Today in History March 17 | Opening of the National Gallery of Art

On March 17, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt officially dedicated the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. The museum was established through the massive bequest of industrialist Andrew Mellon, who donated his world-class art collection, the funds for the building's construction, and a significant endowment. The opening marked a milestone in American cultural history, providing the public with access to a premier national collection of Old Master paintings.

Comment | Latest auctions prove Old Masters are not ‘out of fashion’

Recent Old Master auctions in New York have defied narratives of market decline, totaling over $185 million across Sotheby’s and Christie’s. High-profile sales included a newly discovered Michelangelo drawing for $27.2 million, a Canaletto masterpiece for $30.5 million, and a record-breaking Rembrandt drawing sold for $17.8 million. These results, alongside the Italian state's $14.9 million acquisition of an Antonello da Messina, suggest that historical masterpieces remain premier "civilisational assets" and stable financial havens during periods of economic volatility.

Mexico City exhibition explores dynamic exchange between Americas and Southeast Asia

A major exhibition titled 'El Galeón Acapulco – Manila Somos Pacífico: El Mundo que emergió del Trópico' has opened at the Colegio de San Ildefonso in Mexico City. It features 300 works, including 80 from Singapore's national collections, exploring the centuries-old cultural and economic exchange between Asia and the Americas facilitated by the Manila Galleon trade route. The show was launched to coincide with the 50th anniversary of Mexico-Singapore diplomatic relations and a state visit by Singapore's president.

One Fine Show: “Camille Pissarro’s Impressionism” at the Denver Art Museum

The Denver Art Museum has opened a new exhibition titled “The Honest Eye: Camille Pissarro’s Impressionism,” organized in collaboration with the Museum Barberini in Potsdam, Germany. The show brings together over 100 paintings and objects from nearly 50 international museums and private collections, highlighting Pissarro’s role as a foundational Impressionist. The exhibition’s title comes from a letter in which Pissarro described his artistic approach as “honest,” emphasizing a realistic, detail-oriented style that contrasted with the more radical tendencies of his peers. Works on view include “Lordship Lane Station, East Dulwich” (1871) and “The Garden of Les Mathurins, property of the Deraismes Sisters, Pontoise” (1876), which showcase his nuanced use of color and texture, as well as his engagement with social and political themes.

National Gallery of Art lends historic works to the Figge Art Museum

The Figge Art Museum in Davenport, Iowa, has opened an exhibition titled "The Golden Age: Featuring Northern European Artworks from the Collection of the National Gallery of Art," featuring 10 masterworks from 1537 to 1700 on loan from the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. The show includes paintings by Lucas Cranach the Elder, Anthony van Dyck, Frans Hals, and Louis Vallée, and runs through April 4, 2027. The Figge is one of ten small to mid-size museums selected for the National Gallery's "Across the Nation" initiative, which sends key works to institutions nationwide to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the United States.

Pallets, not plinths: the V&A opens its vast storehouse to the public

The Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in London will open its V&A East Storehouse on 31 May, a vast open-access working store at the 2012 Olympics site in Stratford. Designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro, the 16,000 sq. m space holds over 250,000 objects and 1,000 archives, allowing visitors to browse collections without glass cases via a self-guided route and an 'Order an Object' booking service. Deputy director Tim Reeve compares the experience to shopping at Ikea, emphasizing flexibility and public access.

Biggest ever exhibition of work by major British artist coming to Williamson Art Gallery

The Williamson Art Gallery & Museum in Birkenhead has announced the largest-ever retrospective of the influential 20th-century British artist Leonard McComb. Titled "Leonard McComb: Nature and Humanity," the exhibition will feature over 60 works, including the monumental 10-meter drawing "Rock and Sea Anglesey" on loan from Oriel Môn, alongside pieces from Manchester Art Gallery and the Royal Academy.

F.E McWilliam Gallery & Studio showcases cross-border art collaboration with new exhibition

The F.E. McWilliam Gallery in Banbridge, Northern Ireland, has opened a new exhibition titled 'Constellations: Selected Work from Crawford Art Gallery, Cork.' The show features 14 artists from across the island of Ireland, including established figures like Isabel Nolan (Ireland's representative at the 2024 Venice Biennale), Nick Miller, Amanda Coogan, and Corban Walker, alongside rising stars such as Laura Fitzgerald and Dragana Jurišić. The works, linked by themes of nature, domesticity, and gender, range from film to drawing and highlight the contemporary holdings of the Crawford Art Gallery's collection.

A Caravaggio for Rome

Un Caravage pour Rome

The Italian Ministry of Culture has acquired Caravaggio's 'Portrait of Maffeo Barberini' for the state. The painting, which had been on loan to the Palazzo Barberini from its private owner, will now be permanently deposited at the museum.

