A new video game titled 'Relooted' has been released, casting players as vigilantes in an Afrofuturistic future who must reclaim looted African artifacts from Western museums before they are hidden away. Developed by South African studio Nyamakop, the game tasks players with repatriating up to 70 specific, real-world contested treasures, including the Bangwa Queen and the Maqdala Crown, through heist-style gameplay.
Artists in the United States are facing heightened repression, including censorship, funding cuts, and deportation threats, during the first 100 days of Donald Trump's second presidential term. The administration's executive orders have targeted cultural institutions, with a campaign to purge the Smithsonian of 'improper ideology' and the gutting of the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Funding for arts grants, particularly those focused on underserved communities, has been canceled or left in limbo, creating a climate of fear and uncertainty.
Google commissioned Judy Chicago to create a major public artwork for the renovation of Chicago's historic Thompson Center, involving a terrazzo floor and a 17-story glass elevator shaft. The artist and her husband, Donald Woodman, began design work in anticipation of a 2027 completion date.
A major painting by the 18th-century Venetian master Canaletto, titled 'Venice, the Bucintoro at the Molo on Ascension Day' (c. 1754), sold for $30.5 million at Christie's New York during its Old Master week. The work, which had been backed by a guarantee, hammered at $26 million, meeting its pre-sale estimate and marking its fourth appearance at auction.
The inaugural edition of Art Basel Qatar concluded in Doha, marking a significant new chapter for the Gulf art market. The fair adopted a smaller, curated format and was notably overseen by Egyptian artist Wael Shawky, who served as its artistic director, bringing a curatorial perspective to the commercial event.
Olympic officials blocked Haiti's plan to feature a painting of revolutionary leader Toussaint Louverture on its team uniforms for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, citing a rule against political propaganda. Designer Stella Jean, with a team of artisans in Rome, hand-painted a redesigned version that removed Louverture and the snake but kept the horse and landscape, delivering the uniforms just two days before the opening ceremony.
A trio of Bob Ross paintings sold for over $1 million at Bonhams' “Americana” auction on January 27, 2026, with proceeds benefiting American Public Television (APT). The top lot, *Change of Seasons* (1990), fetched $787,900—more than 13 times its high estimate—followed by *Babbling Brook* (1993) at $279,900 and *Valley View* (1990) at $203,700. The sale follows APT's record-breaking November auction and is part of a series of 24 Ross paintings to be offered throughout the year.
A rediscovered painting by Baroque master Artemisia Gentileschi, titled 'Lucretia,' sold for €4.8 million ($5.28 million) at an Artcurial auction in Paris, shattering the artist's previous auction record. The price soared to six times its high estimate, reflecting intense market competition for the rare work.
London's National Gallery has acquired a recently rediscovered self-portrait by Artemisia Gentileschi, 'Self Portrait as Saint Catherine of Alexandria' (c. 1615–17), for £3.6 million ($4.7 million). The painting was purchased from a London dealer who had secured it at a Paris auction in December, where it set a new auction record for the artist. The acquisition marks a significant addition to the museum's holdings, as it is only the 21st work by a female artist in its collection of over 2,300 pieces.
London gallery Archeus / Post-Modern has organized a by-appointment presentation titled "Bridget Riley: Sixties. The Complete Black and White Graphic Works." The exhibition brings together a rare, complete suite of seven prints on paper and seven companion works on Plexiglas, known as *Fragments*, all created by the English Op Art pioneer in the early-to-mid 1960s.
The Metropolitan Opera is considering selling its two iconic Marc Chagall murals, 'The Sources of Music' and 'The Triumph of Music,' which have been appraised at $55 million. The institution's general manager, Peter Gelb, has proposed a sale with the condition that the buyer agrees to leave the works in place at Lincoln Center, with a donation plaque.
The Flemish government in Belgium has reversed its controversial plan to dismantle Antwerp's Museum of Contemporary Art (M HKA). The original proposal would have stripped the museum of its status and transferred its permanent collection to another institution in Ghent, but following significant opposition, authorities have agreed to preserve M HKA as a museum with its collection intact.
