The perceptual effects of Alessandro Gioiello's paintings are on show in Rome

Gli effetti percettivi dei dipinti di Alessandro Gioiello sono in mostra a Roma

Alessandro Gioiello's solo exhibition "Pensieri Sparsi" is on view at Galleria Richter Fine Art in Rome, featuring oil-on-canvas works such as "Broken Flowers" (2026), "Quarantatreesimo" (2025), and "Tiscert" (2026). The show presents a stream-of-consciousness approach where color and composition emerge from a lengthy process of selection and transformation, inviting viewers to reconstruct meaning through the creative gesture rather than a linear narrative.

Façade collapse and vandalism at the Saint-Roch church in Paris

Effondrement de façade et vandalisme à l'église Saint-Roch de Paris

A significant portion of the cornice on the right side of the façade of the historic Saint-Roch church in Paris collapsed on March 9, 2026. Fortunately, no one was injured. The incident follows a pattern of similar structural failures at Parisian churches like Saint-Paul, Saint-Merry, and Saint-Augustin. Almost simultaneously, the church was targeted by vandals who severely damaged a gilded wooden altar in the shape of the Ark of the Covenant, a work from 1840 designed by architect Charles Lelong, just before its planned restoration was set to begin.

design formafantasma andrea trimarchi simone farresin

Andrea Trimarchi and Simone Farresin of Milan-based design studio Formafantasma have become fashion and art's go-to design duo. In the past year, they designed runways for Meryll Rogge's Marni debut, scenography for the new Fondation Cartier, and a radical take on the Shaker legacy for a show at the Vitra Design Museum. In an interview, they discuss their critical approach to design, the gap between design's progressive claims and its environmental and labor impacts, and their commitment to using design as a tool for inquiry rather than mere form-making.

Looking for art, culture? See the latest Central Illinois exhibits

Central Illinois is hosting a diverse array of art and cultural exhibitions across several key institutions and galleries this spring. Highlights include the "Art on the Offense" group show at the Contemporary Art Center of Peoria, the "Lights, Camera, Fashion!" exhibition featuring the Lois Jett Historical Fashion Collection, and multiple annual student showcases at University Galleries and Merwin & Wakeley Galleries. Local spaces like the McLean County Arts Center and Eaton Studio Gallery are also actively engaging the community through regional artist spotlights and educational outreach for local students.

London artist Irum Rahat’s ‘Yeh Kab Ki Baat Hai’ is a house full of memories

London-based artist Irum Rahat presents her first solo exhibition in India, 'Yeh Kab Ki Baat Hai', at Pristine Contemporary in Delhi. The show features 16 new works that draw from her upbringing in a South Asian household, transforming mundane domestic scenes—making chai, sitting in rooms, family interactions—into a visual archive of memory and intimacy. Rahat's paintings, influenced by cinema and her own photography, use soft, hazy colors to evoke nostalgia and the ambiguity of time.

Punching the light: Sydney’s 90s raves – in pictures

Simon Burstall, at age 17, began photographing Sydney's underground rave scene in the 1990s, using borrowed school cameras and sneaking out in the family car to capture the burgeoning subculture. His images from that era were later compiled into the photobook '93: Punching the Light, published by Damiani in 2019.

Nature is healing? Seagull lays eggs in the Giardini during Venice Biennale preview

During the VIP preview of the Venice Biennale, a seagull laid three eggs near the entrance of the Polish Pavilion in the Giardini. Pavilion staff built a protective barrier around the nest and warned visitors to avoid the protective bird, which one Italian collector called "the main attraction."

Today’s war, tomorrow’s loot: attempts at stemming the illicit trade in art

The article examines the ongoing challenge of preventing the illicit trade in cultural property looted from conflict zones. It discusses the Hague Convention of 1954 and its protocol, which require signatory countries to prevent theft and pillage during armed conflict and to seize and repatriate unlawful exports. However, the protocol only applies to situations of 'occupation,' leaving a gap for looting that occurs in the chaos of war beyond formal occupation. The article also notes UN Security Council Resolutions that restrict unlawfully removed cultural property from Iraq and Syria, but no similar consensus exists for countries like Afghanistan, Libya, Ukraine, Lebanon, Yemen, Sudan, and Iran. EU Regulation 2019/880 is highlighted as a measure that prohibits introducing goods removed unlawfully from their place of origin into the EU, though its scope has expanded beyond its original anti-terrorist financing purpose.

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.

Was This Anne Boleyn’s Seat? Rare 500-Year-Old Chair Linked to Tudor Queen

A rare, intricately carved wooden chair, potentially used by Anne Boleyn during her time in the French courts between 1510 and 1520, has been acquired and is now on display at Hever Castle. The chair was purchased by antiques dealer Paul Fitzsimmons from an online American auction in 2022, and its carvings—featuring dolphins, a Tudor rose, and the initials "AB" intertwined with a cordelière emblem of Queen Claude—suggest a strong link to the Tudor queen's early life.

