Theaster Gates gifts David Drake pot from his collection to enslaved ceramicist’s descendants

Artist Theaster Gates has gifted a 19th-century ceramic vessel by the enslaved potter David Drake, known as Dave the Potter, to Drake's descendants. The gesture is part of Gates's exhibition "Dave: All My Relations" at Gagosian in New York, which also features a second Drake pot recently restituted by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Gates pulverized 45 of his own ceramic works to create a plinth for the vessel, framing the act as a "poetic justice" that elevates Drake's legacy above his own.

antonello da messina ecce homo 2746233

The Italian Ministry of Culture has acquired a rare double-sided Renaissance painting by Antonello da Messina, 'Ecce Homo; Saint Jerome in Penitence,' for $14.9 million in a private sale with Sotheby's New York. The work was withdrawn from a planned public auction, and its final institutional home is now the subject of a heated debate among major Italian museums and the artist's hometown.

eastern island head not stolen archaeologist 1234774171

Archaeologist Mike Pitts has challenged the prevailing narrative surrounding the removal of Hoa Hakananaiʻa, the iconic Easter Island moai held by the British Museum. Drawing on a newly discovered 1869 eyewitness account from the Army and Navy Gazette and a rare historical photograph, Pitts argues that the statue's excavation was a collaborative effort involving hundreds of Indigenous Rapa Nui people rather than a simple act of imperial theft. The evidence suggests the British crew traded tobacco for assistance and were guided to the statue's location by the islanders.

madrid court spanish count pay sale goya portrait 1234764290

A Madrid court has ruled that Fernando Ramírez de Haro, 10th Marquess of Villanueva del Duero, must pay his brother Íñigo Ramirez de Haro, Marquis de Cazaza in Africa, €853,732 from the proceeds of the 2012 sale of Francisco de Goya's portrait *Portrait of Valentín Belvís de Moncada* (ca. 1795–1800). The painting, inherited from their father, was sold for €5.8 million to billionaire Juan Miguel Villar Mir via Sotheby's. Íñigo sued Fernando for failing to distribute shares of the sale to siblings as agreed in a 2014 family settlement, alleging fraud, document falsification, and that Fernando's wife, former Spanish minister Esperanza Aguirre, abused her office by not registering the work as national heritage.

Dürer ‘copy’ at London’s National Gallery is the real thing, expert claims

A German scholar, Christof Metzger, has published a new catalogue raisonné claiming that a portrait of Albrecht Dürer's father held by London's National Gallery is an authentic work by the master, painted in 1497. This directly challenges the gallery's long-standing position that the painting is a later copy made after a lost original.

petition to block loan of bayeux tapestry to londons british museum garners 50000 signatures 1234749759

Nearly 50,000 people have signed a petition to block the loan of the Bayeux Tapestry from France to the British Museum in London. The petition, launched in July by French art historian Didier Rykner, cites warnings from textile restorers that transporting the 1,000-year-old embroidered linen could cause irreparable damage. The tapestry is scheduled to be displayed at the British Museum from September 2026 to July 2027 while its home, the Bayeux Tapestry Museum in Normandy, undergoes renovation. The loan was announced by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron. Prominent French cultural figures, including former Bayeux Tapestry Museum director Isabelle Attard, and British conservation watchdog ArtWatch UK director Michael Daley have voiced concerns. Rykner hopes to unite French and British opposition to stop the exchange, which also includes Anglo-Saxon and Medieval objects from the British Museum moving to France.

is spains sistine chapel of romanesque art at risk 2656768

The Spanish Supreme Court has ordered the return of the Sijena Murals, 12th-century Romanesque frescoes known as the "Sistine Chapel of Romanesque Art," from the National Art Museum of Catalonia (MNAC) in Barcelona to their original monastery in Huesca, Aragon, by June 25. However, the MNAC is resisting the move, arguing that transporting the fragile, fire-damaged murals poses a "real risk of irreparable damage." The museum has requested more information about the destination and conditions at the Sijena monastery, and has suggested a longer timeline for the return of particularly delicate sections, while the Sijena City Council has proposed installing the works elsewhere if necessary.

