Arts news

• Can Protest Art Really Make Any Difference?

  22-05-2017 23:24 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  "Protest art is not going to stop a bullet, but it does stir the mind and the heart. Artists want to create something pleasing but that also gets a rise out of people. A still life is not going to make you change your voting pattern." And the artists who create this kind of art often find the ways and the means to keep working, despite the dire circumstances they may find themselves in.
  
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• Jeffrey Epstein’s Art World Connections: A Guide

  02-02-2026 23:11 via artnews.com
  Convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who died by apparent suicide in 2019 while in jail facing additional charges related to alleged sex trafficking in New York and Florida, cultivated an expansive network of powerful and influential contacts in a wide array of fields—art very much among them. In addition to his dealings in the worlds of finance, science, and technology, the reputed billionaire engaged with art institutions, collectors, and cultural enterprises now reckoning with their
  
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• Portrait of Anne Boleyn Was Meant to Rebut Rumors That She Was a Witch, Historians Say

  02-02-2026 23:05 via artnews.com
  A portrait of Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII’s ill-fated second wife, is now thought to be an attempt to rehabilitate her image after her death. Using infrared reflectography, historians and curators have uncovered evidence that the work was at least partially created to dispel rumors that Boleyn was a witch with six fingers.In the painting, which hangs in Hever Castle in England, both of Boleyn’s hands, each with the usual number of digits, are visible. But the new infrared scans reveal th
  
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• Two Paris Museums Get More Than a Dozen Works by Christo and Jeanne-Claude

  02-02-2026 22:51 via artnews.com
  The Christo and Jeanne-Claude Foundation, the organization that stewards the legacy of the iconic artist duo who wrapped large structures in fabric, has donated 14 artworks to two museums in Paris.The artists’ ties to the city are well documented. In 2021, a year after Christo’s death at 84, the artists’ 1962 plan to wrap the Arc de Triomphe in 25,000 square meters of metallic blue polypropylene fabric and red rope was finally realized after almost 60 years. Christo and Je
  
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• Sotheby’s Second Sale in Saudi Arabia Tops $19.6 M., Sets Record for Saudi Artist

  02-02-2026 21:51 via artnews.com
  Just under a year ago, Sotheby’s made its biggest foray in the Gulf yet with its first-ever auction in Saudi Arabia. That sale, titled “Origins” and featuring 117 lots spanning art and luxury objects, brought in $17.3 million with fees—squarely within its $14 million–$20 million presale estimate. It wasn’t a spectacular result, but also wasn’t a disaster.Over the weekend, the house staged its second such sale, titled “Origins II,” to far stro
  
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• A Rare Greek Funerary Sculpture, Priced North of $600,000, Heads to TEFAF

  02-02-2026 21:41 via artnews.com
  Most young women in ancient Greece were married early in their teenage years, and they were expected to produce children as a matter of public interest. So the death of a young woman of marriagable age was seen as a loss not only to her loved ones, but also to society. A rare ancient Greek artwork headed to the TEFAF art fair memorializes the loss of one such young woman. On offer from London gallery David Aaron, Stele of Medeia, from the Attic region, dates to 375-350 BCE. The piece is tagged a
  
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• Palestinians Decry Israel’s Plan to Seize West Bank Archaeological Site: ‘A Violation of Our History’

  02-02-2026 21:36 via artnews.com
  Israeli authorities have announced plans to seize a sprawling archaeological site overlooking the Palestinian town of Sebastia in the West Bank, sparking outrage among the roughly 3,500 Palestinians who depend on tourism to the site and nearby olive groves for their livelihoods.Residents of Sebastia have denounced the planned seizure as a pretext for expanding illegal Jewish settlements and as a means of erasing Palestinian identity through the appropriation of heritage sites, the Guardian repor
  
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• Jeffrey Epstein Masterminded Leon Black’s Purchase of $115 M. Picasso from Gagosian, Files Show

  02-02-2026 19:01 via artnews.com
  A newly released tranche of Jeffrey Epstein files from the Department of Justice show that Epstein was personally involved in high-profile transactions between Gagosian gallery and Leon Black, suggesting that Epstein’s role in liaising between the mega-gallery and the mega-collector ran even deeper than was previously known.The new files include many documents related to the sale of Pablo Picasso’s 1931 sculpture Buste de Femme (Marie-Thérèse). While it was previously r
  