The estate of movie poster artist John Alvin is seeking a single buyer for his entire archive of over 1,000 pieces, including original posters, sketches, and illustrations from the 1970s through the 1990s. The collection, stewarded by his widow Andrea Alvin since his death in 2008, features iconic work for films like E.T., The Lion King, and Blade Runner.
The Norman Lykes House, also known as the Circular Sun House, the final residential design by architect Frank Lloyd Wright, is listed for sale at $8.8 million. Designed in 1959 for clients Norman and Aimee Lykes, the Phoenix, Arizona home was completed posthumously in 1967 and is a rare example of Wright's late-career exploration of curvilinear, organic architecture.
Jeffrey Deitch's gallery has apologized for hosting a performance by rapper Lexa Gates that was deemed an unauthorized derivative of performance artist Miles Greenberg's work. Gates's 10-hour piece, 'The Wheel,' involved walking inside a spinning wheel at the gallery to promote her new album, closely echoing Greenberg's 24-hour 2020 work 'Oysterknife,' which was previously screened at the same location. The gallery stated it had rented the space to Gates's record company and was unaware of the event's content.
The Winter Show at New York's Park Avenue Armory features a standout booth by the gallery French and Company, presenting a darkly themed collection. The eclectic offerings include Old Master still lifes by Willem Kalf and Willem Claesz Heda, a Victorian ceramic peacock, a 1979 painting by Susan Rothenberg, and a "horror wall" with works like Pasko Vucetic's *Hatred and Madness* and Wilhelm Trübner's *A Gorgon's Head*, all curated by the gallery's Henry Zimet.
Mexico City is renowned for its immense concentration of museums, with estimates ranging from 150 to 200 institutions. The city's art scene has been further amplified by the rise of Zona Maco, which has established a major international Art Week each February, drawing collectors and galleries. The article highlights five must-see museums, beginning with the Museo Anahuacalli, a unique museum built by Diego Rivera and architect Juan O'Gorman to house Rivera's vast collection of pre-Hispanic artifacts.
The Bernard Jacobson Gallery in London is presenting an exhibition titled "For John Constable," which reunites a portfolio of prints originally published by gallerist Bernard Jacobson in 1976. The 1976 project featured works by 19 contemporary artists, including David Hockney, Patrick Caulfield, and Howard Hodgkin, created in response to the legacy of the English landscape painter John Constable, marking his bicentenary. The exhibition, timed for the 250th anniversary of Constable's birth, runs through February 27, 2026.
The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam has secured a major loan of the ancient marble sculpture *Sleeping Hermaphroditus* from the Louvre in Paris. The work will be a centerpiece of the museum's upcoming exhibition "Metamorphoses," which opens on February 6, 2026, and explores themes of transformation drawn from Ovid's epic poem.
Sotheby's is launching its inaugural Old Masters Week at its new Breuer building location in New York with a special exhibition of works heading to auction. The centerpiece is the 'cimasa' (top panel) of Pietro Perugino's 'Decemviri Altarpiece' (1495), on an exceptional loan from Italy's National Gallery of Umbria and traveling outside Italy for the first time. After its display at Sotheby's, the panel will be exhibited at the Morgan Library and Museum alongside Giovanni Bellini's newly restored 'Pietà' (c. 1470), which is also making its U.S. debut.
On International Lego Day, the article ranks Lego Art sets inspired by famous artworks, including Vincent van Gogh's *Sunflowers* and *Starry Night*, Hokusai's *The Great Wave*, and others. The ranking is done by the author and their brother, an Adult Fan of Lego, who rate each set from both an art critic and a Lego builder perspective.
Ai Weiwei has accused Lego of refusing to supply a bulk order of bricks for a politically charged artwork destined for the National Gallery of Victoria. The artist announced the refusal via Instagram, claiming Lego cited an inability to approve the use of its products for political works. Ai linked the decision to Lego's business interests in China, noting the announcement of a Legoland in Shanghai during President Xi Jinping's UK state visit. Lego denied political motivation, stating it sold its Legoland division years ago and that it declines bulk orders when political context is involved. Supporters have launched a Facebook page to donate bricks, and Ai has accepted the offers.