Snuffboxes stolen in Paris daylight robbery to go on display at V&A

Five 18th-century gold snuffboxes recovered after a violent daylight robbery in Paris are set to go on public display at the Victoria and Albert Museum. The objects were stolen in November 2024 from the Musée Cognacq-Jay during a high-profile heist that targeted pieces from the Rosalinde & Arthur Gilbert Collection, the Louvre, and the UK Royal Collection. Following an extensive police investigation and delicate restoration work by Parisian goldsmiths to repair damage sustained during the theft, the items will headline the opening of the V&A’s newly revamped Gilbert Galleries.

nanjing museum artifacts sale corruption investigation report 1234772930

A major investigation into China's Nanjing Museum has uncovered decades of systemic corruption and mismanagement that led to the secret sale of national treasures into the private art market. The scandal erupted after five paintings from a 1959 donation by the Pang family were found missing, with one, a Ming dynasty painting by Qiu Ying titled 'Spring in Jiangnan,' appearing at auction in 2025 valued at $12.7 million. The probe found that former vice-director Xu Huping authorized illegal transfers of donated works to a state-run cultural relics store for sale, where they were drastically undervalued and sold to private collectors.

ukraine adopts new resolution on evacuating museum objects from conflict zones 1234774548

The Ukrainian government has enacted a new resolution to streamline the evacuation of over three million cultural objects from conflict zones as the Russian invasion nears its fourth year. The policy establishes a mandatory evacuation zone for museum items within 50 kilometers of the frontline and requires storage at least 75 kilometers away. Crucially, the resolution empowers museum directors to act independently during crises and introduces a three-stage evacuation system based on the cultural value of the property.

looted 14th century english jug loan kumasi museum 1234764598

The British Museum is reportedly considering a long-term loan of the Asante Ewer, a rare 14th-century English bronze jug, to the Manhyia Palace Museum in Kumasi, Ghana. The ewer, which was looted by British forces from the Ashanti royal palace during the Fourth Anglo-Asante War in 1896, is the largest extant medieval English bronze vessel and was likely made for King Richard II. Ghana is expected to make a formal request for the loan, which would be long-term, and is not anticipated to demand full repatriation.

israeli attacks on palestinian heritage sites constitute war crimes un report 1234745459

A United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry has concluded that Israeli attacks on cultural and religious sites in occupied Palestinian territory constitute war crimes and the crime against humanity of extermination. The report focuses on ten specific sites in Gaza, including the Greek Orthodox Church of St. Porphyrius, the Great Omari mosque, Al Mat'haf Museum, and the Pasha Palace Museum, which were destroyed, looted, or severely damaged between October and December 2023. The commission found that Israeli security forces should have known the locations and significance of these sites and that their attacks violated international law, including intentionally directing attacks against religious and historic monuments and causing excessive damage to civilian objects.

British Museum's looted ewer set for return to Ghana on long-term loan

The British Museum is expected to loan the 14th-century Asante Ewer to Ghana on a long-term basis, following discussions between the Manhyia Palace Museum in Kumasi and the London institution. The ewer, made in England and later looted from the Asante royal palace in 1896, has been in the British Museum's collection ever since. Ivor Agyeman-Duah, director of the Manhyia Palace Museum, plans to travel to London to make a formal loan request on behalf of Asantehene Otumfuo Nana Osei Tutu II. The British Museum has already lent other looted artefacts to the Ghanaian museum, and the loan would likely be for three years, with Ghanaian authorities acknowledging British Museum ownership.

chinese vase sale cancelled french court 1234770123

A French court ordered Galerie Kraemer in Paris to return €2.8 million ($3.25 million) to collector Sheikh Hamad bin Abdullah Al Thani over a Chinese vase, citing serious doubts about the 18th-century dating of its gilded bronze mounts. The vase, which sold for €815 in Brazil 20 years ago, passed through a Paris flea market and three antique dealers before Laurent Kraemer purchased it for €180,000. Sheikh Hamad bought the vase in 2012 but later had it examined after Galerie Kraemer faced multiple fake furniture cases. Expert Sébastien Evain deemed the dating highly improbable, while gallery-commissioned experts Gilles Perrault and Guy Kalfon, who only saw photographs, defended the 18th-century attribution. The court annulled the sale, and the gallery plans to appeal.

