US politics
US Commission of Fine Arts signs off on Trump’s White House ballroom
The commission’s members also opted to forego a later vote on the final stage of the design despite public comments on the project being “overwhelmingly in opposition—over 99%”
Minneapolis gallery launches mutual aid colouring book in response to Ice operations in the city
The gallery Dreamsong launched the project—which will also be available on its Frieze Los Angeles stand—to support Minnesotan immigrants and a rapid response fund
White House presses Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery for new Trump portrait and display
Administration officials discussed adding multiple images of Trump to the “America’s Presidents” exhibition, and a second official portrait of the sitting president, even though the first has never gone on view
The US struggles with history, Stephen Friedman Gallery closes, Tudor Heart pendant acquired by the British Museum—podcast
Ben Luke speaks to our editor-in-chief, Americas, Ben Sutton about the disputes that have arisen as the US marks its 250 years since the Declaration of Independence—and hears about the demise of Stephen Friedman’s Gallery. Plus, the story of a heart-shaped pendant tied to Katherine of Aragon and Henry VIII
‘Good people are being compelled to censor themselves’: exhibition of Black artists reinterpreting the US flag opens without key Dread Scott work
The artist was approached about including his seminal work in an exhibition at the University of Maryland’s Driskell Center, but ultimately it was not featured; he and the curators disagree on the reasons why
Art Basel Qatar, Dürer portrait debate, Paula Modersohn-Becker and Edvard Munch—podcast
Ben Luke talks to art market editor Kabir Jhala about the inaugural fair in Doha, explores the debate surrounding a painting of Dürer’s father, and we hear about the synergies between two 20th-century painters
One battle after another: Trump’s war on federal architecture
The US president has set his sights on transforming the city of Washington, DC, to fit his grandiose aesthetic
What happens to the art market when humanity stops mattering?
In a world now governed by force—as US president Donald Trump and his circle would have it—rather than shared values, art risks being relegated to a power play of ‘proven brands’
US art spaces from New York to Los Angeles close in protest of violent Ice actions
Commercial and non-profit galleries are participating in the national day of action on 30 January, which comes after federal immigration enforcement agents killed US citizens in Minneapolis and Los Angeles
Persistent low attendance and funding cuts are forcing US museums to think local
Institutions are analysing their relationship with audiences during a sobering time for many in the sector
US National Park Service removes slavery memorial at Philadelphia historic site
In accordance with a directive from president Trump, an exhibit detailing the lives and historical contexts of nine people enslaved by George Washington was dismantled
Museums and galleries in Minneapolis join citywide general strike in protest of Ice operations
In protest of federal immigration enforcement officers’ violent campaign in the city, hundreds of local business and organisations will shutter on 23 January
‘Freedom plane’ to take US founding documents on tour for country's 250th anniversary
US National Archives documents from the 18th and 19th centuries will tour museums from Kansas City to Seattle
National Endowment for the Humanities awards $75.1m to 84 projects across the US
Among the grants is $2m for Grand Central Atelier, a small art school in Queens run by a vocal proponent of classical painting over the avant garde
Trump eyes site near National Mall for ‘Garden of American Heroes’
The location, although not yet official, would legally require the project to undergo a rigorous review process and receive congressional approval
More Bob Ross paintings head to auction to benefit US public television
The sale at Bonhams comes just two months after Ross’s auction record was shattered in another charity auction
Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery removes wall text mentioning Trump’s impeachments
The museum said the change of labels and portraits is in preparation for an overhaul of its popular permanent gallery “America’s Presidents”
Trump pulls US out of international cultural property preservation centre and coalition of arts agencies
In a memo announcing the withdrawals, the president said the organisations ran “contrary to the interests of the United States”
Trump administration puts renewed pressure on Smithsonian to turn over materials for review
The White House has given the Smithsonian Institution until 13 January to provide a trove of materials about planning and procedures at eight of its museums
Paintings by US president Jimmy Carter go to auction
The works are included in an upcoming Christie's sale marking the 250th anniversary of US independence
More US artists forced to pay for their own shows as museum and culture budgets shrink
A non-profit initiative in Miami exposes the widening funding gap redefining who can afford to exhibit at American institutions
Trump's name added to Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, despite legal questions
President Trump's latest step in his takeover of the revered performing arts venue involved a hasty change of title
Mary Anne Carter, National Endowment for the Arts chair during Trump’s first term, takes the helm again
Carter has been serving as the agency’s acting chair since January
Construction of Trump’s White House ballroom continues despite heritage body’s lawsuit
A federal judge has rejected attempt by National Trust for Historic Preservation to temporarily halt president’s pet construction project
Revamped Nazi-loot restitution bill passed by US Senate
The Holocaust Expropriated Art Recovery (Hear) Act of 2025, passed unanimously in the Senate and now heads to the House of Representatives
Despite turmoil, the cultural plan to mark the 250th anniversary of the US is taking shape
After government shutdown and firing of organising committee leader, plans for shows and events advance
Artists protest Alligator Alcatraz at Scope Art Show
The project “invites fairgoers to reflect, respond and enact change through signing a petition that demands the closure of Alligator Alcatraz”, Amnesty says
A haunting portrait of the Everglades appears in Miami
Isabelle Brourman, an artist known for her courtoom sketches from high-profile trials, is showing in a pop-up exhibition at the Rice Hotel
Political statements at Art Basel Miami Beach are sparse but strident
The heated cultural climate is felt at the fair, from a caustic Maurizio Cattelan sculpture to Cristin Tierney’s stand marking—and interrogating the meaning of—the upcoming semiquincentennial of US independence
Bob Ross painting sells for record $1m at auction to benefit US public broadcasters
Four original canvases by the late television painting instructor have been sold lately to raise funds for US public broadcasting following slashes by the Trump administration, and dozens more will be offered in 2026





























