France
Louvre blockbuster show heads to Iran in major move of cultural diplomacy
Exhibition of 50 Greek, Roman and Persian artefacts is "first large-scale exhibition by a major Western museum in Iran"
Paris's Dapper Foundation stalls talks over Cameroonian sculpture
Known as the Bangwa Queen, the object was either given to or looted by the German colonial agent Gustav Conrau
French museums' new hoard of sculptures by Camille Claudel go on show at Musée d’Orsay
State stepped in and purchased major pieces by important female sculptor at auction
Art Deco, classic cars and tribal art drive sales in France but growth remains sluggish
Single-owner consignments and a €13.5m portrait by Modigliani help Sotheby’s emerge ahead of its rivals in a stagnating market
What's On in Paris: Nostalgia is back in '94 with Antoni Tàpies and Jean-Pierre Bertrand retrospectives
Also, Meyer Vaisman's grandiose taxidermies and Elaine Strutevant's almost-replicas
The Louvre aims to acquire art of the Mexican school in bid to widen its geographical remit
Paris museum is on a mission to collect Latin American art—and a show of colonial-era paintings is the overture
Would French tax hike hit Arnault’s Paris museum?
President Hollande plans to implement 75% tax rate on income above €1m a year
Arles cultural centre falls foul of planning rules
French heritage authority wants Gehry-designed towers moved to reduce their impact on the city’s archaeology.
French institutions have lost their integrity by relying on private sponsors, leading fundraiser says
Longtime arts and heritage patron Olivier de Rohan denounces the increasing influence of external bodies on museums' creative decisions
Books: French culture under the Nazis
How artists and the arts fared under the Vichy regime and the German occupation of France, 1940-44
Kulik images impounded as ‘pornography’ at Fiac
Russian gallery directors handcuffed by police, but case dropped
France finally gets to see Pinault’s art in new exhibition
The owner of Christie's to show works from his personal collection for the first time
Iran loses UK court battle over Persepolis fragment
Iranian lawyers argued that any rights to the fifth-century bas-relief should be relinquished to its country of origin
Franco-Iranian accord decrees the two nations will collaborate in archaeological ventures
Two heads are better than one, as the question of how best to preserve historic ruins is yet to receive a definitive answer
Disagreement between France and Spain on cultural protectionism
President Aznar of Spain stated that cultural protectionism was “the refuge of a country whose culture is in decline”
Franco-German accord on cultural diversity
Accord reflects fear of American cultural imperialism
The Conseil de Ventes has published its first report but two members have stormed out
Plus ça change... plus c’est la même chose
Furniture proves the next frontier in restitution as Fraenkel objects are tracked down
A claim brought against the Musée Carnavalet in Paris has an effect on US museums
This book argues that aristocratic collectors were the main cause of the emergence of a French School of painting
Shopping for France?
Vasarely, Arp and Giacometti: The three French foundations plagued by lawsuits
The question of what exactly the artist would have wanted is ultimately unanswerable, and therefore liable to cause friction
Archives seized from Giacometti Association following family's wishes
Archives, boxes of drawings and documents pertaining to court procedures were confiscated by bailiffs, following the freezing of their assets last year
New French legislation allows works less than 30 years old to be deaccessioned
Contemporary art museums say their collections are undervalued and at risk
French government to compensate citizens for land lost after discovery of Chauvet caves
$12 million pay out to the three families
An overview of Paris’s top five auction houses at the turn of the millennium
Tajan and PIASA lead the list
Cross-border buoyancy in the European Old Master market
Plotting national tastes and identifying certain general market trends
Museum of Epinal stakes claim to London dealer's Vuillards
"Nude in the studio" and "Bouquet of flowers" were commandeered by French court officials at the Maastricht fair
Alliance to sell Beistegui house
(Paris) Impatient with the French parliament in passing the bill to open up the French auction market, Sotheby’s goes into partnership with Poulain-Le Fur
Restitution round-up: France, Austria, Italy, and Germany
Recent developments in the restitution of looted artworks
The tensions in copyright law between the rights of artist, public and trade
We asked a number of lawyers to comment on the situation with regard to catalogues in their own jurisdictions, and found that the scope of protection varies widely
Unexplained blocking of proposals for Giacometti Foundation by French art authorities could point to a manipulative strategy
Delays over approving Giacometti Foundation suggest deliberate obstruction, so the only option remaining will be to hand over the collection to the state