‘I want people to see nature as a wondrous work of art’: Jon McCormack’s best phone picture

Photographer Jon McCormack captured a striking image of the Remarkable Rocks on Kangaroo Island, Australia, framing the Southern Ocean through a naturally eroded granite hollow. The photograph, taken at sunset, emphasizes the graphic simplicity and sculptural quality of the ancient rock formations, which have been shaped by wind and salt over 10,000 years of isolation.

Navajo Nation: the fight for cultural survival – photo essay

The Navajo Nation is currently navigating a complex struggle to preserve its cultural heritage against the lingering effects of colonial-era boarding schools and the modern pressures of social media and urbanization. While elders like Virginia Brown recount the trauma of forced assimilation and language suppression, a new generation is grappling with a decline in Navajo fluency, which UNESCO now classifies as a vulnerable language. Despite these hurdles, community members are utilizing local schools and traditional practices to reclaim their identity.

How museum funding in Denmark has become reliant on visitor numbers

Danish museums have recovered strongly from the pandemic, with 2025 attendance matching 2024's record levels of around 9 million visitors. However, a new state-funding model introduced in January 2025 now makes government subsidies increasingly dependent on measurable outputs, primarily visitor numbers. Institutions must meet minimum thresholds for annual visitors and income, and produce peer-reviewed research to secure and retain funding.

Glasgow arts hub tenants condemn ‘unsustainable’ rent rises by landlord

Tenants at Glasgow's Trongate 103 cultural hub are protesting what they call "unsustainable" rent and service charge increases imposed by City Property, an arm's-length organization managing buildings for Glasgow City Council. Organizations like Transmission Gallery, Street Level Photography, and Glasgow Print Studio face potential displacement after receiving notices to quit or demands for significant cost hikes, with one group citing a £700,000 annual increase.

Airstrikes, rockets and fields of mustard: photos of the day – Tuesday

The Guardian's picture editors curated a global selection of photographs from March 24, 2026. The images depict scenes of conflict, including a distraught woman in Beirut after an Israeli airstrike, rockets fired from Lebanon towards Israel, an Iranian missile embedded in the West Bank, and damage in Tel Aviv from a missile barrage. Other photos show people sheltering in Kyiv during an air raid and firefighters in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine.

Fort Lauderdale Still Fighting Removal of Rainbow Crosswalks: ‘We Are the Last Man Standing’

Fort Lauderdale is the final Florida city continuing a legal challenge against a state directive to remove painted street art, specifically its rainbow crosswalks. A hearing is scheduled for May. The directive, part of Governor Ron DeSantis's Safe Streets program, prohibits pavement art with "social, political or ideological messages" and threatens cities with the loss of transportation funding if they do not comply.

Meet the Seattle families living communally to bring down costs – in pictures

A new housing development in Seattle called Corvidae Co-op offers an affordable, communal living model. The 10-unit complex in the Beacon Hill neighborhood, designed by Allied8 and funded via a Frolic Community model, sells homes for less than half the city's median price, with units starting at $180,000. Residents, ranging from children to retirees, share kitchens, decks, laundry, and a guest unit.

A total hoot! Beautiful birds – in pictures

Photographer Claire Rosen has released a series of portraits featuring live birds, ranging from fluffy owlets to rosy flamingos. The project documents various avian species through a carefully composed, artistic lens.

The remarkable man who made Art UK possible | Letter

Fred Hohler, the founder of the Public Catalogue Foundation, is the pivotal figure behind the Art UK project, which has successfully digitized over one million UK public art entries. The letter corrects a previous article that highlighted the project's new chair but omitted Hohler's foundational role.

world monuments fund 2026 commitment heritage sites

The World Monuments Fund (WMF) has pledged $7 million for 2026 to fund 21 new heritage preservation projects globally. These projects, selected from its 2025 Watch List and other sites, range from restoring mural paintings at the Church of Saint-Eustache in Paris and gardens at Safdar Jang’s Tomb in New Delhi, to repairing earthquake damage in Japan and supporting community-led stewardship at Bear’s Ears National Monument in Utah.

smithsonians national museum of asian art returns three looted sculptures to india

The Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art announced it will return three looted bronze sculptures to India: "Shiva Nataraja" (ca. 990), "Somaskanda" (12th century), and "Saint Sundarar with Paravai." Provenance research linked the works to art dealers known for trafficking looted antiquities. The museum partnered with the Photo Archives of the French Institute of Pondicherry in 2023, finding the bronzes had been photographed in Tamil Nadu temples between 1956 and 1959 and removed in violation of Indian laws. This follows the museum's December return of three Khmer-period sculptures to Cambodia, also determined to be looted.

