UK politics

Fundingcomment

'Be commercially minded or lose future funding': UK government's threat puts museums in peril

In a letter leaked to The Art Newspaper, the culture minister Oliver Dowden tells directors they must raise their own funds during the pandemic—but how?

UK may become 'cultural wasteland' after government's failure to provide funding quickly, says parliament report

MPs say £1.5bn government support package for the arts sector is “too little too late”

Racism on walls of UK government? British Empire murals spark controversy

Politician raises concerns over Sigismund Goetze painting in the Foreign Office depicting Africa as a naked boy

UK government appoints commissioner to get culture sector 'back up and running'

Neil Mendoza is heading up a taskforce to help revive the arts after the coronavirus pandemic

UK galleries and auction houses can reopen from 1 June, government says

Art trade associations have been lobbying to be recognised as “non-essential retail” in phase two of the lockdown exit roadmap; museums will have to wait until phase three in July

UK government 'failing' to support its freelancers, leading arts body says

Finance minister Rishi Sunak has attracted criticism for his emergency bailout plan over claims that it discriminates against gig workers

Arts Council England announces coronavirus crisis plan to compensate out-of-pocket artists and institutions

The national arts-funding body will refocus some grant programmes to help individual artists and freelancers withstand lost earnings

Brexitnews

Hundreds of art organisations outraged as UK withdraws from €1.46bn Creative Europe fund

More than 680 cultural figures and institutions sign open letter over decision they believe "threatens an impoverished future for British creativity"

Cabinet reshuffle: Oliver Dowden appointed new UK culture secretary

The Conservative MP for Hertsmere in Hertfordshire replaces Nicky Morgan

From Bristol to Bermuda: satirical artist Cold War Steve asks public to download and exhibit his work

Exhibition project You, Me & Cold War Steve: the International Exhibition of the People has already been downloaded 3,000 times with scheduled venues across the globe

'Taking us back to the dark ages': UK-Europe exchange programme Erasmus hangs in the balance

Art history academics speak out as impending Brexit deadline threatens European partnership

Nicky Morgan—who stood down in UK election to spend more time with her family—is reappointed as culture secretary

Boris Johnson gives former MP a peerage in order to keep her in the cabinet, but survival of culture department in the longer term is not assured

Artists react angrily to Tory landslide result in UK general election

Issues raised include the environmental crisis and the future of the Labour party

The UK's culture secretary conveyor belt: who will be next?

As the election looms this month and Nicky Morgan announces she is standing down, the department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport prepares for its latest secretary of state

Arts commentators question Conservative Party's controversial £120m ‘festival of Brexit’

Will artists and institutions participate in “national celebration” planned for 2022?

‘Listen to children, tax big auction sales’: Bob and Roberta Smith’s constitution of the arts

As UK political parties launch their manifestos, the artist sets out his own guidelines for art world equality

Boris Johnson’s Conservative manifesto promises £250m funding for culture

Although Tory announcement calls it the “largest cultural capital programme in a century”, pledge is only quarter of Labour’s £1bn culture fund

Jeremy Corbyn promises £1bn culture fund in Labour Party election manifesto

Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats commit to stopping Brexit and protecting arts funding through the National Lottery

Podcastsgallery

Gunpowder, treason and plot: how artists have captured fireworks throughout history

In a special podcast episode we talk to Simon Werrett who has written a book on pyrotechnic arts in European history

Podcastspodcast

Special: Fireworks! Picturing pyrotechnics with professor Simon Werrett

In honour of Bonfire Night in the UK this podcast looks at how artists—from Whistler to Cai Guo-Qiang—have captured fireworks

Hosted by Ben Luke. Produced by Julia Michalska and David Clack
Brexitnews

New deadline creates problems for National Gallery's 'Brexit-ready' exhibition schedule

Museum has avoided transporting loans to and from Europe around 31 October “deadline”, but the last-minute extension to next January may cause shipping issues

When Britain divides, custody of its art must be shared fairly

If Scottish independence follows Brexit, what will happen to the national collection?

Money laundering, trafficking, ivory: crackdown on art crime intensifies

Wave of sentencing and changes in legislation puts pressure on art world

'London’s resilience, creativity and innovation will help us to keep open for the world'

As the art world turns out in the capital during Frieze, Justine Simons, London's deputy mayor for culture and the creative industries, wonders what the rest of the world must be thinking

'We are in a time of crisis: now is the time to assert our moral and ethical principles'

Cultural institutions need to decide what they stand for, says London's ICA director Stefan Kalmár

'We want the Babylonian Palace of Tiglath-Pileser!': new book reveals Boris Johnson's thwarted vision for new V&A East

Nicholas Coleridge, the chairman of the Victoria and Albert Museum, tells how Boris laid down the law on his plans for the project