On ARTE, the Ruffini Affair or the Autopsy of an Extraordinary Scandal in the Art World

Sur Arte, l’affaire Ruffini ou l’autopsie d’un scandale hors norme dans le monde de l’art

The documentary series "Le Peintre, la Pizza et le Corbeau" (The Painter, the Pizza and the Crow), available on ARTE, investigates a sprawling art forgery scandal centered on discreet dealer Giuliano Ruffini. Beginning in spring 2014 with an anonymous letter, the case led to a judicial inquiry by judge Aude Burési and France's Central Office for the Fight against Trafficking in Cultural Goods (OCBC). The series follows multiple suspicious artworks—including a Lucas Cranach Venus seized from an exhibition at the Hôtel de Caumont, a David and Goliath by Artemisia Gentileschi, and a Frans Hals portrait—each raising questions of authenticity. Ruffini, a former painter turned collector, remains an enigmatic figure, portrayed as both intuitive genius and possible cog in an opaque system.

netherlands returns 119 benin bronzes to nigeria in landmark repatriation agreement 2610481

The Netherlands has signed an agreement to return 119 Benin Bronzes to Nigeria, one of the largest repatriations of looted artifacts to date. The transfer, formalized on February 19 by Dutch culture minister Eppo Bruins and Nigerian official Olugbile Holloway at the Wereldmuseum in Leiden, includes 113 bronzes from the Dutch National Collection held at the museum and six additional objects from the municipality of Rotterdam. The artifacts were plundered by British forces in 1897 and later acquired by Dutch institutions, with provenance research confirming the museums were aware of their looted origins.

National Gallery Singapore's 'Passion Is Volcanic' exhibition: 5 works to see

National Gallery Singapore has opened its first R18 exhibition, 'Passion Is Volcanic: Desire In South-east Asian Art', featuring around 60% of works from the national collection, many shown for the first time, alongside regional loans. The show includes a 14th-15th century tantric Buddhist sculpture of kissing buddhas, a pastel painting by pioneering gay Singaporean artist Tan Peng, Liu Kang's 1953 painting 'Scene In Bali', and long-exposure photography by Lavender Chang originally commissioned for a Viagra campaign. Co-curators Adele Tan and Kathleen Ditzig contextualize the exhibition with pre-modern works to demonstrate that artists' interest in the body, desire, and sex is enduring in Asia.

10th Weston Loan Programme sees national collections in 15 regional museums

The Weston Loan Programme with Art Fund has announced its tenth round of support, facilitating 15 exhibitions at regional museums across England, Scotland, and Wales through 2027. This initiative funds the logistical costs—including transport, insurance, and security—required to move masterpieces from major national institutions like the Tate, the National Gallery, and the V&A to smaller local galleries. Notable upcoming highlights include the return of Joseph Wright’s 'An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump' to Derby for the first time in eight decades and a landmark Leonard McComb exhibition in Birkenhead.

The Met’s blockbuster Raphael exhibition looks beyond the artist’s idealised Madonnas

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is preparing a major retrospective of the High Renaissance master Raphael, aiming to present a more complex portrait of the artist than his reputation for serene Madonnas suggests. The exhibition will showcase his technical versatility and intellectual depth through a vast array of paintings, drawings, and tapestries, highlighting his role as a polymath who reshaped the visual language of Western art.

National Gallery spends £16m on altarpiece by unknown artist

The National Gallery in London has purchased a 500-year-old altarpiece, *The Virgin and Child with Saints Louis and Margaret and Two Angels*, for £16.4 million from an anonymous owner. The painting, created between 1500 and 1510, is of unknown authorship—experts cannot agree whether the artist was Netherlandish or French, with candidates including Jan Gossaert and Jean Hey. The oak panel was felled around 1483, and the work was first documented at the priory of Drongen in Ghent in 1602. It was sold through Sotheby’s with support from the American Friends of the National Gallery London and had been kept at the Lulworth Estate in Dorset, home of the Weld family.

A "National Treasure" Enters the Louvre

Un « trésor national » entre au Louvre

The Musée du Louvre has quietly acquired and installed a major masterpiece of French decorative arts: a commode adorned with Sèvres porcelain plaques by the renowned cabinetmaker Bernard II van Risen Burgh (BVRB). Formerly part of the prestigious Rothschild family collections, the piece was classified as a "national treasure" by the French government in 2023. Although the museum originally planned a public fundraising campaign to finance the acquisition, the initiative was canceled following a high-profile burglary at the museum in October 2025.

A Gauguin Portrait for Budapest

Un portrait de Gauguin pour Budapest

The Szépművészeti Múzeum (Museum of Fine Arts) in Budapest has acquired a portrait by Paul Gauguin. The painting was part of the collection of André and Françoise Kostolany, which was recently dispersed at auction by De Baecque & Associés in Versailles. The sale saw strong results, particularly for Hungarian paintings from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with works by József Rippl-Rónai fetching high prices.

Nazi-looted painting discovered in home of Dutch SS commander's heirs

Art detective Arthur Brand announced the discovery of a Nazi-looted painting, *Portrait of a Young Girl* by Toon Kelder, in the home of the heirs of Hendrik Seyffardt, a notorious Dutch SS commander. The painting was part of the more than 1,100 works plundered from Amsterdam art dealer Jacques Goudstikker by German occupiers. An anonymous heir, who changed his family name, contacted Brand after learning of his ancestry, expressing shame and demanding the painting be returned to the rightful Jewish owners. The current owner, a relative, claims ignorance of its provenance and says the family is discussing restitution.

