Artists

How Van Gogh's Starry Night was inspired by Hokusai’s Great Wave

A great admirer of Japanese prints, the whorls of brushstrokes in Vincent's night sky could have been partly suggested by a turbulent sea

a blog by Martin Bailey

Copyright case brought by Naf Naf creative director against Jeff Koons finally comes to court

Franck Davidovici first accused the artist of plagiarising his 1985 advertising campaign almost four years ago

Getty acquires archive of Betye Saar

Purchase is part of a new programme known as the African American Art History Initiative

Authorities destroy sculptures in the Maldives

Destruction of Jason deCaires Taylor's Coralarium installation came after condemnation by local Muslim leaders and politicians

Digital platform aims to help artists get fair pay

Wagency, launched by the group Working Artists and the Greater Economy, has similar goals and methods to a labour union

Geta Brătescu, Romanian multidisciplinary artist, has died aged 92

She was an important figure of the European country’s avant-garde scene with a career spanning more than six decades, but gained wider international recognition in recent years

Portrait of the future at Tate: Steve McQueen plans to photograph every seven-year-old in London

Images of primary school children will go on show at Tate Britain alongside survey of Oscar winner’s work at Tate Modern

Vincent the baker? Van Gogh's possible careers

His family also suggested that he become an accountant or a barber

a blog by Martin Bailey

Cuban activists issue manifesto against artistic censorship

Document denounces effort to ‘punish free creation’

Tate outsources artist biographies on its website to Wikipedia

The museum does “not have the resources to create biographies for every individual” in its collection, spokeswoman says

Is this the future of catalogues raisonnés?

A new online database of Sol LeWitt’s wall drawings offers a template for a more up-to-date—and richer—resource

Mining the lessons of African American history

With a grant from the Art for Justice Fund, Xaviera Simmons draws inspiration from Jacob Lawrence’s Migrations series

Brazilnews

After the loss of its convicted founder, the Inhotim Institute carries on

The arts park maintains momentum as Bernardo Paz appeals a nine-year sentence for laundering donations

Ecuador's Cuenca Biennial organisers fret over budget shortfall

A federal allotment of $100,000, less than in past years, has yet to be disbursed

USAnews

Naked 'clown Trump' statue installed on Los Angeles billboard

In their latest project, the guerrilla group Indecline compares the US president to serial killer John Wayne Gacy

Berlin artists face poverty, meagre pensions and a yawning gender pay gap, survey reveals

“Women are particularly affected by this precarious situation,” study’s author says

Lawnews

Parviz Tanavoli banned from leaving Iran over legal dispute with former gallery owner

Maryam Goudarzi claims that the artist should return six 1972 sculptures worth $6m to her, but Tanavoli says they were swapped legally for five newer works

Art installation in Canada helps rebuild burnt-out library in Iraq

A project at the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto challenges the public to help restore a Baghdad art college’s collection

Jasper Johns show and catalogue raisonné open Menil Collection’s new Drawing Institute

The 88-year-old artist, who gets the institute’s inaugural show, was deeply involved in the publication

Timeline: the legal battle over Cranach’s Adam and Eve

The events that led up to the ruling in favour of the Norton Simon Museum after it was sued by the heir of Dutch dealer Jacques Goudstikker over ownership of the paintings

Artistsanalysis

From the archive: Why the art world is crazy about Cranach

New technology is shedding light on an Old Master as the prolific, multi-talented artist enjoys a renaissance

West Coast wave of Ai Weiwei shows puts Chinese artist in Los Angeles spotlight

Activist launches Jeffrey Deitch’s new Hollywood gallery and will show works with talent agency UTA

Lawnews

Publishing company American Image Art strikes back in Robert Indiana case

Defendants in the much-publicised lawsuit allege the Morgan Art Foundation “duped” the US artist into giving up certain rights to his art

Did Juergen Teller borrow from Mickalene Thomas’s work in Vogue Paris Rihanna shoot?

Thomas’s gallery Lehmann Maupin—which also represents Teller—says it hopes there is “a resolution between the two artists”

Artists in conflict zones get a global platform with new Ruya Maps initiative

Non-profit programme launches in October with show by Venezuelan artist Pepe López in London chapel

Will Robert Indiana’s legacy get stuck in a legal battle?

The artist wanted his home to become a museum but his 2016 will is being challenged