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• Jeffrey Epstein Advised on Leon Black’s Purchase of $115 M. Picasso from Gagosian, Files Show

  02-02-2026 19:01 via artnews.com
  A newly released tranche of Jeffrey Epstein files from the Department of Justice show that Epstein was personally involved in high-profile transactions between Gagosian gallery and Leon Black, suggesting that Epstein’s role in liaising between the mega-gallery and the mega-collector ran even deeper than was previously known.The new files include many documents related to the sale of Pablo Picasso’s 1931 sculpture Buste de Femme (Marie-Thérèse). While it was previously r
  
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• Art Basel Qatar Marks an Important Moment for Arts and Culture in Doha

  02-02-2026 18:09 via artnews.com
  This is a special edition of Breakfast with ARTnews, to coincide with Art Basel Qatar. To receive the newsletter in your inbox every weekday, sign up here.Here in Doha, it is nearly impossible not to know that Art Basel is in town. Red banners announcing the fair line the streets of the Msheireb district, where it will open on Tuesday across the M7 building, the Design District, and other nearby venues.This is an important moment for arts and culture in Qatar&m
  
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• What Shows to See in Doha During Art Basel Qatar

  02-02-2026 18:03 via artnews.com
  Art Basel’s first edition in Doha arrives with expectations: new collectors, cautious galleries hoping to land institutional interest, and a city briefly reorganized around a fair schedule. What distinguishes the week is not just the fair, but how clearly Doha’s museums are using the moment to make a case for depth.Rather than flooding the calendar with kitsch or pandering to Western taste, the strongest exhibitions focus on history, structure, and sustained attention. If you see onl
  
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• Chicago’s Volume Gallery Triples in Size with a Move to West Town

  02-02-2026 17:58 via artnews.com
  The last couple of years have seen many art galleries close in art hubs around the world amid a struggling market. But one in Chicago is tripling in size with a move to a new neighborhood. Volume Gallery will open on February 13 in a 3,500-square-foot space designed by co-founders Claire Warners and Sam Vinz at 1700 West Hubbard Street, across from mainstays Mariane Ibrahim and Monique Meloche. It’s the gallery’s third space since it opened in 2010. If expanding a gallery in a m
  
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• Trump Plans to Close Kennedy Center for Two Years, Beginning July 4

  02-02-2026 17:50 via artnews.com
  President Donald Trump announced Sunday that he would close the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, which has been facing an existential crisis for the past year, for up to two years as part of a renovation project.In a post on Truth Social, Trump said that the closure, which is still “totally subject to Board approval,” would happen on July 4, the 250th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence and the birth of the US. He said that the planned closur
  
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• Judge Sends Ousted Philadelphia Museum Director Sasha Suda’s Lawsuit To Arbitration

  02-02-2026 17:48 via artnews.com
  A judge has ruled that the messy conflict between the Philadelphia Art Museum and its former director and CEO, Sasha Suda, who was dismissed in November, will go to arbitration, not to a jury trial, as Suda had requested in a civil suit. Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas Judge Michael E. Erdos referred to Suda’s contract, which dictates that disputes be solved in arbitration, reports the Philadelphia Inquirer.“We are not surprised that the museum wants to hide its illegal conduct in
  
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• Art Basel Qatar Gets Ready to Open, Featuring Solo Presentations by Jean-Michel Basquiat, Marlene Dumas, and Philip Guston

  02-02-2026 16:51 via artnews.com
  When Art Basel opens its first edition in Doha on Tuesday, the difference—from other editions—will be immediately apparent. This is the smallest Basel fair by far: just 85 galleries, all of them mounting solo presentations, in a layout that feels closer to a curated exhibition than a commercial free-for-all. For comparison there were 206 galleries in Paris and 283 in Miami. While sources have told me that following editions in Qatar will grow to Paris- and Miami-size, the s
  
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• Icelandic artist Björn Roth Dead at 64, Trump to Close Kennedy Center For 2 Years, and More: Morning LInks for February 2, 2026

