Arts news

• How AI Is Reviving Dying Languages

  29-06-2026 17:20 via nytimes.com
  Over the months, as the learning language model is trained on bits of the language — such as an old-age French nursery rhyme — it brings centuries-old dialect closer into the digital age. – The New York Times
  
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• London Old Masters Sales Reveal a Market Split Between Trophy Works and Everything Else

  02-07-2026 00:21 via artnews.com
  
  Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared in On Balance, the ARTnews newsletter about the art market and beyond. Sign up here to receive it every Wednesday.In London on Wednesday, Sotheby’s Old Master & 19th Century Paintings and Sculpture sale brought in £37.8 million ($50.2 million), a solid result that masked a sharply divided market. Record prices, a flurry of bidding for museum-quality works, and a £13.6 million sculpture suggest
  
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• Norval Morrisseau Case Deepens as Art Expert Says the Artist’s Children Were in on Forgery Scheme

  01-07-2026 22:18 via artnews.com
  
  A complex, sprawling legal case surrounding the late Anishinaabe artist Norval Morrisseau took a new turn this week after an art expert testified that the painter’s children were active participants in a scheme that saw many of his works forged and passed off as authentic.Labeled Canada’s largest art fraud ever by investigators, the scheme has been the subject of a prolonged court battle that culminated last year in the conviction of Jeffrey Cowan, one of eight people arrested in 202
  
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• Mexican Government Faces Legal Action over Its Handling of Art Collection Rich in Kahlos

  01-07-2026 22:01 via artnews.com
  
  The Mexican government continued to face scrutiny this week over its handling of the Gelman Collection,a trove of artworks that includes an array of historically important paintings by Frida Kahlo and other artists of note.Amassed by the late collectors Jacques and Natasha Gelman, the 300-work Gelman Collection partially resurfaced in the holdings of Spain’s Banco Santander in January, about a year and a half after the Mexican government claimed not know the whereabouts of the collection.
  
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• Facing Protests and Political Pressure, Canadian Humans Rights Opens Palestine Exhibition 

  01-07-2026 21:31 via artnews.com
  
  The leader of Canada’s New Democratic Party (NDP) has criticized Heritage Minister Marc Miller for suggesting the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg should alter the language of its exhibition on Palestinian displacement. The backlash against Miller—who had previously vowed not to intervene in the exhibition—comes as a Jewish trustee of the museum resigned and museums worldwide grapple with the framing of Israel’s ongoing military assault on Gaza. Miller to
  
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• Collector and Patron Flavia Nespatti to Open Commercial Art Space in London

  01-07-2026 21:28 via artnews.com
  
  The Brazilian-born, London-based art collector and patron Flavia Nespatti will open a commercial gallery in London this October, reports the Art Newspaper. Located in a mid-century industrial building in the central London neighborhood of Fitzrovia, Antesala will focus on art and artists from Latin America.The gallery will organize selling exhibitions of both primary and secondary market works in collaboration with galleries, artists, estates, collections, publications, and nonprofits, together
  
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• Sotheby’s Star Auctioneer Oliver Barker on the Coming AI Windfall that Could Change the Art Market

  01-07-2026 20:00 via artnews.com
  
  With Sotheby’s London double-header sale last week an unqualified success—generating £393.4 million ($520.7 million), or the “highest total ever achieved in a single night at auction in Europe,” according to the house—its European chairman Oliver Barker is taking a victory lap in the press.On Monday, the Telegraph published a lengthy profile and interview with the star auctioneer, detailing his (somewhat) humble beginnings in Battersea, London; his d
  
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• On Truth Social, Trump Plasters an AI-Generated Golden Bald Eagle on the White House

  01-07-2026 19:46 via artnews.com
  
  It has, as usual, been a busy week for President Donald J. Trump. No, he hasn’t negotiated an actual peace agreement with Iran (beyond a hazy and already-violated memorandum of understanding), or ended Russia’s war on Ukraine (which he promised to end within a day), or, back at home, tamed mounting inflation (because he insists “affordability” is a word made up by—speaking of made-up words—“Dumocrats”). No, it’s been a busy week for the 47th
  
