Art News. Vasari Codex

article culture schedule Apr 1, 2026 visibility 13

A truckload of F1 KitKats, a painting of fish: what is it that makes heists so delicious? | Imogen West-Knights

The article explores the curious public fascination with high-profile heists, using two recent examples as a springboard: the theft of 12 tons of Formula 1-themed KitKats from a truck in Italy and the robbery of paintings by Renoir, Cézanne, and Matisse from a museum in northern Italy. The author notes that such stories reliably go viral, not due to outrage but because people find them thrilling and even amusing, especially when the victims are large corporations or when the crime feels audacious and tangible.

newspaper The Guardian open_in_new Read original

person people schedule Mar 4, 2026 visibility 14

royal ontario museum director nicholas r bell

The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) in Toronto has appointed Nicholas R. Bell as its new director and CEO, effective July 6. Bell, who currently leads the Glenbow museum in Calgary, succeeds Josh Basseches following a decade-long tenure. During his time at Glenbow, Bell was noted for securing a $250 million capital campaign and implementing a landmark free-admission policy, the first of its kind for a major Canadian museum.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

person people schedule Feb 24, 2026 visibility 11

elvira dyangani ose departs macba abu dhabi biennial

Elvira Dyangani Ose is stepping down as the director of the Museu d'Art Contemporani de Barcelona (MACBA) in April, months before her contract was set to expire. Her resignation follows a conflict with the MACBA Consortium, which ruled that her new appointment as director of the Abu Dhabi Public Art Biennial was incompatible with her leadership role in Barcelona. Dyangani Ose, who became the first woman and first person of color to lead the institution in 2021, had requested to balance both positions, but the governing body denied the proposal.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

gavel restitution schedule Feb 20, 2026 visibility 15

epstein files leon black indicted dealer douglas latchford

A newly released document from the Department of Justice’s Jeffrey Epstein files has linked billionaire collector Leon Black to a $27.7 million inventory of Southeast Asian antiquities, some of which may be looted. The records indicate that Black acquired high-value Cambodian, Thai, and Vietnamese artifacts, including a $7 million bronze Shiva sculpture that matches the description of a piece handled by the late, indicted antiquities dealer Douglas Latchford. While Black’s representatives state he never dealt with Latchford directly and acquired the works through a reputable dealer, correspondence suggests Latchford was involved in facilitating sales to Black through intermediaries.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

article news schedule Feb 19, 2026 visibility 14

louvre counterfeit ticket scheme fraud inevitable

French authorities have dismantled a massive decade-long ticket fraud scheme involving the Louvre and the Palace of Versailles, resulting in the arrest of nine individuals, including two museum employees. The scam, which allegedly involved Chinese tour guides bribing staff to reuse tickets for multiple groups, is estimated to have cost the institutions millions of euros. Investigators have already seized nearly €1.5 million in various currencies and bank accounts as part of an ongoing judicial probe into organized fraud and money laundering.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

museum exhibitions schedule Jan 12, 2026 visibility 13 link 1 artist, 1 gallery

ms rachel gaza art exhibition fundraiser youtube

YouTube star Rachel Accurso, known as Ms. Rachel, announced an exhibition and fundraiser titled "Colors That Survived" featuring artworks created by children in Gaza. The show opens Tuesday at Caelum Gallery in New York's Chelsea neighborhood, with limited-edition prints priced at $200 each available through January 30 via the nonprofit Artists Support. All proceeds will go to young Palestinian artists. Accurso, who has over 18 million YouTube subscribers, became an advocate for children in Gaza after participating in a Save the Children fundraiser in May 2024, and has faced backlash from Zionist groups including StopAntisemitism, which falsely accused her of receiving funds from Hamas.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

museum exhibitions schedule Dec 15, 2025 visibility 10

met announces first show in whitneys breuer building

The Metropolitan Museum of Art has announced that its first exhibition in the newly-annexed Breuer building, formerly home to the Whitney Museum, will be titled "Unfinished" (working title) and will explore unfinished works of art from the Renaissance to the present. The show, drawn partly from the Met's own collection, opens March 7, 2016 and runs through September 5, focusing on the historical debate and admiration for the non finito aesthetic.

