UK politics

Director of Restore Trust, campaign group putting pressure on National Trust, steps down from role

Zewditu Gebreyohanes said she had made the decision six months ago, and that it was not connected to members rejecting the group's councillors and resolutions at the weekend's general meeting

Retain and explain guidance on contentious UK heritage is published—at last

Government strategy underscores controversial monuments should stay in place, a move criticised by some culture professionals

Arts fundinganalysis

Private sector picks up the pieces as UK government cuts art education funding

While university arts departments are being dismantled, dealers and auction houses provide learning programmes

Thangam Debbonaire appointed UK shadow culture secretary

The Labour MP, who has held the position before, campaigned for the removal of Bristol's Edward Colston statue

Sotheby’s UK profits dropped by almost a quarter last year amid 'Brexit red tape'

An auction house spokesperson says Companies House figures do not represent full scope of business

Statue of wartime code-breaker Alan Turing proposed for London's fourth plinth

UK defence secretary Ben Wallace made the suggestion following a review of LGBTQ veterans' experiences—but critics point out the minister's contradictory voting record

Art worldcomment

'We need to talk about class in the art world'

A recent list of young art "disruptors" published by a UK newspaper underlines the insidious dynamics of privilege which continue to define our industry

Controversial Stonehenge tunnel scheme gets greenlight from UK government

Campaign groups say move is ‘as inexplicable as it is disgraceful’

Special report: Funding cuts and weak economy send UK’s visual arts into crisis

From regional galleries becoming “unsustainable” to brutal cuts to funding of museums, galleries and arts and humanities education, the sector is in an increasingly perilous state

Labour’s education revolution will put the arts and culture centre stage

The UK's shadow culture minister sets out the Labour party's plan for arts and culture if they win the next election

Lucy Powell. UK Shadow Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
Diaryblog

New career in art beckons for Boris Johnson

The former UK prime minister has painted his vision of the 'perfect' cabinet meeting

UK and Greece should share Parthenon Marbles says London mayor Sadiq Khan

The Labour party politician encourages the British Museum and the UK government to advance talks with the government of Greece and Athens's Acropolis Museum

Sculpture of whistleblowers Julian Assange, Chelsea Manning and Edward Snowden makes appearance in UK's Parliament Square

The work invites audience participation and is about defending "freedom of speech", says its creator Davide Dormino

Windrush 75th anniversary marked by series of royal art commissions including portraits by Sonia Boyce and Amy Sherald

Also commemorating the arrival of the vessel from the Caribbean is a new exhibition at London's V&A and a display in London's Piccadilly Circus

Memorial to peace activist Brian Haw to stand opposite London's Imperial War Museum

The campaigner began protesting the Iraq war outside the Houses of Parliament in 2001 and remained camped at the site until his death in 2011

Ivorynews

UK government to extend ivory ban to include hippos, sperm whales, narwhals, orcas and walruses

Ministers hope to close loopholes that see aquatic mammals vulnerable to poaching, but dealers in antique scrimshaw works of art say it will destroy their business

Declassified documents on Parthenon Marbles reveal rift between UK government and British Museum

Foreign Office was dismissive of the museum's attempts to lobby for the contested sculptures in 1983

Ai Weiweiinterview

‘It is a crime against humanity’: Ai Weiwei discusses refugees in the UK, moving on from Covid and why Lego is his medium of choice

Design Museum exhibition brings together more than a million pieces collected by the artist including spouts and Stone Age tools

Even restituted artefacts—like Benin bronzes—need export licences from UK, says arts minister

Formal requirement for government licences may well prove to be yet another obstacle to a loan agreement for the Parthenon Marbles

Diaryblog

The camera adds ten pounds, but the canvas? Slimline Boris Johnson portrait receives mixed reviews

Richard Stone’s painting, unveiled at London’s Carlton Club, has shaved off a few pounds from the UK's former prime minister

LGBTQnews

Drag queen event at Tate Britain sparks protests between trans-rights activists and right-wing groups

Aida H Dee’s storytelling event disrupted by fighting outside London museum

UK culture ministry shake up: Lucy Frazer named secretary for 'refocussed' department

Prime minister Rishi Sunak has overhauled the country's Department for Culture, Media and Sport Digital, dropping "digital" from its mandate

LGBTQnews

Controversial UK politician slams Tate for hosting children's drag queen storytime session

Conservative Party peer Emma Nicholson has lambasted the London museum for "propaganda" in open letter

Germany kicks off major Benin bronze restitution with return of 20 artefacts to Nigeria

The agreement—signed by the two countries in July—involves the return of 1,100 objects in total

New sculpture unveiled outside London's King's Cross station makes 'homelessness impossible to ignore'

The work—highlighting the growing crisis of rough sleepers in the UK—will also travel to Birmingham

Arts Council England's £446m grants: who are the biggest winners and losers?

The announcement signalled a shift of resources away from London, a broader range of venues beyond traditional art museums and an overall reduction in real terms

Now is not the time for culture cuts: England's fragile arts ecosystem needs more, not less, support

While Arts Council England slashed many organisations’ funding, the German government set aside nearly €1bn to help cultural institutions weather the financial storm

Arts fundinganalysis

'Everyone will be far poorer': England's art organisations respond to 'short-sighted and foolish' national funding cuts

Learning and community outreach programmes under threat as Arts Council England funding shift wreaks deep financial damage on institutions