Arts funding gap in the north must be closed | Letters

Two letter writers to The Guardian criticize the UK government's arts funding imbalance, highlighting that London receives disproportionate investment compared to northern England. Christine Baranski points out that £135m was spent on the V&A East in London while the Tate in Liverpool has been closed for over two years and the Albert Docks cultural area appears neglected. Sharon Maher notes that Arts Council spending is roughly £57 per Londoner versus £28 per person in the north, and argues that future national museum outposts should be located in the north.

In Venice, the Wagner Museum changes status

À Venise, le Musée Wagner change de statut

The Wagner Museum in Venice, currently a discreet institution housed within the Casino di Venezia in the Ca' Vendramin Calergi palace on the Grand Canal, is set to join the network of the Fondazione dei Musei Civici di Venezia (MUVE) by 2027. An agreement signed in March 2025, after thirty years of discussions, between MUVE, the Casino, and the Richard Wagner Association will make the museum the fourteenth institution under MUVE's management, alongside the Museo Correr, Ca' Pesaro, and the Museo Fortuny. The museum, established in 1995 in the rooms where Richard Wagner stayed and died in 1883, holds significant collections including the Josef Lienhart and Walter Just collections, making it one of the most important private Wagnerian collections outside Bayreuth, Germany.

Taiwan Strips National Prize from Sakuliu Pavavaljung After Sexual Assault Conviction

Taiwan’s National Culture and Arts Foundation has revoked the National Award for Arts from Indigenous Paiwan artist Sakuliu Pavavaljung, following his conviction for sexual assault. The Supreme Court upheld a four-and-a-half-year prison sentence for forcible sexual intercourse involving a female student in 2021. Pavavaljung, who received the award in 2018, must return the NTD 1 million prize. The case gained traction after artist Kuo Yu Ping disclosed it on social media in December 2021, leading to additional victims coming forward. His planned exhibition for Taiwan at the 59th Venice Biennale was canceled in 2022.

Berlin's Next Crash Landing

Berlins nächste Bruchlandung

Berlin's culture senator, Sarah Wedl-Wilson, resigned on Friday after being pressured by Mayor Kai Wegner amid a funding scandal. She approved 13 project applications totaling €2.6 million intended for combating antisemitism, bypassing mandatory co-payment rules and ignoring objections from her state secretary. Leaked chat logs revealed that CDU parliamentarians Christian Goiny and faction leader Dirk Stettner pushed her to fast-track approvals, leading to violations of budget law. The state audit office had flagged irregularities, and Wegner withdrew his support, prompting her resignation.

Berlins Kultursenatorin tritt ab

Berlin's Senator for Culture, Sarah Wedl-Wilson, has resigned after less than a year in office, following a damning report from the Berlin Court of Audit. The report found that the allocation of €2.6 million in funding for 13 projects aimed at combating antisemitism was 'evidently unlawful,' citing a lack of proper criteria, arbitrary project selection, and violations of budget regulations. Wedl-Wilson stated she stepped down to prevent damage to the fight against antisemitism, and Governing Mayor Kai Wegner accepted her resignation, vowing to reform the funding system. The opposition has accused CDU politicians of exerting improper influence to push through the projects.

Culture Senator under pressure due to Court of Audit report

Kultursenatorin wegen Rechnungshofberichts unter Druck

Berlin's Court of Audit has issued a scathing report accusing Culture Senator Sarah Wedl-Wilson (independent) of serious legal violations in the allocation of €2.6 million in anti-Semitism prevention grants for 2025. The audit found that the selection process was arbitrary, lacked transparent criteria, and violated state budget regulations. Six of the 13 funded projects—receiving €2 million—were deemed ineligible for the specific budget line, and some recipients were newly founded entities that were not properly vetted. The report warns that the grants may need to be repaid.

A new certification has been created to improve the management and valorization of Italian cultural heritage

È nata una nuova certificazione per migliorare gestione e valorizzazione del patrimonio culturale italiano

A new certification standard called SGPI01:2024 has been launched in Italy to improve the management and valorization of cultural heritage. Developed by Certiquality and the Stati Generali del Patrimonio Italiano (SGPI), the standard was presented in Florence at Palazzo Guadagni Strozzi Sacrati, with the patronage of the Tuscany Region. It applies to all public and private entities that own or manage cultural and landscape assets, introducing a comprehensive management system that goes beyond legal compliance, focusing on conservation, economic sustainability, accessibility, and safety through independent third-party audits.