grolier club

The Grolier Club, a private members-only society for bibliophiles on New York's Upper East Side, has opened a free public exhibition titled "Paper Jane: 250 Years of Austen," tracing Jane Austen's legacy through rare books, letters, and archival material. Organized over three years by three club members—Mary Crawford, Janine Barchas, and Sandra Clark—the show draws entirely from their personal collections, charting Austen's rise from relative anonymity to literary canonization.

bonhams posted significant losses 2024

Bonhams, the UK-based auction house, reported a nearly 90% surge in pre-tax losses to £213 million ($286.3 million) in 2024, alongside a 9% revenue decline to £176 million ($236.6 million), according to filings with Companies House. The losses were driven by £153 million in impairment charges due to reduced cash flow forecasts, reflecting a write-down on the investment value held by former owner Epiris. The house was sold to Pemberton Asset Management in October 2024, and subsequently saw a leadership overhaul, with Seth Johnson appointed CEO, Liese Thomas as CFO, and Jennifer Babington as COO, replacing Chabi Nouri and Céline Assimon.

material art fair mexico city venue change stranger things

Feria Material, a satellite art fair to Mexico City's Zona Maco, is moving its venue just six weeks before its February 5–8 edition. The fair will relocate from Expo Reforma to Maravilla Studios, a renovated historic factory in Colonia Atlampa, because Expo Reforma is hosting "Stranger Things: The Experience," a Netflix immersive activation, through the end of February. Material cofounder Brett W. Schultz told ARTnews that the fair exhausted all options to stay at Expo Reforma but faced limited venue options and skyrocketing rental prices in Mexico City. Maravilla Studios offered a similar price and features a single-level layout with high ceilings, polished concrete floors, and outdoor spaces, which the fair's production team sees as an improvement over the previous two-floor, carpeted venue.

ubs report billionaires spend more art antiques

UBS's eleventh Billionaire Ambitions Report reveals that global billionaire wealth hit a record $15.8 trillion in 2025, with the number of billionaires rising 8.8% to nearly 3,000. The report, based on a survey of 87 ultra-wealthy clients, found that 27% plan to increase their investment in art and antiques, while 65% intend to maintain current levels—totaling 92% of respondents. Enthusiasm is strongest in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (35% planning increases), followed by Asia-Pacific (25%), and weakest in the Americas (15%).

widow sues new york auction house stamp collection

Shelley Entner, a Florida widow, is suing Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries in New York for the return of her late husband Stanley Marks' stamp collection, valued at up to $2 million. Entner claims some stamps are missing from the collection, which Marks began in 1937 and continued until his death in 2016. The auction house sold the international portion in 2016 for $750,000, but Entner says a recent inspection revealed missing US stamps. The auction house denies the allegations, stating Entner changed her mind about auctioning the collection and refuses to reimburse $56,000 in insurance costs, while offering to return the stamps.

mutter museum philadelphia new policy human remains

The Mütter Museum in Philadelphia, a medical history institution that has faced controversy over its handling of human remains, announced a new policy on August 19 for exhibiting its collection. The policy shifts focus toward the lives of patients and changes in medical history, developed through the two-year Postmortem Project involving focus groups and public meetings. The announcement follows backlash after former executive director Kate Quinn removed online exhibits in June 2023 as part of an ethical review, and subsequent staff departures.

rapa nui easter island moai statues sea levels flooding

A new study published in the Journal of Cultural Heritage warns that rising sea levels will impact Chile’s Rapa Nui National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site, by 2080. Coastal flooding threatens at least 51 culturally significant artifacts, including the iconic Moai statues—nearly 1,000 volcanic tuff figures created by a native Polynesian tribe over 500 years ago, some weighing up to 80 tons. Researchers from the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa used advanced computer models to simulate wave patterns and map projected flooding, overlaying this data with the locations of cultural assets provided by local partners.

three men convicted celtic gold coins theft germany

Three men were convicted for stealing 483 ancient Celtic gold coins from the Kelten Römer Museum in Manching, Germany, in November 2022. The coins, dating to the 3rd century BCE and valued at several million euros, were discovered in 1999 near Manching. The thieves cut off telephone and internet service to the entire town to prevent the museum from contacting authorities. A court in Ingolstadt sentenced the men to prison terms ranging from four years and nine months to 11 years for gang robbery; a fourth defendant was acquitted of the museum heist but convicted for other thefts. DNA evidence linked the group to a string of robberies across Germany and Austria since 2014, and some coins were melted down, with 70 lost.

protest sparks over sijena murals

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.