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• Marseille Museum President Suspended After Harassment Investigation, Christie’s Old Masters Sale, and More: Morning Links for July 1, 2026

  01-07-2026 17:18 via artnews.com
  
  Good Morning!The Manhattan District Attorney’s office seized dozens of ancient artifacts from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in June, bringing the total value of looted objects recovered from the New York institution to $95 million.Christie’s Old Masters sale in London totaled $48.7 million on Tuesday.A Canadian politician has accused the country’s heritage minister of interfering in a museum exhibition about Palestinian displacement.The Headlines BEATEN TO THE PUNCH. The&
  
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• Getty Images and Shutterstock Pull the Plug on $3.7 Billion Merger

  01-07-2026 16:56 via artnews.com
  
  Getty Images and Shutterstock, two of the top photo, video, and stock image marketplaces, called off a $3.7 billion merger after hitting a regulatory roadblock in the United Kingdom.Getty, led by CEO Craig Peters, said on Tuesday that its board of directors unanimously decided to scuttle the deal to merge with its rival after the top regulator in the U.K., the Competition and Markets Authority, required the sale of Shutterstock’s editorial business.Getty’s board viewed that requ
  
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• Manhattan DA’s Office Seized Dozens of Antiquities from the Metropolitan Museum in June, Bringing Total to $95 M.

  01-07-2026 16:41 via artnews.com
  
  Investigators from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office seized dozens of ancient artifacts from the Metropolitan Museum in June, reports the New York Times. According to an inventory produced by the office, this brings the total number of artifacts it has removed from the Met since 2017 to more than 120, collectively worth more than $95 million.The removals have followed on the office’s investigations into the work of the international smuggling rings (and their stateside
  
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• Christie’s Old Masters Sale in London Totals $51.4 M. as Collectors Chase Standout Pictures

  01-07-2026 01:15 via artnews.com
  
  Since Gustav Klimt’s Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer sold for $236.4 million last November, clinching the title of second most expensive artwork to sell at auction, the secondary market’s mantra can best be summed up as “collectors will open their hearts and their wallets for exceptional work.”On Tuesday, Christie’s put that dictum to the test with its Old Masters Evening Sale in London, a 40-lot offering that landed comfortably within its pre-sale estimate
  
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• Christie’s Old Masters Sale in London Totals $48.7 M. as Collectors Chase Standout Pictures

  01-07-2026 01:15 via artnews.com
  
  Since Gustav Klimt’s Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer sold for $236.4 million last November, clinching the title of second most expensive artwork to sell at auction, the secondary market’s mantra can best be summed up as “collectors will open their hearts and their wallets for exceptional work.”On Tuesday, Christie’s put that dictum to the test with its Old Masters Evening Sale in London, a 40-lot offering that landed comfortably within its pre-sale estimate
  
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• World Monuments Fund Adds Black Mountain College Building to U.S. Preservation Watch List

  30-06-2026 23:11 via artnews.com
  
  Just in time for the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, World Monuments Fund (WMF) has unveiled a list of 10 historic sites across the United States whose preservation is “essential to the richness and complexity” of the nation’s story. The sites range from colonial-era architecture and public health landmarks to early mission churches, all of which face deterioration without sustained preservation efforts, according to the organization.One designated site wi
  
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• 5 New Books to Keep Your Brain From Melting in July

  30-06-2026 21:45 via artnews.com
  
  Don’t let the summer heat waves melt your brain entirely! We hope you can retreat to an air-conditioned library or a cool body of water somewhere. If you do, check out one of July’s latest and greatest art books below.
  
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• 5 Books to Keep Your Brain From Melting in July

  30-06-2026 21:45 via artnews.com
  
  Don’t let the summer heat waves melt your brain entirely! We hope you can retreat to an air-conditioned library or a cool body of water somewhere. If you do, check out one of July’s latest and greatest art books below.
  