Sarzana failed to become Capital of Culture 2028 but relaunches: 'The dossier will be implemented anyway'

Sarzana non è riuscita a diventare Capitale della Cultura 2028 ma rilancia: “Il dossier sarà realizzato ugualmente”

Sarzana, a city in Liguria, Italy, failed to win the title of Italian Capital of Culture for 2028, which was awarded to Ancona. However, instead of shelving its candidacy dossier, the city has decided to implement its strategic cultural plan, titled "L'Impavida," as its official cultural governance program for 2026-2028. The plan treats culture as a permanent infrastructure, integrating urban planning, tourism, welfare, and economic development, and was developed through a decade-long process involving co-design with associations and citizens.

Cultural heritage reform. The 'Italia in scena' law gives some answers but raises many questions

Riforma dei beni culturali. La legge “Italia in scena” dà alcune risposte ma produce tante domande

Italy's parliament approved the "Italia in scena" law in March 2026, a cultural heritage reform aligned with right-wing priorities: territorial valorization, local identity promotion, autonomy, and private-sector involvement. The law establishes a digital registry (Anagrafe), a roster of accredited operators, and a framework for private management of cultural assets, but allocates only €4.5 million annually—a symbolic sum compared to France's cultural mediation budgets. It also opens participation to the Third Sector (cooperatives, community foundations) but defers all critical details to implementing decrees with no strict deadlines or enforcement mechanisms.

Venice Biennale jury excludes Russia and Israel from artist awards as EU threatens funding cut

The Venice Biennale jury has excluded Russia and Israel from eligibility for artist awards, following the EU's threat to cut funding over geopolitical concerns. The decision bars artists from these countries from being considered for official prizes at the prestigious international art exhibition.

Hermitage Museum Director and Putin Ally Mikhail Piotrovsky Sanctioned by European Union

The European Union has sanctioned Mikhail Piotrovsky, the longtime director of the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, for his close association with Vladimir Putin and his active support of Russia's war against Ukraine. Announced on April 23, the sanctions are part of a broader package targeting over a hundred individuals and entities, including other cultural figures like Sergei Obryvalin, Igor Solonin, and Andrey Polyakov, for their roles in the seizure of Ukrainian cultural property and the spread of Russian propaganda in occupied regions.

Victorien Bornéat : « De l’échec de la démocratisation culturelle est né un sentiment d’exclusion »

Victorien Bornéat has published a manifesto arguing that French cultural democratization policy, rooted in André Malraux's vision of making masterworks accessible to all, has failed. He cites budget cuts by regional presidents Laurent Wauquiez and Christelle Morançais, police raids on bookshops like Violette and Co, and statistical studies showing that working-class audiences still do not spontaneously attend theaters, museums, or opera. Bornéat contends that the policy's emphasis on direct confrontation with canonical works ignored the need for cultural codes and institutional literacy, creating an exclusion that politicians now exploit for electoral gain.

Alessandro Giuli Threatens to Boycott the Vernissage of the Biennale

Alessandro Giuli menace de boycotter le vernissage de la Biennale

Alessandro Giuli, a prominent Italian cultural figure, has threatened to boycott the vernissage of the Venice Biennale. This action is a response to the ongoing controversy surrounding the potential return of Russia to the event, which has sparked political debate in Italy and drawn an ultimatum from the European Commission. The Biennale has also decided not to award prizes to Russia or Israel, further intensifying the situation.

Au Louvre, des directeurs de département entre responsabilités internes et rôle national

Maximilien Durand has been reappointed as head of the Department of Byzantine and Eastern Christian Arts at the Louvre Museum, a role that carries both internal museum responsibilities and national duties on behalf of the French state. Two decrees signed by Culture Minister Catherine Pégard formalize his renewal: one as head of the museum department, and another as head of the corresponding major heritage department, a status held by only nine of the Louvre's departments.

Berliner Finanzsenator Evers übernimmt Leitung von Kulturverwaltung

Berlin's finance senator Stefan Evers (CDU) has been appointed to temporarily lead the city's cultural administration, marking the third change in leadership within a year. This follows the resignation of Joe Chialo in May 2025 and the departure of his successor Sarah Wedl-Wilson on the previous Friday, after months of controversy over the approval of funding grants. Evers will hold both finance and culture portfolios until the Berlin state election on September 20, 2025. The decision was made by CDU district chairpersons after initial talks with former justice senator Thomas Heilmann fell through.

America’s Finest Renaissance Tapestry Set for Major Restoration

The European Fine Art Foundation (TEFAF) has awarded its €25,000 Museum Restoration Fund to the Minneapolis Institute of Art (MIA) for the conservation of *The Meeting of Dante and Virgil*, a mid-16th century Italian Renaissance tapestry. This is the first time TEFAF has funded a tapestry restoration since the initiative began in 2012. The wool and silk tapestry, made between 1547 and 1549 by the Florentine workshop of Duke Cosimo I de’ Medici and designed by Francesco Salviati, depicts the opening scene of Dante’s *The Divine Comedy*. It is the only early Medici tapestry held by a public collection outside Italy, standing 17 feet tall and eight feet wide. Due to structural weaknesses and light sensitivity, it has been largely in storage for 70 years. Conservation work by the Midwest Art Conservation Center will include wet cleaning, stabilization, and partial reweaving, along with a new display system. The tapestry is scheduled to return to public view at MIA on July 11.

