Museums & Heritage

Metropolitan Museum gifted 188 Dada and Surrealist works

The promised gift from museum trustee John Pritzker includes pieces by Man Ray, Marcel and Suzanne Duchamp, Jean Arp and others

Lina Ghotmeh to transform historic Uzbek scholar’s house into Jadids’ Legacy Museum

The space, due to open in 2027, will be dedicated to the ideas and enduring influence of Jadidism

London’s National Gallery receives record-breaking donations for new wing—and will start collecting contemporary art

An unprecedented £375m has already been raised for the extension, which will have space for hundreds of paintings—while Tate is collaborating with the gallery on a revised acquisition strategy

Crystal Bridges Museum's expansion will open in June 2026

The Arkansas institution also announced that it has received two gifts totalling more than 200 works by over 100 artists

Banking family’s treasures go on show at Bath’s Holburne Museum

Nearly 200 Renaissance works, on long-term loan from the Schroder Collection, will be displayed in a dedicated gallery

Bayeux Tapestry is safe to travel to UK, insists British Museum director

Nicholas Cullinan says that French and UK experts will guide every stage of the loan

New draft guidance for UK museums calls for ‘transition away’ from fossil fuels sponsorship

The draft “Code of Ethics” was published by the Museums Association earlier this week

Giorgio Armani, designer who changed how museums engage with fashion, has died aged 91

As well as for his iconic designs, Armani will be remembered for his broad cultural legacy

Smithsonian leader asserts ‘authority over our programming’ in letters to staff and Trump White House

Lonnie G. Bunch III, the Smithsonian’s secretary, wrote in a staff letter and another addressed to the White House that the institution will continue its internal review

Sylvain Amic, ‘open spirited’ head of Musée d'Orsay, has died aged 58

His death was announced on Sunday by the French culture minister, Rachida Dati

Smithsonian leader meets with Trump for 'cordial' White House lunch

As the White House reviews the Smithsonian's programming, Lonnie G. Bunch was called in to meet with the president and one of the aides leading the review

Philadelphia museum sues Trump administration over lost federal funding

After filing its lawsuit, the Woodmere received a letter from the Institute of Museum and Library Services informing it that the full $750,000 grant had been reinstated

Cultural organisations warn UK government of ‘crippling’ changes to membership legislation

The heads of the Victoria and Albert Museum and the National Trust UK say the changes could seriously impact lucrative membership schemes

Stories brought to life: the National Portrait Gallery's latest virtual reality venture is a triumph of immersive storytelling

The London gallery and Frameless Creative, a leading maker of immersive experiences, have combined to create an unforgettable touring experience, with its first location at Salford Quays

Van Gogh Museum claims it could be ‘forced to close’ amid funding feud with Dutch state

The museum has raised concerns about the safety of its collection, visitors and staff

France returns three human skulls to Madagascar—including one that may have belonged to a king

The restitution is the first to take place under a 2023 French law on the return of human remains

Campaign group threatens legal action over University of Leicester's trans-inclusive museums guidance

Freedom in the Arts claims the guidance is “misleading”, but others say it plays an important role in protecting transgender people against discrimination

Claws for celebration: Canada’s first cat museum launching with Montreal pop-up exhibition

After the museum’s fur-st show, founder Aqeela Nahani hopes to open a purr-manent space in 2026

The US’s largest Raphael exhibition is opening at the Met next year

“Raphael: Sublime Poetry” is being curated by Carmen Bambach, who organised the Met’s hugely popular Michelangelo exhibition in 2017-18

Artists and scholars respond to White House’s list of Smithsonian grievances

Amy Sherald, the historian Ibram X. Kendi and others personally attacked in the Trump administration’s list of reasons for why the president “is right about the Smithsonian” hit back

Ancient artefacts from sunken city lifted out of Mediterranean near Alexandria

A selection of the objects, some dating back 2,000 years, is now on view at the Alexandria National Museum

US museums urged to stop lobbying against Nazi loot restitution bill

A bipartisan group of Senators has proposed amendments to the Hear Act of 2016, but some powerful organisations are concerned the changes go too far

‘We’ve faced immense new pressures’: Shanghai museum director on the challenges—and benefits—of going free entry

Rockbund Art Museum faced complaints after first making the change, but its director says audiences have since been “transformed”

Tens of thousands sign petition to stop loan of ‘extremely fragile’ Bayeux Tapestry to UK

The appeal references alleged warnings from textile restorers that a move could risk damaging the 1,000-year-old work’s embroidered linen fabric

Getty Foundation awards $2.6m in grants to preserve Black visual arts archives

Libraries, museums and archives throughout the US will use the funds to make their collections more accessible through digitisation and—at least in one case—a VR game

Dallas Museum of Art picks director wrapping up another institutional expansion to guide it through campus overhaul

Brian Ferriso will inaugurate the expansion of the Portland Art Museum on 20 November and start his new job in Dallas on 1 December

Trump accuses Smithsonian of being too focused on ‘how bad slavery was’

The US president’s criticisms come as the White House begins a review of the Smithsonian’s programmes and exhibitions

San Francisco’s de Young Museum opens revamped Native American art galleries

The spaces are curated by a team of predominantly Native curators, with a special focus on bridging historical and contemporary works

US Senator calls for investigation into MoMA trustee Leon Black’s business ties to Jeffrey Epstein

The push by Senator Ron Wyden comes amid partisan disputes over the nature and extent of Epstein’s dealings with the rich and powerful

Barbara Hepworth sculpture to remain in UK following over 2,000 public donations

The fundraising campaign was also supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the Art Fund