an impromptu tribute to the country’s cultural heritage broke out on Twitter, as users posted images of their favourite places

Federal charges could lead to deeper scrutiny of Cambodian art in the US

Major museums hold works linked to prolific collector accused of smuggling and fraud

King Tut’s golden year, Koons’s worst: the highs and lows of the art world in 2019

As Notre Dame burned, protestors called the shots and a gold toilet vanished, it was certainly a year to remember

KAWS joins board of American Folk Art Museum

The contemporary artist is among four new trustees elected

Pérez to host Basquiat show during next Art Basel

Exhibition focuses on wider graffiti and hip-hop culture and includes video, music and fashion