Politics

Russianews

Russian police seize drawings by high school pupils under 'gay propaganda' law

Students’ parents complain and psychologists sent to school after art contest for International Day of Tolerance draws fire from authorities

Brazil's artists and galleries fight back at Art Basel Miami Beach

Country's galleries are out in force at the fair after far-right Jair Bolsonaro's election

Politicspreview

Latin American galleries reassess sales strategies for Miami Art Week after border crackdown

Trump's decision to station 15,000 troops at the country's southwest border has further soured political relations between the US and its South American neighbours

Museums and auction houses close as 'yellow vest' protests rage in Paris

Jeu de Paume photography gallery and Arc de Triomphe caught up in violent demonstrations

Battle brews over Washington’s arts commission

The mayor’s plan to curtail the powers of the leading arts funder in the US capital could reduce its vital independence

Protestcomment

Why I made a cemetery for hundreds of banned books in Kuwait

Kuwaiti artist Mohammad Sharaf hopes to provoke the general public as well as the authorities

Rain threatens recovery effort at Brazil’s National Museum

Meanwhile, the museum partners with a Chinese tech firm to digitise its catalogued collection

'Give Africa its art back', Macron's report says

A new report on the status of African objects in French museums will urge the president to return works taken “without consent” in the colonial period

Bangladeshi photographer Shahidul Alam granted bail after 102 days in jail—but must still face trial

Court decision comes after a wave of protests from cultural and political figures

Unesconews

UK threat to leave Unesco reignites debate about purpose of UN culture body

The US and Israel announced plans to leave the international organisation last year

Politicscomment

The mid-term elections brought many gains for progressive causes—but there is still work to be done

The artist Martha Rosler, whose politically focussed work is on view at New York’s Jewish Museum, explains what we can take away from this week’s Democratic wins

College gallery closes exhibition after complaints about ‘false flag’ work

The artist, Daniel Bejar, sees the early dismantling of his show in Westchester as an example of institutional censorship

Washington, DC grant-making commission issues morality clause—then quickly backtracks

Works made with the funding should not be “lewd, lascivious, vulgar, overtly political, excessively violent, constitutes sexual harassment, or is, in any other way, illegal,” according to the clause

Viennanews

Austrian culture minister Gernot Blümel ‘is a no-show’, claims opposition

Austrian People’s Party politician has refused to schedule parliamentary culture committee meetings and has overseen a decline in the culture budget

The art world reacts to Brazil’s new far-right president, Jair Bolsonaro

The former army captain's apparent leanings toward authoritarianism and his fundamentalist views have arts professionals feeling wary

Three exhibitions to see in New York this weekend

As midterm elections approach, take in art that takes on issues at stake

Merkel calls for more women in the arts on day she announces exit from politics

The German Chancellor also welcomed debate on colonial-era art at a ceremony in the Humboldt Forum

Riyadhnews

Huge French-Saudi cultural collaboration cemented despite Khashoggi murder

French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed plans to develop Al-Ula Province one day after Turkish officials announced killing of Saudi journalist

Central and Eastern European artists come together to collect anti-populist works

Collection Collective launches new website as part of initiative that hopes to challenge institutional and private models of collecting

Emmanuel Macron woos French art world with call for new cultural policy that fights extremism

France's president also plans to install Modern and contemporary works at the Élysée Palace

Gareth Harris. and PHILIPPE RÉGNIER

Franck Riester appointed as France’s new culture minister

Françoise Nyssen—who introduced a youth culture pass and lobbied for copyright reform—is out in cabinet reshuffle

Artists join forces in bid to swing US midterm elections

Artist-run organisation For Freedoms’ country-wide initiative is a rallying point—even in right-leaning states

Israelnews

Israeli minister seeks budgetary power to control historical narrative

Miri Regev approves of excavations that tell Jewish stories, but not of institutions offering Palestinian perspectives

Featuresinterview

Troubled waters: Elmgreen & Dragset dive into politics for new London show

The Scandinavian duo build a swimming pool in the Whitechapel Gallery and address their anger at populist leaders

Artist builds memorial to the 448 killed in Nicaragua’s civil strife

But because of the continuing unrest in his home country, the work was shown in Guatemala instead