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

gavel restitution schedule Dec 15, 2025 visibility 17

national museum of asian art returns sculptures to cambodia

On December 11, the National Museum of Asian Art (NMAA), part of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., announced it is returning three Khmer period sculptures to Cambodia. The works—a 10th-century Uma, a 10th-century Harihara, and a circa-1200 Prajnaparamita—were determined to have been likely looted during Cambodia’s civil war (1967–1975), based on research with Cambodian authorities, lack of export documentation, and links to dealers known for trafficking looted antiquities.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

gavel restitution schedule Dec 9, 2025 visibility 10

belgian authorities return gilded sacrophagus to egypt

Egypt has recovered two ancient artifacts from Belgium after a decade-long effort, announced on December 2 by the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. The objects—a painted and gilded Ptolemaic sarcophagus (305–30 B.C.E.) and a wooden beard from a Middle Kingdom statue—were seized by Belgian authorities in 2015 following an Interpol alert, as they were displayed in a Brussels antiques gallery without legal documentation. After a drawn-out diplomatic and legal process, the artifacts were returned in a ceremony at the Royal Museums of Art and History in July, attended by senior Egyptian culture ministers.

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

article news schedule Nov 21, 2025 visibility 11

louvre director new security plan heist

Louvre director Laurence des Cars defended the museum's security protocols in a New York Times interview following a recent robbery. She revealed that a comprehensive security review had already been initiated, including a master plan to add 100 cameras to the museum's perimeter, and that several companies had bid on the project before the theft occurred. However, she acknowledged that implementation has been slow due to the museum's scale and public procurement rules, with the full camera system not expected to be operational until the end of next year.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Oct 15, 2025 visibility 14

courtauld gallery and institute in london receives record breaking 30 m donation from reuben foundation

London's Courtauld Gallery and Institute has received a £30 million ($40.06 million) donation from the Reuben Foundation, the largest gift in its 93-year history. The foundation, established by billionaire brothers David and Simon Reuben, will also share their extensive art collection to support future exhibitions as part of a long-term partnership. The donation will help fund the refurbishment of the Courtauld's academic wing, which still requires an additional £65 million to complete.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

article news schedule Jul 21, 2025 visibility 8

fine arts museums san francisco de young staff layoffs

The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (FAMSF), which operates the de Young Museum and the Legion of Honor, announced the layoff of 12 staff members on July 18, 2025. Director and CEO Thomas P. Campbell cited a prolonged period of softening tourism in San Francisco, with visitor numbers down nearly 20 percent compared to pre-pandemic levels, as the reason for the reduction. The layoffs primarily affect FAMSF's nonprofit side and follow a March discussion to cut city-funded positions by nearly a quarter after the mayor's office mandated a 15 percent reduction in general spending.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

article news schedule Jul 14, 2025 visibility 9

homeland security puerto rican museum chicago

Officials from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) arrived at the National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture (NMPRAC) in Chicago’s Humboldt Park neighborhood on Tuesday, with between 15 and 20 DHS vehicles appearing without notice or a warrant. Museum staff reported that officers claimed to be assessing entry and exit points for undocumented immigrants at upcoming events. DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin denied the account, stating the visit was a briefing for a narcotics investigation, but security camera footage shows officers inside the museum, contradicting her statement. Local aldermen and museum leadership condemned the action as intimidation, with the museum vowing to resist and continue its community programming.