Barcelona museum refuses to return Sijena murals to monastery

The Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya (MNAC) in Barcelona is refusing to comply with a Spanish Supreme Court order to return the 12th-century Sijena murals to their original monastery in Aragón. Tensions escalated after the museum hosted a listening party for pop star Rosalía in the same hall where the Romanesque masterpieces are housed, leading to accusations from the municipality of Villanueva de Sijena that the museum is endangering the fragile works. MNAC director Pepe Serra has dismissed these concerns as scientifically unfounded, sparking threats of a defamation lawsuit from local officials.

protest sparks over sijena murals 1234748359

A small protest of fewer than 50 demonstrators, organized by the Catalan National Assembly and joined by former Catalan president Laura Borràs and ANC president Lluís Llach, gathered outside the National Art Museum of Catalonia (MNAC) on Monday morning as Aragonese technicians arrived to inspect a set of contested 13th-century Romanesque murals. The murals, originally from the Sijena Monastery, were ordered returned by Spain’s Supreme Court after more than a decade of litigation, concluding that the original religious order never lawfully transferred ownership after the works were removed in 1936 following a fire during the Spanish Civil War. The inspection team, led by restorer Natalia Martínez de Pisón, began with less fragile sections using photogrammetry to assess transport viability, while MNAC officials warn that moving the more delicate frescoes could cause irreversible damage and plan to formally contest the execution order on conservation grounds.

Tens of thousands sign petition to stop loan of ‘extremely fragile’ Bayeux Tapestry to UK

Nearly 50,000 people have signed a petition to block the loan of the Bayeux Tapestry to the British Museum, citing warnings from textile restorers that moving the 1,000-year-old embroidered linen could cause irreparable damage. The petition, launched by art historian Didier Rykner, opposes the planned exhibition in London from September 2026 to July 2027, which coincides with the closure of the Bayeux Tapestry Museum in Normandy for renovations. The loan was announced in July by French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Prominent French cultural figures, including former museum director Isabelle Attard, have voiced strong concerns, and Rykner hopes to ally with British opponents of the exchange, which would also send Anglo-Saxon and Medieval treasures from the British Museum to France.

Man who pocketed tiles from medieval priory as boy returns them 60 years later

Simon White, now 68, returned three fragments of medieval clay tiles he took as a nine-year-old from Wenlock Priory in Shropshire during a family outing in the late 1960s. The tiles, dating from the late 13th to early 14th century, were discovered in an old toffee tin during a house move. White contacted English Heritage, which confirmed the provenance using family diaries and historical analysis. One fragment features a previously unknown dragon motif, exciting medievalists.

Rare Books Stolen From a Jesuit Archive in Rome Are Returned to Italy

A collection of rare 17th-century books, written in Chinese by Jesuit missionaries and stolen from the Jesuit Historical Institute in Rome, has been returned to Italy. The books, which cover astronomy and other scientific topics, were recovered by the Carabinieri art squad after being illegally exported to the United States.

"Restitutions": Parliament Ready to Give Everything Up

« Restitutions » : le Parlement prêt à tout lâcher

The French Parliament is moving forward with an accelerated legislative process to pass a framework law governing the restitution of cultural property to foreign states. This bill aims to streamline the return of artworks and artifacts deemed to have been illicitly acquired, fulfilling a long-standing promise made by President Emmanuel Macron to address colonial-era acquisitions and other contested heritage.