Contemporary art

Tobacco chandelier lights up Salon 94 at Art Basel

The hanging sculpture was previously owned by the New York-based patron Agnes Gund

Art Basel opens with works that invite visitors to be part of the art

Experiences at the fair range from reclining in a hammock to enjoying an ice cream

Auckland Castle shows faith in contemporary art

A four-screen video work by Bill Viola to be unveiled this month is the first in a series of installations reflecting on the role of religion in Britain

Roger Hiorns’s jetliner plans finally set to fly

Artist due to bury a Boeing 737 in Birmingham next summer

Gambling millionaire bets on YBA works

David Walsh to sell Chris Ofili’s The Holy Virgin Mary along with pieces by Chapman Brothers, Damien Hirst and Jenny Saville

French art space forged from metalworks

Venue for socio-political art to open in converted armaments factory in Maubourguet

Richard Serra due to receive the French government’s highest honour

The sculptor, who has a history of being fêted by the French, will accept the award at the French Embassy on 1 June

Beautiful brutality: the splendours of violence at the Venice Biennale

The central exhibition at the Venice Biennale is searing but splendid, even if it raises moral concerns

Scandinavia gets spotted fever with Yayoi Kusama tour

Show includes fashion designs as well as early drawings and pastels found in a sealed package during a recent studio visit

Lawnews

Art collection of bankrupt German art consultancy to go under hammer

Sale of more than 2,000 works from Helge Achenbach's company expected to fetch between €3m and €4.5m

Cuban artist to stage new political project in Havana following arrest

Tania Bruguera, who has had her passport confiscated after planning a free-speech performance in Revolution Square, is due to host a 100-hour reading of the book The Origins of Totalitarianism ahead of the city's biennial

A mere semblance of political activity

Pedro Reyes's show is more about performing for the camera than changing the world

Activists occupy Peggy Guggenheim Collection during Venice Biennale

The artist group is fighting for workers’ rights in Abu Dhabi, but US foundation says it is ‘acting in good faith’

Kiev Biennial finds a new venue and international support

Second edition to open at the Visual Culture Research Center in September with related projects across Europe, curators say

Art Brussels relocation sparks debate among local dealers

The move to the Tour & Taxis site next year coincides with the launch of the Independent fair in the burgeoning contemporary art hub

Jeff Koonsarchive

Koons at cutting edge with giant stone mills: The techniques behind his creations

Koons' sculptures may look like child's play, but behind the play-doh is a long and complicated process