Future cultural professionals in Africa will be trained by six Italian museums

I futuri professionisti della cultura in Africa saranno formati da sei musei italiani

The fourth edition of the International School of Cultural Heritage (Scuola Internazionale del Patrimonio Culturale) is underway, with 23 cultural professionals from 12 African nations participating in a hands-on training program hosted by six Italian museums. After online modules and a week of lectures in Rome, the residential phase runs from April 27 to May 22, 2025, placing participants at the Museo delle Civiltà (MUCIV), the Archaeological Parks of Praeneste and Gabii, the National Archaeological Museum of Taranto (MArTA), the National Archaeological Museum of Naples (MANN), the National Archaeological Museum of Reggio Calabria (MArRC), and the National Archaeological Museum of Agro Falisco and Forte Sangallo in Civita Castellana. The program, titled "Managing Art Collections: from ancient to contemporary," focuses on collection management, conservation, and public programming, linking archaeological heritage with contemporary practices.

San Francisco announces its first-ever executive director of arts and culture.

Matthew Goudeau has been appointed as San Francisco's first-ever executive director of arts and culture, tasked with safeguarding the arts as a key part of the city's creative economy and identity. The appointment comes amid uncertain federal arts funding, but local arts funding in San Francisco is projected to increase this year under Mayor Daniel Lurie's leadership.

Difficult search for new culture senator in Berlin

Schwierige Suche nach neuem Kultursenator in Berlin

Berlin's culture senator Sarah Wedl-Wilson resigned on Friday after a state audit found that her allocation of anti-Semitism prevention funds was unlawful. The CDU politician is being succeeded by former justice senator and Bundestag member Thomas Heilmann (CDU), who is reportedly the favorite for the post. Heilmann, 61, studied law, ran a successful advertising firm, and served as Berlin's justice senator from 2012 to 2016 before sitting in the Bundestag from 2017 to 2025. Governing Mayor Kai Wegner has not yet made a final decision, but transport senator Ute Bonde publicly endorsed Heilmann, citing his experience with Berlin's administration.

Comment | Museums are civic institutions. It’s time we acted like it

Lindsay C. Harris, director of the Oakland Museum of California (OMCA), publishes a commentary calling for museums to act as true civic institutions. She outlines concrete internal commitments OMCA has made, including voluntarily recognizing a staff union, adopting a pay equity philosophy with a minimum wage of $30.88 per hour, implementing transparent financial practices, and shifting investments toward socially responsible funds. Externally, she advocates for centering community voices, building social cohesion through inclusive programming, and measuring institutional impact through visitor surveys.

Berliner Kulturverwaltung arbeitet an Reformen

Berlin's cultural administration is pressing ahead with reforms to make funding for projects against antisemitism legally secure, following the resignation of Culture Senator Sarah Wedl-Wilson. Cultural State Secretary Cerstin Richter-Kotowski told the culture committee that a working group established under Wedl-Wilson is now implementing recommendations from the state audit office report, which had found serious legal violations and omissions in the allocation of funds for antisemitism prevention projects. Richter-Kotowski emphasized that the administration continues its normal operations despite the leadership change, and she publicly thanked both Wedl-Wilson and the recently dismissed State Secretary Oliver Friederici for their service.

"Wir wollen Rücknahme von Kürzungen"

Berlin's cultural senator Sarah Wedl-Wilson resigned on Friday after the Berlin Court of Auditors ruled that millions in funding for antisemitism prevention projects were illegal. The resignation has sparked a political debate, with CDU general secretary Ottilie Klein defending governing mayor Kai Wegner against opposition criticism, while Franziska Stoff of the Berlin Culture Conference demands stability and a reversal of budget cuts. Thomas Fehrle, director of the Deutsche Oper Berlin, expressed personal regret over Wedl-Wilson's departure, praising her competence and engagement.

Titian's ‘Bacchus and Ariadne’ to get a refresh with bank conservation grant

Bank of America’s annual art conservation program has awarded grants to 18 projects this year, including the restoration of Titian’s *Bacchus and Ariadne* (1520-23) at the National Gallery in London. The painting will be removed from display next month for conservation work that involves placing it on a new fabric support and repairing paint loss. Other funded projects include Rembrandt’s *The Night Watch* at the Rijksmuseum, bronze palms at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, *Gaki Zōshi* at the Tokyo National Museum, Matisse’s *La Négresse* at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, and works at the Museo de Arte de Lima and the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.