Lego has reversed its policy on bulk orders after facing international backlash for refusing to sell toy bricks to Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei. The artist had sought the bricks to create politically sensitive portraits of dissidents for an exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne. Lego initially cited a policy against selling bricks for political statements, but after Ai Weiwei's social media campaign—including Instagram posts and a global donation drive—the company announced it will no longer ask bulk customers about their intended use.
Sesse Elangwe's 2025 painting *True Friends?* sold for $22,000 at San Francisco dealer Jonathan Carver Moore's booth during the opening of FOG Art + Design on January 21. The work, created during a residency run by Moore, was purchased by a local collector. Elangwe, a self-taught Cameroonian artist known for emotionally charged portraits of Black subjects, was the fourth participant in Moore's residency program, which aims to connect artists with Bay Area collectors. Another portrait, *And My Better Half* (2025), was pre-sold for $9,000 to another Bay Area collector.
A 450-year-old watermill in Wrexham, Wales, that was the subject of a J.M.W. Turner watercolor has been listed for sale at £1.5 million ($2.05 million). The Rossett Mill, built in 1588, has been converted into a four-bedroom home with modern amenities while retaining its historic features, including a restored corn mill. The property is listed with Currans Unique and was previously owned by Celia and Branden Wilson, who restored it after it was rescued from demolition in 1973.
The Musée Marmottan Monet in Paris has opened a new exhibition titled "The Empire of Sleep," curated by neurologist Laura Bossi and museum director Sylvie Carlier. The show gathers 130 artworks from the 19th and 20th centuries, exploring how artists have depicted sleep, dreams, nightmares, and the bed as a site of birth, love, illness, and death. Featured artists include John Everett Millais, Eugène Delacroix, Jean Cocteau, Giovanni Bellini, Gabriel von Max, Evelyn De Morgan, Odilon Redon, Gustave Courbet, Francisco de Goya, and Claude Monet, whose painting *Camille on Her Deathbed* is a centerpiece.
A surge of gallery exhibitions in New York this January focuses on deceased artists and estates, including shows for Marcia Marcus at Olney Gleason, Hung Liu at Ryan Lee, and Lynn Geesaman at Yancey Richardson. This trend reflects a broader shift toward historical reappraisals, with young dealers increasingly taking on artist estates and museums doubling their share of solo shows for dead artists from 18% in 2019 to nearly 50% in 2025.
Berlin's Hamburger Bahnhof museum, facing budget cuts of up to 12% and shifting government spending priorities in Germany, is planning its first-ever gala to mark its 30th anniversary. Co-directors Sam Bardouil and Till Fellrath are spearheading the event, set for March, which will feature cultural figures including Cate Blanchett, Matt Dillon, Elmgreen & Dragset, and the Berlin Philharmonic. The museum has also launched the Chanel Commission and the International Companions philanthropy circle to diversify funding sources.
Francis Irv, an unconventional art space in New York known for its unpredictable programming, is closing after over three years. Founded by Sam Marion Wilken and Shane Rossi, the gallery operated first in a Chinatown mall beneath the Manhattan Bridge and later in a nondescript third-floor room nearby. It showcased a multigenerational mix of artists from the US and Europe, including Megan Marrin, Win McCarthy, and Reinhard Mucha, and participated in alternative art fairs like Basel Social Club and Paris Internationale rather than the mainstream circuit.
A Nobilified, a start-up that lets customers insert themselves into classic paintings for about $140, has created a series of artworks depicting Super Bowl heroes from the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks in historical masterpieces. Patriots quarterback Tom Brady appears as Prometheus (1868) by Gustave Moreau, tight end Rob Gronkowski as Abduction of Ganymede by Jupiter (ca. 1644) by Eustache Le Sueur, while Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson is shown in Ideal portrait of a Spanish King (ca. 1643) by Alonso Cano, with other players featured in works by John Singleton Copley and Benjamin West.