Martin Bailey

Christie'sarchive

Top quality old masters under the hammer next month

Rembrandt, Domenichino, Raphael and Van Dyck all on offer, but how many will remain in the UK?

Cleaning shows that London’s Virgin of the Rocks is nearly all by the artist’s hand

After five years of research and conservation, Leonardo's masterpiece is once again looking its best

Courtauld “fake” exposed as a real Dutch period piece

Work attributed to 20th-century master forger Han van Meegeren may be 17th-century painting owned by Vermeer

Overhaul of Tate Britain could begin early 2010

The entire refurbishment project should conclude by 2020

V&Aarchive

Farewell to forgeries: The V&A’s Fakes Gallery to close

The V&A’s guidebook used to describe the Fakes Gallery as one of its “most diverse, intriguing and entertaining” displays.

Is very rare Benin ivory mask for sale?

Last of rare Benin ivories in private hands is expected to go on the market

National Trust Scotland faces member revolt

Members express concern about running of Trust

Unescoarchive

Will the success of the Acropolis Museum change the Elgin Marbles debate?

Unesco intergovernmental committee is now seeking “a mutually satisfactory resolution to the issue”

Aztec headdress will not travel to British Museum show

Fragile treasure, “Moctezuma’s Crown”, is subject of restitution claims

V&A proposes underground galleries

Exhibition space will occupy area originally designed for abandoned Spiral project

Tate Modern extension snubbed by Lottery Fund

The request was rejected as a 'low priority', with concerns about 'deliverability'

Iranarchive

British Museum will loan Cyrus Cylinder to Iran's National Museum

The British Museum pledged to send over the rare cuneiform cylinder in exchange for Iran's ample contributions to previous shows

Zoffany at Tate cancelled

The 2010 exhibition may instead be shown at the Royal Academy

National Trust needs £2m for Kenyan poet’s house

Otherwise the Wandworth house's unique fretwork decoration could be lost

Tatearchive

Tate's Van Dyck show on rocky ground as insurance obstacle may detain several works

Five iconic portraits may not be loaned to the exhibition due to legal anomaly

'Spanish Forger' miniatures bought by V&A

Scholars no nearer to finding the faker’s identity

Iran Foundation trustee found guilty of book theft from British Library and Oxford's Bodleian Library steps down from post

Farhad Hakimzadeh was given two years' imprisonment after it was learnt he had stolen volumes from the two UK institutions

UK museums manage dearth of exhibition sponsorship in the wake of economic downturn

Institutions must grit their teeth and hope for the intervention of private investors, as several large shows are going ahead without corporate sponsors

Biedermeier art collection to go on show in the City Palace, Vienna

The space will be the second venue in the city to host the Prince of Liechtenstein's art collection

Iraqarchive

Ex-head of Iraq's board of antiquities estimates 10 years of restoration for Babylon

The integrity of the historic site did not factor into US strategy, proven by the construction of an adjacent military base

British Army to help Iraq turn Saddam Hussein’s Lakeside Palace into a museum

British Museum also offers to assist Iraqis to present antiquities

V&A to unveil new galleries next year

The museum has spent £120m on FuturePlan projects

Goodwill and a lot of luck hands the Rubens Whitehall sketch to the Tate

Generosity on the part of Viscount Hampden, the Art Fund, and the National Heritage Memorial Fund ensured this critical work found a home at the Tate

Why the Tate turned down Rothko’s offer of 30 paintings

Archives reveal the events behind director Norman Reid’s decision to accept only nine of the artist’s pictures