  02-02-2026 15:51 via artnews.com
  Good Morning!Trump announced plans to close the Kennedy Center for two years of renovations following more canceled performances.The Centre for Contemporary Arts (CCA) in Glasgow is permanently closing amid financial woes. Icelandic artist Björn Roth dead at 64.The Headlines CURTAINS CLOSE. After several performers canceled shows and public patronage continued to fall, President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that he is closing the Kennedy Center for a t
  
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• Warhol Foundation Expands Grant-Making Programs to Include Visual Arts Nonprofits with Budgets Under $200,000

  02-02-2026 15:00 via artnews.com
  The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts will expand its giving by adding a new grant program that will support visual arts projects at US-based nonprofits with budgets under $200,000.Prior to this change, the Warhol Foundation’s funding has focused on nonprofit visual arts organizations with budgets of $300,000 or more. This new program, which will give grants between $20,000 and $30,000, will begin accepting applications for the foundation’s upcoming round of Spring 2026 gran
  
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• Christie’s New Head of Luxury Talks The Category’s Growth and Plans for 2026

  02-02-2026 14:28 via artnews.com
  Earlier this month, Christie’s promoted Kimberly Miller to global managing director of its luxury operation, a move that comes as the category continues to outpace much of the auction market. In December, the house reported that in the first half of last year, luxury sales jumped 30 percent, compared to the same period in 2024. The jump came as the house’s overall first-half results remained flat. That momentum carried through the rest of the year. In Geneva in November, the Mellon B
  
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• Christie’s New Head of Luxury Talks About Category’s Growth and Plans for 2026

  02-02-2026 14:28 via artnews.com
  Editor’s Note: This story is part of a new series on the convergence of art and luxury. See all of our reporting on the topic here.Earlier this month, Christie’s promoted Kimberly Miller to global managing director of its luxury operation, a move that comes as the category continues to outpace much of the auction market.In December, the house reported that in the first half of last year, luxury sales jumped 30 percent, compared to the same period in 2024. The jump came as t
  
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• Louvre Abu Dhabi’s Manuel Rabaté Tapped to Lead India’s Largest Private Museum

  02-02-2026 11:41 via artnews.com
  The Kiran Nadar Museum of Art (KNMA) in New Delhi, one of India’s leading private art institutions, has announced the appointment of Manuel Rabaté as its first chief executive and director. The Frenchman joins from Louvre Abu Dhabi, where he has served as its inaugural director since the museum opened in 2016.Rabaté’s arrival comes as KNMA prepares for a major expansion that will see it move from its current location inside a shopping mall into a purpose-built museum co
  
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• Collectors Steve Tisch and Jean Pigozzi Named in Latest Epstein Files

  01-02-2026 22:19 via artnews.com
  The latest batch of documents released by the Department of Justice as part of the Epstein Files Transparency Act includes references to two leading art collectors, Steve Tisch and Jean Pigozzi. The DOJ’s library of documents have been added to over the past several days, with the latest update occurring on Saturday, January 31.The documents, primarily in the form of emails sent around 2013, appear to show convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein connecting Tisch, a film producer and co-owne
  
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• Likeness of restored angel to Giorgia Meloni triggers investigations in Rome

  01-02-2026 17:04
  Cherub at landmark church causes ecclesiastical and political uproar with alleged resemblance to Italian PMItaly’s culture minister and the diocese of Rome have launched investigations after claims were made that an angel in a landmark church in Rome was restored in the likeness of the Italian prime minister, Giorgia Meloni.The resemblance was first flagged by the newspaper La Repubblica, which noted that one of the two angels flanking a marble bust of Italy’s last king in the Basili
  
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• Pat Oleszko on Making a Fool of Herself for 60 Years and Counting

  01-02-2026 11:00 via artnews.com
  Pat Oleszko has been making a fool of herself full time for 60 years. Known for her satirical wit, surreal costumes, and performances in and around immense inflatables, the artist defies easy categorization. Using her body as the armature for a unique sort of walking, talking “pedestrian art,” Oleszko has inhabited incendiary and far-flung guises including a rapacious Coat of Arms(1972), a robed and miter-clad Nincompope (1999), and, in recent years, a caricature of Dumpty Trumpty (2
  