newspaper Artnet News open_in_new Read original

article news schedule Jun 26, 2025 visibility 10

centre for contemporary arts glasgow closure protest

The Centre for Contemporary Arts (CCA) in Glasgow, Scotland, closed for the rest of the week after a pro-Palestine protest organized by Art Workers for Palestine Scotland escalated into a confrontation. The group staged a sit-in at the CCA courtyard, demanding the institution support the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel. Police were called to clear the protest, leading to arrests and allegations of excessive force. The CCA board cited security concerns and a forced entry as reasons for the closure.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

gavel restitution schedule May 28, 2025 visibility 11

harvard cedes early images of enslaved americans legal settlement

Harvard University has transferred ownership of fifteen daguerreotypes from around 1850, considered the earliest surviving photographs of enslaved African Americans, to the International African American Museum in Charleston, South Carolina. The settlement ends an eight-year legal dispute with Tamara Lanier, who claimed the images depict her ancestors, Renty and Delia, and argued they were taken without consent for the discredited biologist Louis Agassiz. The Massachusetts courts had previously ruled that ownership remained with the photographer, but allowed Lanier to pursue emotional distress claims over Harvard's continued use of the images in marketing materials.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

article news schedule May 22, 2025 visibility 10

mediterranean alliance for wetlands campaign against guggenheim museum expansion spain

The Mediterranean Alliance for Wetlands has launched a campaign against the Guggenheim Museum's proposed expansion into the Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve in Spain. The campaign warns that building a new museum spanning Guernica and the protected reserve would harm biodiversity, water quality, and conservation frameworks, and has gathered over 2,400 signatures on a petition urging UNESCO, the Ramsar Secretariat, and the Spanish government to intervene.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

article news schedule May 14, 2025 visibility 14

mrbeasts ancient mexico temple stunt followed the rules but

YouTube megastar MrBeast (James Donaldson) released a video titled "I Survived 100 Hours in an Ancient Temple" on May 10, amassing over 55 million views in four days. Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) confirmed that the production had full permission from federal and state authorities to film at Mayan archaeological sites including Chichén Itzá, Calakmul, and Balamcanché, and that all shoots occurred in public areas without disrupting other visitors. However, INAH also pointed out several inaccuracies in the final cut: no drones were flown inside El Castillo, no helicopter descents occurred, no one spent the night at a site, and a funerary mask shown in the video was a contemporary reproduction, not an authentic artifact.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

museum exhibitions schedule May 21, 2026 visibility 2 link 2 artists

Archives : MAMM : Lauren Greenfield : Generation Wealth

The Multimedia Art Museum, Moscow (MAMM) presents 'Generation Wealth' by American documentary photographer and director Lauren Greenfield as part of the XII Moscow International Biennale 'Fashion and Style in Photography 2021'. The exhibition, opening May 21, 2021, includes over 200 photographs, documentary films, and interviews drawn from Greenfield's 25-year investigation into global consumer culture, wealth aspiration, and the transformation of happiness. It marks Greenfield's third exhibition at MAMM, following previous shows in 2000 and 2004.

newspaper The Eye of Photography open_in_new Read original

article news schedule May 20, 2026 visibility 4 link 3 artists

Controversial art show canceled at NY archdiocese venue finds home at Jesuit parish

Jesuit artist Nicholas Leeper's solo exhibition "Twilight of the Idols," which blends Byzantine iconography with pop art and advertising imagery, was abruptly canceled by the Sheen Center for Thought and Culture in New York about two weeks before its scheduled opening in May 2026. The center, founded by the New York Archdiocese, cited phone calls and emails expressing concern about the work, which includes pieces like "Madonna and Child (Tomatokos)" depicting Mary as a Campbell's soup housewife and "The Visitation" reimagining Mary and Elizabeth in a cigarette ad. Within a day, the exhibition found a new venue at the Mary Chapel of St. Francis Xavier Church, organized in partnership with Xavier High School, where Leeper teaches.

newspaper National Catholic Reporter open_in_new Read original

article local schedule May 15, 2026 visibility 11 link 3 artists

Racine Art Museum announces sizzling slate of summer events

The Racine Art Museum (RAM) and its Charles A. Wustum Museum of Fine Arts campus have announced a packed schedule of summer events for 2026, including new programs like the Twilight Garden Series, which combines cocktails, creativity, and themed activities. Highlights include Free First Friday, a Master Workshop with artist Liandra Skenandore on black ash plaiting, Kids Day inspired by the Handcrafted exhibition, and City Movie Night featuring a screening of Lilo & Stitch (2025). Wustum also offers one of Wisconsin's largest museum-based studio arts programs with over 60 class options in ceramics, drawing, glass, fiber, jewelry, painting, and paper arts.