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• Rune Mields, Self-Taught German Conceptual Artist, Dies at 91

  30-06-2026 21:38 via artnews.com
  
  Self-taught German conceptual artist Rune Mields died on June 27 in Cologne, Germany, at the age of 91. Her death was first reported by the German Press Agency.Born in Münster in 1935, Mields came to art-making in her 30s after completing an apprenticeship as a bookseller. She first gained attention for her “Röhrenbilder” (Pipe Paintings) of the late 1960s and early ’70s, large-format monochrome canvases featuring hyperreal renderings of three-dimensional geometric fo
  
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• Researchers Utilize AI to Translate 2,000-Year-Old Carbonized Scrolls from Herculaneum

  30-06-2026 20:55 via artnews.com
  
  When Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 CE, among the objects and remains preserved for the next two millennia were a collection of carbonized scrolls from a residence in Herculaneum known as the Villa of the Papyri. This ancient Greco-Roman library was situated near Pompeii, just 11 miles from the base of Mount Vesuvius. These ancient scrolls are too fragile to unfurl, stymieing scholars’ attempts over the past few centuries to complete translations of the texts within.That’s where the Ve
  
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• IM Youngzoo’s ‘The Late’ Blends a 1,254-Page Research Book and a 7-Channel Video Into a Meditation on Belief and Technology

  30-06-2026 20:39 via artnews.com
  
  It’s hot out and the sun must be at its zenith because you can spot a woman’s shadow against the parched asphalt as she walks down the street. The woman, however, isn’t quite visible. Sometimes you see a bit of her hat, her jacket, or her hands, but mostly she is obscured by a spray of scattered light that warps the world around it. At “The Late,” artist IM Youngzoo’s solo show at Brooklyn’s Space ZeroOne—on view until July 25—the shadow and
  
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• Artistic Director for 2028 Gwangju Biennale Will Be Selected Via Open-Call in Break from Tradition

  30-06-2026 20:25 via artnews.com
  
  The 17th edition of the Gwangju Biennale, a closely watched exhibition in South Korea with a broadly international legacy, will be led by an artistic director selected through an open call—“marking a significant shift in the Biennale’s curatorial selection process,” according to an announcement.As published via e-flux, the announcement states: “Until now, the Artistic Director has been selected through a recommendation-based system, in which a small group of advisor
  
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• Bae Young-hwan, Artist Who Represented Korea at Venice Biennale, Dies at 57

  30-06-2026 20:24 via artnews.com
  
  Bae Young-hwan, a beloved artist who represented his home country of Korea at the 2005 edition of the Venice Biennale, died on June 19 at 57. His Seoul representative, Gallery BB&M, did not state a cause in its announcement of his passing on June 20, which described Bae’s death as “sudden.”He was most widely known for his artworks that appropriated lyrics from Korean pop songs. Remaking those lyrics from pain medications, disinfectant, and cotton used to soothe wounds, Bae
  
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• Adrien Brody’s Latest Art Monstrosity Is a Mural for the Raising Cane’s in Times Square

  30-06-2026 18:44 via artnews.com
  
  Raising Cane’s is a place where you can buy chicken finger combos, super-sized Cokes, and crinkle-cut fries, all for under $15—a steal in today’s economy. Now, it’s also a place where you can … see art?Such is the case, at least, at the fast food chain’s Times Square establishment, where a new mural featuring the eatery’s logo was unveiled this week. Its maker is none other than Adrien Brody.Though better known as an Oscar-winning actor, Brody has recen
  
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• Russia’s Hermitage Museum Suspends Archaeological Expeditions in Crimea, Citing Fuel Shortage

  30-06-2026 18:36 via artnews.com
  
  The State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg has suspended all archaeological expeditions in annexed Crimea as the Kremlin declares a state of emergency amid a severe fuel shortage and continued Ukrainian attacks, according to the Moscow Times.“The expeditions are being postponed until the situation improves,” Alexander Butyagin, head of the Hermitage archaeology department, told the Russian state-run news agency TASS on Monday. “It’s too difficult to organize normal oper
  
