Martin Bailey

Is a Van Gogh self-portrait hidden in a London attic?


An intriguing letter suggests that Vincent made a very unusual sale to England

a blog by Martin Bailey

Sticking it to the man: first look at 'feminist icon' Artemisia Gentileschi's works for National Gallery show

Exhibition on rediscovered 17th-century artist, which includes rare loans, is due to open in London in April

Will new €50m Albertina Modern museum revolutionise Vienna’s contemporary art scene?

Satellite venue of historic Albertina is to focus on Austrian and international art made after 1945

Want to buy a Van Gogh? Sotheby’s has four works with (relatively) modest estimates

Unseen for 25 years, they all come from a very private American collector

a blog by Martin Bailey

Possible Dürer discovered above souvenir shop in Vienna's cathedral

Experts believe underdrawing in St Stephen’s is first evidence that the master worked in the Austrian capital

Like ‘Tutankhamun’s tomb’: first look inside emperor's sepulchre in 500 years reveals magnificent treasures

Discovery in Vienna's St Stephen's cathedral was made with photographs taken through a small hole in the marble

The Met’s British galleries are radically reimagined for museum's 150th anniversary

Lead curator says relaunch next spring is timely as "the UK is reassessing its role on the European and global stage”

From surprising sales to emotional discoveries: the Van Gogh stories of 2019

The top exhibitions, books and auction news this year—plus the astonishing tale of the gun

a blog by Martin Bailey

Christmas comes early: London's National Gallery raises enough money to buy Gentileschi masterpiece

The Finding of Moses is on display, but it will soon be moved to the newly refurbished Baroque room

Nicky Morgan—who stood down in UK election to spend more time with her family—is reappointed as culture secretary

Boris Johnson gives former MP a peerage in order to keep her in the cabinet, but survival of culture department in the longer term is not assured

Two Van Goghs sold from the recovered hoard of an Italian fraudster

One painting was hidden in a Parma cellar, leading to the discovery of the Tanzi Treasure

a blog by Martin Bailey

Archaeologist launches private bid to retrieve priceless Egyptian treasures from European museums

Zahi Hawass, former Egyptian minister of antiquities, corrals international team of experts to press institutions for return of important artefacts

Ten myths about Vincent van Gogh

Why stories—from the mutilated ear to the eventual suicide—can distort our view of the art

a blog by Martin Bailey

Rare Tahitian painting by Gauguin sells for €9.5m at Artcurial in Paris

Te Bourao II, which went to an international collector, was on loan to the Met in New York for ten years

The UK's culture secretary conveyor belt: who will be next?

As the election looms this month and Nicky Morgan announces she is standing down, the department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport prepares for its latest secretary of state

Who owned these Jewish-owned treasures? V&A seeks clues from public

New exhibition highlights works from the museum's Gilbert Collection that have unclear provenance during the Nazi era

Artist's signature and thumbprint among discoveries in Pieter de Hooch paintings

Revelations were made during research for the largest retrospective of the Dutch painter's work in the Netherlands

A good catch: The Mackerels now looks set to be authenticated as a genuine Van Gogh

The still life in Switzerland’s Reinhart collection was dismissed as a forgery

a blog by Martin Bailey

Cambridge college returns Benin bronze to Nigeria

Statue of a cockerel was looted by the British in 1897 from the Court of Benin

Boris Johnson’s Conservative manifesto promises £250m funding for culture

Although Tory announcement calls it the “largest cultural capital programme in a century”, pledge is only quarter of Labour’s £1bn culture fund

Van Gogh's Sunflowers will leave London for over a year as Australian show is added to loan tour

Masterpiece from London's National Gallery is headed for Canberra’s National Gallery of Australia

Jeremy Corbyn promises £1bn culture fund in Labour Party election manifesto

Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats commit to stopping Brexit and protecting arts funding through the National Lottery

Two Dutch museums join forces to buy rare, $3m Van Gogh painting at Sotheby's New York

Work acquired by Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam and the Drents Museum in Assen is one of few to survive from the artist's visit to Drenthe

London's National Gallery launches public campaign to fund last £2m to buy Orazio Gentileschi masterpiece

The 17th-century painting The Finding of Moses was painted in London for Charles I and represented the birth of Charles II

For sale: two Van Gogh paintings come up at Sotheby’s New York next week

One of the works was looted by the Nazis from Jewish collector Jacques Goudstikker, but is now being sold by his heir after restitution

a blog by Martin Bailey

Gus Casely-Hayford, director of Smithsonian’s African art museum, to lead V&A East

The British cultural historian will take up his role at the Victoria and Albert Museum’s new branch in the spring