Salvador Dalí's 1936 painting 'Necrophiliac Spring' will be exhibited in the UK for the first time as part of the 'Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art' exhibition at London's Victoria and Albert Museum. The show, dedicated to designer Elsa Schiaparelli, runs from March 28th to November 8th.
The Institute of Contemporary Art in Philadelphia has opened a new exhibition titled "A World in the Making: The Shakers," which places the work of seven contemporary artists alongside over 100 historical Shaker objects. The show, a collaboration with the Vitra Design Museum and the Milwaukee Art Museum, draws heavily from the collection of the Shaker Museum in New York to explore the community's legacy of radical simplicity, order, and purpose.
The Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA) has launched "Routed West: Twentieth-Century African American Quilts in California," the first major thematic exploration of the 3,000-piece Eli Leon bequest. Curated by Elaine Yau, the exhibition features over 100 quilts by approximately 80 artists, tracing the migration of improvisational textile traditions from the American South to the Bay Area. The show highlights how these portable objects served as both functional necessities and vital forms of self-expression for Black women during the mid-20th century Great Migration.
Lithuanian artist Lina Lapelytė has filled Berlin's Hamburger Bahnhof with 400,000 wooden blocks made of pine and spruce, creating a participatory installation titled “We Make Years Out of Hours.” Commissioned by Chanel, the work invites the public to build and rebuild structures from the 10-centimeter cubes. A series of weekly performances featuring a libretto by writers including Ocean Vuong, Etel Adnan, Forugh Farrokhzad, and Mahmoud Darwish will accompany the installation, which opens on May 1 and runs through January 10, 2027.
The Victoria & Albert Museum has acquired the first-ever YouTube video, "Me at the zoo," along with the platform's original 2006 front-end code and early advertisements. The 19-second clip, featuring co-founder Jawed Karim at the San Diego Zoo, has been integrated into a reconstructed version of the site’s early "watch page" through a collaboration between museum curators and YouTube’s design team. The installation is now on view at V&A South Kensington and the V&A East Storehouse.
The UK government has announced a £1.5 billion funding package for the arts, described as the biggest reset for the sector in a generation. Culture secretary Lisa Nandy said London-based national museums like the British Museum and National Portrait Gallery will receive £600 million but must extend their reach beyond the capital to serve audiences nationwide. The package includes £425 million for a Creative Foundations Fund, £160 million for local and regional museums, £230 million for heritage, and smaller allocations for libraries and national organizations. Meanwhile, Vienna will temporarily close several composer museums due to culture budget cuts, and Jean Cooney has been appointed executive director of Creative Time.
The Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery has removed wall text referencing President Trump’s two impeachments from its “America’s Presidents” exhibition after installing a new black-and-white portrait of him by White House photographer Daniel Torok. The original label noted Trump’s impeachments for abuse of power and inciting insurrection, but the revised text now identifies him only as the 45th and 47th president and his birth year. The change follows years of contention from the Trump administration, which compiled a list of complaints accusing former director Kim Sajet of political bias; Sajet resigned, and Elliot Gruber now serves as acting director.
The British Museum has sent approximately 80 artifacts on long-term loan to the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS) in Mumbai, India. The loan includes an ancient Egyptian wooden riverboat model, Sumerian statues from 2200 BCE, a Roman mosaic from London, and a marble bust of Emperor Augustus. It is the largest loan of ancient material to India and the first such deal between the British Museum and a non-Western museum. The exhibition aims to counter "colonial misinterpretation" by emphasizing India's contributions to civilization.
Louvre president Laurence des Cars faced a contentious Senate hearing on Wednesday, where lawmakers pressed her about ignored security warnings that preceded the October theft of $102 million in imperial jewels from the Apollo Gallery. Audits from 2017 and 2018 had flagged structural vulnerabilities, but Des Cars claimed she was not informed until after the theft. She defended the museum's response, citing new cameras, increased security training budgets, and an imminent senior security coordinator appointment. Conservative senators Jacques Grosperrin and Max Brisson demanded her resignation, with Brisson walking out when she declined to answer. Former president Jean-Luc Martinez also testified, saying he had not reinforced windows or balcony due to fire-safety concerns, a rationale security experts rejected.
Unionized staff at the Louvre Museum in Paris voted unanimously to continue a strike that began on Monday, with hundreds of workers walking out to protest deteriorating working conditions, insufficient staffing, and a proposed dual pricing system for non-EU visitors. The strike has forced partial closures, with the museum offering only a limited 'masterpiece route' featuring works like the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo. Unions rejected a Culture Ministry offer to cancel a planned €5.7 million budget cut, recruit more staff, and raise pay, deeming the proposals insufficient. Workers also oppose a plan to raise ticket prices for non-EU visitors from €22 to €32 to fund renovations, and criticize the use of funds from a brand licensing deal with Abu Dhabi.