Proposed Restitution Law in France Advances in National Assembly

The French National Assembly’s Cultural Affairs Committee has approved a landmark bill aimed at streamlining the restitution of cultural property looted from Africa during the colonial era. Moving away from the previous requirement for case-by-case legislation, the new framework allows restitutions to be ordered by ministerial decree, provided they fall within the 1815–1972 timeframe. This advancement follows years of debate sparked by President Emmanuel Macron’s 2017 pledge and the influential 2018 Sarr-Savoy report.

french senate passes colonial art bill 1234771450

The French Senate has unanimously passed a bill to streamline the process of returning artworks and artifacts looted from former colonies during the colonial era. The legislation, which now moves to the National Assembly for final approval, specifically targets items acquired between 1815 and 1972, aiming to remove legal hurdles that have previously required a separate parliamentary vote for each object's restitution.

New National Galleries of Scotland chair to lead opening of Edinburgh’s The Art Works

The National Galleries of Scotland has appointed Catherine Muirden as the new Chair of the Board, effective 1 November 2025, for a four-year term. Muirden brings extensive experience from corporate roles at Barclays, Marks & Spencer, the John Lewis Partnership, and The Co-operative Group, alongside two decades of arts board service in Scotland, including as Vice Chair of Scottish Ballet and Chair of the Fruitmarket Gallery. She succeeds Benny Higgins, who led the board through a period of significant challenges. Director-General Anne Lyden expressed enthusiasm for working with Muirden to advance The Art Works, a new state-of-the-art facility in North Edinburgh that will serve as a community space, conservation center, and art storage hub, enabling broader public access to Scotland's national collection.

Knox items feature in refreshed art gallery

The National Art Gallery at the Manx Museum in Douglas has officially reopened following a year-long hiatus, debuting a refreshed layout and new acquisitions. The updated space features a dedicated section for the celebrated Art Nouveau designer Archibald Knox, highlighted by two newly donated pieces: a rare modernist inkwell and an opal pendant. These items were gifted to the national collection in memory of Martin Moore MBE, the former chairman of the trustees for Manx National Heritage.

Russia's winter bombardment puts strain on Ukrainian museum workers

UNESCO has expressed serious concern over recent Russian attacks damaging cultural heritage sites in Ukrainian cities including Odesa, Lviv, and Kyiv. The winter bombardment has targeted power grids and infrastructure, complicating the work of museums and cultural institutions. The Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, a World Heritage Site, suffered its first military damage since WWII, and the historic center of Odesa, already on UNESCO's endangered list, saw its Holy Dormition Monastery severely hit.

Frame Work: Poster art a reflection of culture, history

The Scarab Club, a Midtown Detroit arts club and gallery, is presenting a new exhibition titled "Paper, Place, Power: The Global Language of Posters," showcasing poster art that spans music, movies, social justice, and politics. The works are drawn from local collections including Signal Return, Wayne State, 1xRun, and the Black Canon, with an international perspective contributed by L.A.-based Poster Territory, covering subjects like the environment and the war in Ukraine. The free exhibition runs until October 5, and a related talk by Es-pranza Humphrey, assistant curator at New York City's Poster House, is scheduled for a Wednesday evening.

Sinead Gallagher back on home shores for first solo exhibition in Donegal

Letterkenny native Sinead Gallagher returns to County Donegal after over 20 years abroad to present her first solo exhibition in the county, titled 'Home Shores'. The show of abstract expressionist paintings opens September 7, 2025 at the Lifford Old Courthouse and runs through September 28. Gallagher, who lived and worked in Germany and North America, now resides in Kilcar with her husband, filmmaker and poet Marc Littler. She has held more than 40 exhibitions in Europe and her work appears in international collections.

TEFAF 2026, an Excellent Edition

La Tefaf 2026, une excellente édition

The 2026 edition of TEFAF Maastricht (running until March 19) is noted as an excellent year, featuring a significant number of major artworks. The article highlights specific pieces of French patrimonial importance, including four 16th-century terracotta terms from the Château d'Oiron and a Sèvres porcelain cabaret dedicated to French painters from 1814.

Afghanistan’s heritage comes to the fore in acclaimed Doha show

A new exhibition at the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) in Doha, titled *Empire of Light: Visions and Voices from Afghanistan*, highlights Afghanistan’s art and history from pre-Islamic times to the present day. Running until 30 May and timed to Art Basel Qatar week, the show draws primarily from MIA’s collection, with loans from Qatari institutions and international lenders such as the National Museum of Asian Art at the Smithsonian. It includes historical objects like a 13th-century ewer and a 9th-century Qur’an folio, as well as contemporary works such as Khadim Ali’s *Un-Safe Heaven* (2025), a textile piece embroidered by Afghan men and women. No objects come from Afghan museums, but large-scale wooden models and glass vessels were produced in Afghanistan with help from the Aga Khan Trust for Culture.