newspaper Milwaukee Record open_in_new Read original

museum exhibitions schedule May 15, 2026 visibility 7 link 3 artists, 2 galleries

The Collective Takeover

A coalition of seven Zurich-based artist-run collectives, led by Peter Baracchi and his nomadic platform 6½, has taken over the former Museum Haus Konstruktiv building in Zurich's Selnau district. The project, titled "Oceans Flow Upwards," occupies 1,200 square meters across five floors and expands into over 2,000 square meters by activating the cellar, offices, storage, shop, café, and rooftop. Participating collectives include Hotel Tiger, Die Diele, Papillarya, MATERIAL, volumes, and zwischentext. Baracchi, who previously worked at Haus Konstruktiv as a technician and photographer, initiated the takeover after the museum relocated to Areal Löwenbräukunst, securing temporary cultural use from the City of Zurich in March. Rather than dividing the space into separate zones, the exhibition presents a single, integrated show where artists were invited by the collectives, not selected by open call.

newspaper les-nouveaux-riches.com open_in_new Read original

museum exhibitions schedule May 12, 2026 visibility 11 link 1 artist

Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art announces $100m expansion

The Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art in Pennsylvania has announced a $100 million expansion project to transform its 15-acre campus. The plan includes a new 40,000-square-foot museum building designed by Kengo Kuma & Associates—the firm's first museum in the U.S.—along with renovations to the original mid-19th century grist mill building, and the creation of a 325-acre publicly accessible preserve and garden with 10 miles of trails. Construction is set to begin in spring 2027, with completion expected in autumn 2029.

newspaper Blooloop open_in_new Read original

museum exhibitions schedule May 7, 2026 visibility 15 link 2 artists

Sara Shamma brings Syria’s cultural renewal to Venice Biennale

Sara Shamma, the first female artist to lead Syria's national pavilion at the Venice Biennale, presents her immersive installation *The Tower Tomb of Palmyra* at Iuav University of Venice's Cotonificio campus. The full-scale, nine-sided chamber features paintings, light, sound, and scent inspired by Palmyra's ancient funerary towers, which Shamma first encountered as a student at the National Museum of Damascus. The project, originally planned for Cambridge before the pandemic, gained new significance after the fall of the Assad government in December 2024, as Shamma returned to Damascus and was approached by Syria's Ministry of Culture to represent the country's cultural renewal on the world stage.

newspaper The National open_in_new Read original

article news schedule May 6, 2026 visibility 15 link 4 artists

Six environmental artists win this year’s Rewilding Art Prize

Six Canadian artists have been awarded the 2026 Rewilding Arts Prize, established in 2023 by the David Suzuki Foundation and Rewilding Magazine. The winners include Nicole McDonald-Fournier, whose project EmballeToi! repurposes old winter coats as plant-growing pots, and the Montreal/Toronto duo Masumi Rodriguez and Elena Kirby, who run community papermaking workshops using invasive plant species. The prize awards $2,000 to each artist and plans to feature their work in a future exhibition, following the inaugural winners' show at the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa.

newspaper The Globe and Mail open_in_new Read original

museum exhibitions schedule May 4, 2026 visibility 20 link 12 artists

Lauren Sánchez Bezos unveils Met’s new exhibit amid gala backlash

Lauren Sánchez Bezos appeared alongside Anna Wintour at a press conference in New York to unveil the Metropolitan Museum of Art's new Costume Art exhibit, which opens May 10 ahead of the Met Gala. Sánchez Bezos and her husband Jeff Bezos are primary sponsors of this year's gala and exhibit, a role that has sparked backlash and a boycott campaign from the activist group Everyone Hates Elon. The exhibit explores themes of the dressed body through garments paired with ancient artifacts, featuring categories like "the naked body," "classic body," and "disabled body."

