Martin Bailey

A lost Van Gogh self-portrait had the most extraordinary frame that included his much-loved sunflowers—here it is reconstructed

The painting—which went missing in a German salt mine during the war—was given a gilded frame with swirling lines

a blog by Martin Bailey

This Picasso photo puzzle has stumped experts. Can you help solve it?

The identity of those posing with the master remains a mystery a century after the picture was taken

Treats for Van Gogh fans in 2021: exhibitions, museum openings and books

We look ahead at the events to enjoy this year—assuming coronavirus doesn't scupper them

a blog by Martin Bailey

Art in 2021—treats include Dürer blockbuster, new Munch museum and Caravaggio anniversary

Influential works by Duchamp, Picasso and Mondrian also celebrate centenary this year

Barbra Streisand just bought a Van Gogh painting—once owned by Penthouse boss Bob Guccione—for a cool $4.5m

Californian-based singer and actress, now 78, has long collected art and design, starting with a Matisse in 1964

a blog by Martin Bailey

Why the Van Gogh Museum might never have existed—new research reveals how the family collection was nearly sold off

In 1911, the Kröller-Müller couple tried to acquire 200 of Vincent’s paintings and 600 drawings

a blog by Martin Bailey

Victoria and Albert museum to close for two days a week due to coronavirus financial crunch

Visitor numbers will take years to recover with a drastic impact on income, the London institution reports

Rex Whistler’s Tate Britain restaurant mural is ‘offensive’, ethics committee says, threatening closure

Tate now faces the dilemma of what to do with a room decorated by a major early 20th-century artist

Poignant Van Gogh watercolour of a windmill coming up for sale

Sheltering from a rainstorm at the mill, Vincent and his brother Theo made a teenage pact

Hunt still on for a Van Gogh self-portrait lost deep in a salt mine during the Second World War

The Magdeburg masterpiece may have been burned at the end of hostilities—but some believe it might have been looted and survive

a blog by Martin Bailey

A separated pair: the story behind Van Gogh’s famed empty chairs

An insight into what the two paintings reveal about Vincent's life with Gauguin in the Yellow House

a blog by Martin Bailey

Did alcohol withdrawal really cause Van Gogh’s mental crises?

Vincent was allowed 42 units of wine in the asylum—three times more than today’s recommended limit

a blog by Martin Bailey

First look at David Adjaye's planned museum for Benin City

Ghanaian-British architect is working with the British Museum and Nigerian organisations to show “the most comprehensive display in the world of Benin Bronzes”

New book solves the mystery of Van Gogh's lost harmonium portrait

Vincent scrunched up a study for a second portrait of Marguerite Gachet, the daughter of his Auvers doctor

a blog by Martin Bailey

Two Van Gogh fakes in Washington? Strong evidence produced against early drawings at the National Gallery of Art

Revelations in new book about an attic discovery throw fresh light on Vincent’s decision to become an artist

a blog by Martin Bailey

In a moving letter, Van Gogh complains about quarantine after his forced removal from the Yellow House

New exhibition at Amsterdam's Van Gogh Museum is a unique opportunity to see Vincent’s correspondence, normally locked away in a vault

a blog by Martin Bailey

Coveted Van Gogh bouquet to be sold at Sotheby's New York, valued at $18m

Chequered past: from the Bear Skin to the Nazis, a once-restituted painting is now coming up for auction

a blog by Martin Bailey

Scottish museum joins Tate in cutting ties with dealer Anthony d’Offay

Hundreds of works will be returned following harassment allegations dating back to 1997

The most famous bedroom in art history: secrets of Van Gogh’s nocturnal life

A story of changing wall colours, a pair of pillows, wartime bombs and the hunt for a lost bed

a blog by Martin Bailey

Gauguin and Van Gogh: their shared love of Japan revealed

“Beautiful women” in Gauguin’s rediscovered manuscript are now identified as by Kunisada—Vincent’s favourite Japanese printmaker

a blog by Martin Bailey

Gauguin claims credit for Van Gogh’s Sunflowers: the revelations of a rediscovered manuscript

In Avant et Après—just acquired by London's Courtauld Gallery—Gauguin details his tumultuous time with Van Gogh

a blog by Martin Bailey

Royal Academy of Arts considers selling Michelangelo marble to plug financial hole—and not for the first time

Some academicians argue that instead of cutting almost half of the institution's jobs, it should consider selling the Taddei Tondo—worth several hundred million pounds

The Big Review: Gauguin and the Impressionists at the Royal Academy of Arts

The London exhibition has many highlights, but viewing this long-planned show is unlike anyone could have envisaged before the coronavirus pandemic

Rediscovered Paul Gauguin manuscript written in his Polynesian hut reveals artist's hidden secrets

Original book with nearly 30 images has been acquired by London's Courtauld Gallery and will go on display next year

Van Gogh exhibitions return—exclusive news all the way up to 2024

From olive groves to peat moors: shows coming up in Dallas, Amsterdam, Detroit, Vienna, Assen, Columbus and Santa Barbara

a blog by Martin Bailey

Oxford museum removes 'racist' shrunken heads from display after 80 years

Exhibiting Tsantsas "reinforced racist and stereotypical thinking that goes against the museum’s core values,” says the Pitt Rivers Museum's director

Which is the only museum in the world actively buying up Van Goghs? It’s in the hometown of Hieronymus Bosch

The Noordbrabants Museum’s latest acquisition is Head of a Woman, bought privately for €1.6m through Christie’s

A blog by Martin Bailey

Art for the People: how a Van Gogh masterpiece ended up in an English village hall

In 1935 Samuel Courtauld lent Peach Blossoms to bring major paintings to the countryside—an inspiration for today

a blog by Martin Bailey

UK museums are back open—but visitors are staying away

Our data shows that most major London art museums had many available booking slots for next-day entry despite operating reduced capacity

A real Rembrandt? Study shows painting banished to storeroom is either by his studio or the master himself

A recent examination of the wood panel reveals that it is from the same Baltic oak tree as the panel of an authenticated work by the Dutch artist