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• ‘I was really surprised by the swimmers’ powerful energy’: Jorge Perez Ortiz’s best phone picture

  31-01-2026 12:00
  After undergoing emergency surgery following an accident, the photographer discovered a newfound appreciation for the human bodyThree years ago, Jorge Perez Ortiz was on a small wooden boat travelling from Cartagena in Colombia to a group of nearby islands when the sea became unexpectedly rough. As a strong wave hit, Ortiz, sitting at the bow, felt his body lift and come down sharply on his seat. The sudden impact fractured a vertebra. He was taken to hospital and underwent emergency surgery.&ld
  
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• From Nouvelle Vague to Mock the Week: your complete entertainment guide to the week ahead

  31-01-2026 07:00
  Richard Linklater pens a love letter to the greats of French cinema, and the satirical panel show finds a new homeNouvelle Vague
  Out nowNever bet against Richard Linklater: the veteran director (Dazed and Confused, Boyhood) loves turning his hand to different genres, and his latest is a typically mellow dramatisation of the period in French film history that saw the likes of Jean-Luc Godard, François Truffaut and Claude Chabrol shake off their lives as critics and become bona fide film le
  
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• Chung Sang-hwa, Korean Painter Associated with Dansaekhwa, Dies at 93

  30-01-2026 23:10 via artnews.com
  Chung Sang-hwa, a central figure in Korean modern art, died on January 28 after a prolonged illness. He was 93. The news was reported by the Korea Times.Chung is best known for his affiliation with Dansaekhwa (or “monochrome painting”), a mode of abstract art that emerged in the mid-1970s in Korea and which found new interest in the West in the 21st century.Dansaekhwa emerged from Korea’s earlier, more expressive Informel painting of the late 1950s and 1960s and was distinguish
  
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• Zapotec Tomb Unearthed in Mexico Hailed as ‘The Most Significant’ Discovery of Last Decade

  30-01-2026 21:54 via artnews.com
  Archaeologists in southern Mexico have unearthed a 1,400-year-old Zapotec tomb bearing intricate carvings, a discovery hailed by experts as “the most significant” of the last decade. The tomb was discovered in San Pablo Huitzo, Oaxaca, and dates to around the year 600 CE, according to a statement released last week by Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH). Experts have noted the exceptional preservation of the burial chamber’s features, inclu
  
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• Highlights from the Baltimore Museum of Art’s 2025 Acquisitions, From Henri Matisse to Kiyan Williams to Senegalese Tapestries

  30-01-2026 21:42 via artnews.com
  The Baltimore Museum of Art has added 250 artworks in the past year to its encyclopedic collection. The wide-ranging acquisitions—from all over the world and spanning centuries—“reflect the museum’s focus on expanding the range of global voices represented within its collection,” according to a statement released by the museum.More than half of the new works—180 in total—are part of an anonymous gift of contemporary art by 63 different artists, among Gin
  
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• Newly Released Jeffrey Epstein Files Show $5,000 Donation to the Met Costume Institute

  30-01-2026 21:04 via artnews.com
  On Friday, the US Department of Justice publicly released over three million additional documents related to Jeffrey Epstein, the late convicted sex offender. Tucked into those files is a copy of a donation check dated April 29, 2014 for $5,000 from Enhanced Education, a long-running foundation set up by Epstein that was once portrayed as a “charitable powerhouse,” according to the New York Times. The recipient of the donation: none other than the Metropolitan Museum of Art, with th
  
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• Remembering Catherine O’Hara, Who Played an Artist and A.i.A. Cover Girl in Beetlejuice

  30-01-2026 21:01 via artnews.com
  There is so much to appreciate about the actress and comedian Catherine O’Hara following the news of her death at age 71. But she’s long held a special place here at Art in America ever since her character in Beetlejuice (1988), a sculptor named Delia Deetz, appeared on a fictional cover of the magazine in the movie. Deetz created abstract sculptures with rough-hewn surfaces that feel at home in the world of the film’s director, Tim Burton. In a famous dinner party scene where
  
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