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• UK Lawmakers Fault Government’s Oversight of National Museums, Raise Prospect of Admission Fees for Foreign Visitors

  30-06-2026 17:43 via artnews.com
  
  The United Kingdom’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport has come under fire from a cross-party parliamentary committee, which says the government has done too little to help the country’s national museums navigate increasing financial and security challenges.The report, according to the Art Newspaper, also shows that the government is considering whether overseas visitors should pay admission to Britain’s national museums, a major change for institutions that have off
  
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• In Zabludowicz Online Sale at Christie’s, Over Half the Artworks Failed to Sell

  30-06-2026 17:04 via artnews.com
  
  In an online sale of works from the esteemed Zabludowicz collection of contemporary art that concluded on Tuesday, over half the artworks failed to sell. Estimated to bring in £292,000 to £435,400 ($385,100–$574,200), the sale brought in £95,377 ($126,285). (All prices reported are inclusive of fees; pre-sale estimates do not include fees.)Anita and Chaim “Poju” Zabludowicz, who have long been among the world’s top collectors, sold 100 wor
  
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• In Zabludowicz Day Sale at Christie’s, Over Half the Artworks Failed to Sell

  30-06-2026 17:04 via artnews.com
  
  In an online sale of works from the esteemed Zabludowicz collection of contemporary art that concluded on Tuesday, over half the artworks failed to sell. Estimated to bring in £292,000 to £435,400 ($385,100–$574,200), the sale brought in £95,377 ($126,285). (All prices reported are inclusive of fees; pre-sale estimates do not include fees.)Anita and Chaim “Poju” Zabludowicz, who have long been among the world’s top collectors, sold 100 wor
  
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• Weeks After His Death, a $3.2 M. David Hockney Leads Phillips London’s $15.8 M. Modern and Contemporary Art Sale

  30-06-2026 16:50 via artnews.com
  
  In a sweltering London on Friday amid a Europe-wide heat wave, David Hockney led the night at Phillips London’s sale of modern and contemporary art, his The Only One with Waves (1991) selling for £2.4 million ($3.2 million), just above its low estimate. The four-foot-wide canvas was painted in Malibu, California, and shows breaking waves in a flattened pictorial space; it was the first major work by the British artist to come to auction since he died at his London home on June 11, a
  
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• Parliamentary Report Accuses UK Government of Leaderless Approach to Caring for Museums and More: Morning Links for June 30, 2026

  30-06-2026 16:20 via artnews.com
  
  To receive Morning Links in your inbox every weekday, sign up for our Breakfast with ARTnews newsletter.Good morning!A new parliamentary report says the UK government lacks leadership and has a “hands-off” approach to how it funds and cares for national museums.The German conceptual artist and painter Rune Mields, who designed her own grave, has died at age 91.Skulptur Projekte Münster nhas revealed some of the first details for its 2027 editio
  
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• Guggenheim Museum Workers Vote to Strike as Contract Negotiations Continue

  30-06-2026 16:05 via artnews.com
  
  Unionized staff at the Guggenheim Museum have voted to authorize a strike, its union UAW Local 2110 announced today. The union is currently in contract negotiations with the museum, seeking better pay, health benefits, and job security.UAW Local 2110 announced that 93 percent of its membership voted last week in favor of the strike, saying, per a release, that the workers would do so “if necessary to win a fair contract.” The union has not yet set a date for when the strike would tak
  
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• The Venice Biennale’s Record African Participation Comes With Caveats

  30-06-2026 12:52 via artnews.com
  
  There was a heaviness around the opening celebrations marking the 2026 Biennale, titled “In Minor Keys.” Compounding the psychological weight of so much global angst was the first anniversary of the sudden passing of Koyo Kouoh, the Cameroonian-Swiss curator who was the second African and sixth woman to spearhead the event.There was no shortage of acknowledgments and tributes. Some appeared in the show itself, like Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons’ four-panel Anatomy of the Magnolia
  
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