The Louvre Museum board has voted to raise ticket prices by 45% for visitors outside the European Economic Area, effective January 14. The price will increase from €22 ($25) to €32 ($37), affecting tourists from the United States, Britain, and Russia. The move is part of a broader effort to fund infrastructure upgrades and security improvements following a high-profile heist in October in which thieves stole nine pieces of jewelry worth an estimated $102 million from the Apollo Gallery. The museum's director, Laurence des Cars, acknowledged that the institution has "very inadequate" and "outdated" security systems, and a full overhaul is not expected until 2032.
On Monday, Local 2110 of the United Auto Workers (UAW) filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board to unionize roughly 1,000 salaried and hourly workers at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The union cites long-term pay inequities, lack of job protection, and increasing workloads as motivations. The Met currently has two smaller unions for security guards and projectionists, and a museum spokesperson expressed respect for the right to seek representation. Employees reportedly first reached out to Local 2110 in 2022, and the drive has gained momentum in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Japan’s Okada Museum of Art is selling 125 works from its collection at Sotheby’s Hong Kong on November 22 to help its founder, Kazuo Okada, pay a $50 million legal bill. The bill stems from a long-running feud with casino magnate Steve Wynn, which began when the two co-founded Wynn Resorts in 2002 and later accused each other of improper payments. The collection includes Katsushika Hokusai’s iconic *The Great Wave Off the Coast of Kanagawa* (1830–32), a rare Qianlong “Eight Treasures” vase, and 16th-century screens by Kano Motonobu. Okada, an 83-year-old billionaire, lost a binding arbitration over the legal fees and must now sell the art.
Two suspects have been arrested in connection with the theft of French crown jewels from the Louvre on October 19. Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau announced the arrests on Sunday, with one man detained at Charles de Gaulle Airport while preparing to board a flight to Algeria. The heist, captured on a 36-second video, involved two thieves escaping with $102 million worth of Napoleonic jewelry using a furniture lift. Nine artifacts were taken from the Apollo Gallery, but one crown was dropped in the haste. The stolen jewels were not privately insured, meaning France will not be reimbursed if they are not recovered.
Nadine Khoury, a Dubai-based collector, curator, and art adviser, founded the Young Collectors Circle in 2023 to engage Millennial and Gen Z professionals in the Gulf region with the local art scene. The initiative offers free events such as studio visits, suppers with established collectors, and group outings to exhibition openings, aiming to make art collecting accessible and educational. Khoury, who previously worked at Green Art Gallery, started the circle with friends and grew it through social media and word-of-mouth, limiting attendance to 15 people to foster a friendly, barrier-free environment.
The tomb of Pharaoh Amenhotep III, one of the largest in Egypt's Valley of the Kings, has reopened to the public after a 20-year renovation led by a team from Waseda University in Tokyo. Discovered in 1799 by French engineers and looted in antiquity, the tomb features newly restored wall paintings depicting the pharaoh with ancient Egyptian gods, the structural frame of his sarcophagus, and burial chambers for his two wives. The reopening took place on October 4, 2025.
A 3,000-year-old gold bracelet belonging to King Amenemope was stolen from a conservation lab in Egypt, sold for 194,000 Egyptian pounds (about $4,000), and melted down by a gold smelter. The theft was carried out by a restoration specialist who took the artifact from a safe, and four suspects have since been arrested with proceeds recovered. The bracelet was being prepared for an upcoming exhibition titled “Treasures of the Pharaohs” at the Scuderie del Quirinale in Rome.
A federal judge in Oregon ruled that the government's elimination of National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) grants was unlawful, finding that the cuts violated the Constitution's grant of spending power to Congress. The ruling came in a lawsuit filed by the Federation of State Humanities Councils and Oregon Humanities against the NEH and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which had terminated grants in April following extreme cuts. A separate case in New York, brought by the American Historical Association, the Modern Language Association, and the American Council of Learned Societies, also resulted in a ruling that the government violated the law, with the judge advising that funds be escrowed pending trial.
The Vancouver Art Gallery (VAG) is laying off approximately 30 unionized staff members, representing about 20% of its 150 unionized employees represented by CUPE 15. The layoffs, described by a spokesperson as necessary for long-term sustainability, follow the departure of director Anthony Kiendl in March and the cancellation of a planned C$600 million building by Herzog & de Meuron last December. The gallery is now seeking a simpler, less expensive new home, inviting 14 Canadian architectural firms to apply. The city of Vancouver, a key funder, has also announced budget cuts and hiring freezes, compounding the gallery's financial challenges.
Beginning January 1, 2026, major French museums including the Louvre and the Château de Versailles will charge non-European Union visitors €30 (about $35), up from €22 ($25). The new "differential tariff" is driven by cultural budget cuts, waning corporate sponsorships, and rising restoration costs. Versailles, where 42 percent of 8 million annual visitors come from outside Europe, sees the funds as a lifeline for repairs, while the Louvre faces €400 million in renovation needs over 15 years. The policy is expected to spread to other sites like the Arc de Triomphe and Château de Chambord, and more institutions may adopt it in 2027.