newspaper The Independent open_in_new Read original

museum exhibitions schedule May 1, 2026 visibility 23 link 2 artists

Prokofiev Studio: new gallery devoted to the abstract art of Oleg Prokofiev son of the composer & father of composer Gabriel Prokofiev

Composer Gabriel Prokofiev has opened Prokofiev Studio in Hackney, London, a new gallery dedicated to the abstract art of his father, Oleg Prokofiev (1928-1998). Oleg, son of the famed composer Sergei Prokofiev, created abstract works in the 1950s that defied the Soviet Union’s strict socialist realism doctrine. His career was shaped by his relationship with British art historian Camilla Gray, whom he married in 1969 after hiding his art for a decade; she died two years later. Oleg moved to the UK but believed his abstract works lost until a 1994 return to Moscow revealed they had been preserved. The gallery houses Oleg’s archive, including 1950s abstract artworks, letters, sketchbooks, and sculptures, with an inaugural exhibition titled "Bending Time" reconstructing his 1990s studio in Hackney Wick.

newspaper planethugill.com open_in_new Read original

article local schedule Apr 30, 2026 visibility 16 link 8 artists

May First Friday: 8 shows to see this month around Missoula

Missoula artist Julia LaTray presents a solo exhibition titled "Animal Pleasures" at Bob's Your Uncle gallery in May, featuring paintings of animals on glitchy, digitized backgrounds alongside lighting and other works. The gallery is only open to the public on dedicated nights, so the exhibition is paired with performances, comedy, and readings on May 1, 8, 15, and 29. Separately, Hanis Coos artist Sara Siestreem brings her major exhibition "Acts of Love, Refusal and Resistance" to the Missoula Art Museum, filling the museum's main galleries with large-scale mixed-media paintings and sculpture, including handmade baskets and ceramic molded versions with gilded flourishes. The museum hosts a First Friday reception on May 1 and a "Coffee and Conversation" with the artist on May 2.

newspaper The Missoulian open_in_new Read original

article local schedule Apr 28, 2026 visibility 21 link 7 artists

Must-see Milwaukee exhibits on view in May 2026 | The Shortlist

The article highlights several art exhibitions on view in Milwaukee in May 2026, curated around themes of graduation and motherhood. Featured shows include Ahmari Benton's solo exhibition 'No Place for Self-Pity, No Room for Fear' at Mitchell Street Arts, Cameron Clayborn's solo show 'That's When Love Swallows You Whole, Right. Now' at Experimental Sculpture Room, the group exhibition 'Mom & Art' at Milwaukee Makers Market, and a youth art exhibition at the Milwaukee Art Museum. Many of the shows honor resilience, identity, memory, and the complexities of motherhood, with some featuring works by artists who have passed away.

newspaper Milwaukee Journal Sentinel open_in_new Read original

museum exhibitions schedule Apr 27, 2026 visibility 16 link 4 artists

Meet the artists representing Hong Kong and Macao at the Venice Biennale

Hong Kong artists Angel Hui and Kingsley Ng, along with Macao artists Eric Fok Hoi Seng, Veronica Lei Fong Ieng, and O Chi Wai, will represent the Greater Bay Area at the 61st Venice Biennale, running from 9 May to 22 November 2026. Hong Kong's exhibition, titled 'Fermata: Hong Kong in Venice,' marks a shift from a solo to a duo format for the first time, co-organized and curated by the Hong Kong Museum of Art (HKMoA). Hui presents installations featuring embroidered plastic bags and aluminum window grilles inspired by local Hong Kong motifs, while Ng creates site-specific works referencing hanging laundry. Macao's showcase, 'Jacone's Polyphony,' features the three Macao artists. The biennale, curated by the late Koyo Kouoh, is themed 'In Minor Keys' and includes 110 artists, 100 national participations, and 31 collateral events.

newspaper Macao News open_in_new Read original

museum exhibitions schedule Apr 22, 2026 visibility 25 link 4 artists

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.

newspaper The Straits Times open_in_new Read original