The Journal des Arts' May 15, 2026 issue (No. 677) covers a range of art-world developments: the Venice Biennale opens amid controversy, a French law on the restitution of cultural property looted during colonization is definitively adopted, the V&A East museum targets younger audiences, the town of Giverny struggles to benefit from Monet's legacy, and the market for Nabis artists is becoming more structured.
More than 98,000 people have filed complaints with the UK Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) in defense of British-Nigerian arts trustee Misan Harriman, following accusations of antisemitism leveled against him by right-wing outlets including the Daily Mail and the Telegraph. The complaints mark the highest number ever submitted to IPSO over a single issue. Separately, an open letter signed by activist Greta Thunberg and artists Tracey Emin and Peter Doig condemns what they call a "dishonest smear campaign" targeting Harriman, who is an Oscar-nominated photographer, chair of the Southbank Centre, and a nominee for Amnesty UK’s People’s Human Rights Champion.
Les Raphaël, le gang italien et le fabricant d’huile d’olive : le spectaculaire vol de 7 tableaux à Budapest en pleine guerre froide
On November 5, 1983, thieves stole seven Renaissance masterpieces from the Museum of Fine Arts in Budapest, including two works by Raphael, two by Tiepolo, two by Tintoretto, and one by Giorgione, valued at $28 million. The heist was carried out by a small Italian gang from Reggio Emilia, who entered through a window using a scaffolding left by construction workers, leaving behind a screwdriver from the Italian brand USAG that the mastermind mistakenly thought would implicate American thieves. The operation was led by Ivano Scianti, with accomplices including Giordano Incerti, Graziano Iori, Giacomo Morini, and Carmine Palmese.