The Fowler Museum at UCLA has voluntarily returned 11 culturally significant objects to the Larrakia Community of Australia’s Northern Territory. The items, including a kangaroo tooth headband and 10 glass spearheads dating from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, were handed over in a ceremony on May 20. Half of the objects arrived at the museum in 1965 via a large donation from the Wellcome Trust, while the rest were gifts from private collectors. Since 2021, Larrakia elders have worked with AIATSIS and the Fowler Museum to identify and facilitate the return. The Larrakia community plans to open a cultural center next year to house the repatriated items.
The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles has laid off 15 full-time employees (14% of its full-time staff) and seven part-time workers, primarily affecting its Learning & Engagement and Museum Services teams. The cuts also include Regan Pro, deputy director of public programs and social impact, and Bernardo Rondeau, curator of film programs. The museum, founded by George Lucas and Mellody Hobson, has faced multiple delays due to supply-chain issues, pushing its opening from 2023 to 2026, and recently underwent a leadership transition with director Sandra Jackson-Dumont stepping down.
Open Restitution Africa (ORA), an African-led research organization, has compiled case studies including the Ngadji drum, a sacred instrument confiscated from Kenya's Pokomo people by British colonial officers in 1902 and now held by the British Museum. With a $600,000 grant from the Mellon Foundation, ORA provided microgrants to scholars like William Mutta Tsaka of the National Museums of Kenya, who documented the drum's cultural significance and the community's ongoing struggle for repatriation. The project aims to fund independent researchers and community activists across Africa, covering fieldwork costs often neglected by larger provenance grants.
MoMA PS1 has launched the sixth edition of "Greater New York," a quinquennial survey featuring over 50 artists living and working in the city. Coinciding with the museum’s 50th anniversary, the 2026 iteration focuses on artists in the formative stages of their careers, emphasizing a gritty, raw aesthetic over the polished, market-driven surfaces often found in major biennials. The exhibition highlights photography and installation work that reflects the city's complex immigrant narratives and evolving urban identity.
Researchers at the National Portrait Gallery in London have launched a landmark investigation into a rare 17th-century double portrait featuring a Black boy and a white boy standing side-by-side. The painting, which has hung at the historic Penshurst Place in Kent for centuries, is undergoing extensive restoration and technical analysis to identify the sitters. Experts are particularly struck by the composition, which depicts the Black figure at the same scale and status as the white figure, a significant departure from the era's typical portrayal of Black individuals as marginal attendants.
Syrian-American artist Rama Duwaji discusses her evolving art practice and her new role as the First Lady of New York City following her husband Zohran Mamdani’s mayoral victory. Known for her distinct illustrations and animations for major institutions like the Tate Modern and the New Yorker, Duwaji is now transitioning into a more public-facing life while maintaining a studio practice at Gracie Mansion. Her work, which spans hand-drawn animation, ceramics, and paintings on found materials like cardboard, continues to blur the lines between commercial illustration and fine art.
Archaeologists conducting surveys for an offshore wind farm project in Norfolk, England, have discovered a significant Roman villa dating back to the 1st through 3rd centuries C.E. The expansive estate, which measures over 100 feet in length, featured a bathhouse, a covered porch, and ancillary buildings for crop processing. Excavations also yielded high-status artifacts including an ornate bronze door handle, a lion-headed furniture foot, and imported pottery, alongside evidence of a Roman road and two lost medieval villages.
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The escalating conflict between the U.S., Israel, and Iran has cast a shadow over the Middle Eastern art market following missile strikes on key infrastructure in Dubai. With major events like the 20th anniversary of Art Dubai scheduled for mid-April, international galleries and collectors are expressing significant concern over safety and regional stability. Logistics firms like DHL have already warned of shipping delays and rising insurance costs due to restricted airspace and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
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Taína H. Cruz has emerged as a central figure in the 2024 New York art season, achieving the rare feat of being featured simultaneously in the Whitney Biennial and MoMA PS1’s "Greater New York." A 2023 Yale MFA graduate, Cruz has become the literal face of the Whitney Biennial, with her painting "I Saw the Future and It Smiled Back" displayed on a massive billboard outside the museum. Her work, which often explores Black female identity through a lens of folklore, horror, and celebrity culture, is characterized by a moody and unsettling atmospheric quality.
The Louvre Museum in Paris will restore Empress Eugénie's crown, which was severely damaged during a $102 million heist on October 19, 2025. Thieves broke into the museum, used an angle grinder to cut through a display case, and stole crown jewels, but dropped the crown in their escape. The lightweight, diamond-and-emerald crown was deformed, with four of its eight decorative palmettes broken off and one gold eagle missing. However, all 65 emeralds and most of the 1,354 diamonds remain intact. The museum has opened a bidding process for an accredited restorer, overseen by an expert committee chaired by Louvre director Laurence des Cars, to reshape and fully restore the piece for display in the Galerie d'Apollon.