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Report identifies art market as a target for organised crime

Internal crime agency urges vigilance, and greater efforts on monitoring and enforcement, but industry figures say study lacks focus and hard evidence of key vulnerabilities.

After fallout, Sotheby’s seeks to fix ‘glitch’ in its NFT sale by including more women

Auction house faced online backlash over male-dominated digital art sale

Johnny Depp is painting other celebrities—and making a killing from the sales

The movie star is fetching millions for his portraits of Bob Marley and Heath Ledger

After an attempted robbery at gunpoint and leadership changes, Tefaf Maastricht resolves to get back to business

The art and antiques fair returns to its normal March slot with increased security after a slimmed-down version last year

Growing global demand for emerging African artists helps pull the crowds to the Cape Town Art Fair

Major museum exhibitions, auctions and a new conference are all testament to the impact the fair is having on the local art ecosystem

Surrealist collection with ‘pioneering’ interest in exiled and women artists heads to Christie’s

Paintings by Remedios Varo, Leonora Carrington and Dorothea Tanning among the 25 works to be sold in London

Police investigation prompts French auction house to postpone sale of Chandigarh furniture

Reports of thefts of heritage furniture items from buildings across the Indian city have risen over the past ten years

Art marketpreview

From a lively New Deal-era fresco study to an illuminated Rauschenberg edition: our pick of the highlights from February's sales

Plus, a Charles II-era silver-gilt vases, an avant-garde Cuban painting and a rare Tintin comic book cover

Lawnews

Police raid on East London multi-arts complex Antepavilion declared unlawful by High Court

Four people were arrested and released without charge in June 2021, but no information has been publicly provided about why the raid was carried out

Amid art fair cancellations in the city, London Art Fair opens with everything to prove

The fair's clear focus on Modern British art provides it with a niche that might help it weather Brexit's storm

Art crime specialist honoured by New Zealand for services to field

Penelope Jackson is the author of a book that considers how illicit activity differs when undertaken by women

Crime news

Cold case murder victim identified as Russian art dealer Aleksandr Levin

Torso was found in Amsterdam river in 2013, but DNA testing was only carried out in 2021

Art marketpreview

From a gruesome Old Master to a potential million-dollar superhero: our pick of the highlights from January's sales

Plus, a pair of Thornton Dial assemblages, a rare Chinese bowl and a work made out of flip-flops and suede

Recent UK High Court rulings raise questions over dealers’ duty of care towards clients

Two cases involving respected London dealers John Eskenazi and Simon Dickinson brought up issues of negligence and authenticity with differing results

London dealer cleared over negligent sale of a Chardin painting

A court has ruled that Simon Dickinson, who advised a British aristocrat to sell an 18th-century French masterpiece for a fraction of what it later sold for, did not deliberately undervalue the painting

Qatari sheikh wins £4.2m lawsuit against prominent London dealer John Eskenazi

While the judge decided the defendant sold the works in good faith, he ruled that all seven objects purchased by the sheikh are fakes

Auctionspreview

From a Dutch Golden Age still-life to a Nobel Prize medal: our pick of the highlights from December's sales

Plus, a Modernist landscape by Ferdinand Hodler and a sumptuous Old Masters Madonna

Major insurance claims spark questions over ‘damaged art’

A spate of recent high-profile cases demonstrate ongoing challenges for the sector

Chinanews

Chinese government investigates sexual assault claims in art institutions

Enquiry prompted over wave of accusations at a major Beijing arts school

Fake video claims German auction house will raise funds for Ukraine by selling—and then destroying—Russian art

Bolland & Marotz in Bremen issued a statement this week saying it was "outraged" by the incident

Banksynews

The last laugh? EU rules in favour of challenged Banksy trademark

Overturned ruling allows Banksy to continue to conceal his identity, according to a trademark lawyer

Third of UK archaeologists in financial crisis, report finds

Survey by British Archaeological Jobs Resource says the average net income within the field is £21,820

Art fairsanalysis

France's answer to Tefaf? Inaugural Fine Arts Paris & La Biennale stakes its long-term ambitions

While sales weren't spectacular, dealers were overwhelmingly positive as to the future of the fair, and its potential for further growth

UK government launches inquiry into risks posed by NFT market and crypto

Department for Media, Culture and Sport is asking public for evidence related to the safety of current blockchain regulations

Disgraced antiquities dealer Subhash Kapoor sentenced to ten years in prison by Indian court

The ruling culminates an extensive investigation into a smuggling ring headed by Kapoor

Christie’s Frieze Week evening sale delivers, as London’s market continues to perform

Led by a £20.8m Hockney and £11.2m Richter, the white-glove sale saw competitive bidding across categories and records smashed for younger artists’ works