Vasari Art Codex

article news schedule Apr 7, 2026 visibility 45 link 65 artists, 8 galleries

100 Masterpieces to See at the Art Institute of Chicago

The Art Institute of Chicago has released a curated guide to 100 essential masterpieces within its massive one-million-square-foot campus. The selection spans global art history, ranging from ancient Egyptian mummies and Greek statues to iconic American sculptures like Edward Kemeys’s bronze lions and Narcissa Niblack Thorne’s intricate miniature rooms. The list is designed to help visitors navigate the museum's vast collection by grouping works by their physical location within the galleries.

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article news schedule Nov 6, 2025 visibility 12 link 12 artists, 1 gallery

us venice biennale plans collapse gagosian and wes anderson join forces for joseph cornell show and more morning links for november 6 2025 1234760347

The US government selected artist Robert Lazzarini and curator John Ravenal to represent the United States at the 2026 Venice Biennale, coinciding with the 250th anniversary of America's founding. However, negotiations with a partner institution collapsed within three weeks, and the commission was withdrawn before any public announcement, leaving the international art world questioning who will ultimately represent the country. In other news, the original cover photograph for David Bowie's album *Aladdin Sane* sold for £381,400 at Bonhams London, setting a new auction record. Gagosian has teamed up with filmmaker Wes Anderson to recreate Joseph Cornell's New York studio in Paris for an exhibition titled "The House of Utopia Parkway: Joseph Cornell's Studio Reimagined by Wes Anderson." The long-anticipated opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum has reignited calls for the British Museum to repatriate the Rosetta Stone, and a Denver-based cryptocurrency entrepreneur has unveiled a plan to build a 450-foot-tall statue of Prometheus on Alcatraz Island.

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article news schedule Sep 18, 2025 visibility 5 link 7 artists, 5 galleries

florida art history professor suspended over charlie kirk comments controversial bayeux tapestry transfer is delayed and more morning links for september 18 2025 1234752605

An art history professor at Florida Atlantic University, Karen Leader, has been placed on administrative leave following social media posts about Charlie Kirk, a murdered activist. The suspension has sparked debate over free speech, with Leader stating her comments addressed Kirk's past statements rather than his killing. Separately, the Bayeux Tapestry's planned transfer for restoration ahead of its loan to the British Museum has been delayed due to national strikes in France, with authorities citing security concerns. Other news includes the evacuation of artifacts from Gaza City, the disappearance of a 3,000-year-old gold bracelet from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, and Christie's upcoming sale of a David Hockney double portrait expected to fetch over $50 million.

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article news schedule Jul 9, 2025 source 2 sources visibility 5 link 3 artists, 6 galleries

art basel qatar wael shawky artistic director 1234747075

Art Basel has appointed artist Wael Shawky as the artistic director of its upcoming fair in Doha, Qatar, scheduled to open in February. This marks a departure from the company's usual practice of selecting directors from the commercial art world. Shawky, who represented Egypt at the Venice Biennale and has had solo exhibitions at Tate Modern and MoMA PS1, will curate around 50 single-artist presentations across two venues, M7 and the Doha Design District, with equal pricing for exhibitors initially. A selection committee including dealers from international and regional galleries will assist in choosing participants.

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article news schedule Sep 3, 2025 visibility 4 link 6 artists, 1 gallery

an insiders guide to frieze seoul newly found nazi loot goes missing a look at the new national museum of uzbekistan and more morning links for august 28 2025 1234750337

A Nazi-looted painting, *Portrait of a Lady* by Giuseppe Ghislandi, was spotted in a house in Argentina via real estate photos, but vanished before police could seize it. The work once belonged to Jewish dealer Jacques Goudstikker and was linked to SS officer Friedrich Kadgien. Separately, Egyptian doctor Ashraf Eldarir was jailed in the US for smuggling 590 ancient artifacts, using fabricated provenance. Other news includes the upcoming National Museum of Uzbekistan designed by Tadao Ando, a Banksy work moving to London Museum, and an insider's guide to Frieze Seoul.

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person people schedule Jan 5, 2026 visibility 5 link 7 artists, 2 galleries

the monument maker barbara chase riboud 2650705

Barbara Chase-Riboud, now 86, reflects on her transformative 1958 trip to Egypt, which she undertook on a dare as a 19-year-old student at the American Academy in Rome. The journey, during which she explored the pyramids and temples of Luxor and Karnak alone, profoundly influenced her artistic practice, leading her to create abstract bronze sculptures that evoke ancient Egyptian forms. The article traces her remarkable career as a sculptor and writer, highlighting her many firsts: the first Black female artist acquired by MoMA (at age 16), the first Black woman to earn an MFA from Yale, the first living female artist to have a solo show at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the only visual artist to appear on the cover of Ebony.

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article news schedule Jun 20, 2025 visibility 3 link 3 artists, 2 galleries

curtis yarvin us pavilion venice biennale titian proposal 1234745778

Curtis Yarvin, a computer engineer and far-right political thinker, has proposed a controversial US Pavilion for the 2026 Venice Biennale centered on Titian's *Rape of Europa* (1559–62), on loan from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. Yarvin is collaborating with Dutch Egyptian artist Tarik Sadouma on the concept, which he describes as "rape-themed," though he notes room for feminist perspectives. The proposal, first reported by the *New Yorker* and detailed further by *Vanity Fair*, includes alternative plans such as forging and burning the painting or using AI if the loan is denied. Applications for the pavilion close July 30, with a final decision expected later in the summer.

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article news schedule Dec 9, 2025 visibility 9 link 19 artists, 9 galleries

paint drippings art industry news jul 14 2667315

This week's art industry news includes Art Basel appointing Egyptian artist Wael Shawky as artistic director of its first Middle East fair, Art Basel Qatar, running February 5–7, 2026. A new fair called Loading… debuts in Hudson, N.Y., during Upstate Art Weekend, while Vienna Contemporary names Abaseh Mirvali as artistic director. Bonhams offers material from Roy Lichtenstein's Hamptons home, and a legendary Le Birkin handbag sells for €8.5 million at Sotheby's Paris. Galleries see Hollis Taggart adding two artists, Adam Lindemann closing Venus Over Manhattan, and Berlin's Meyer Riegger and Paris's Galerie Jocelyn Wolff opening a joint Seoul gallery. Museums include the Zayed National Museum opening in Abu Dhabi, Shamim M. Momin named director of the Bronx Museum, and the Baltimore Museum of Art acquiring 150 new works. The Art Bridges Foundation and Crystal Bridges acquire 90 Indigenous artworks, and the Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt opens a temporary location. In legal news, DHS officials visited the National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture in Chicago.

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article culture schedule Jul 22, 2025 visibility 5 link 8 artists, 3 galleries

how ancient egypt influenced modern art 2665864

The article explores how ancient Egyptian art and design have influenced modern Western aesthetics, from Empire furniture to Art Deco. It traces the phenomenon of 'Egyptomania' back to the 19th century, when European artists and archaeologists like Dominique Vivant Denon, Jean-Léon Gérôme, and Howard Carter brought Egyptian motifs and artifacts to public attention. The piece highlights three key examples: the adoption of Egyptian-inspired Empire furniture under Napoleon, the use of Nubian tribute scenes in decorative arts, and the impact of King Tutankhamun's tomb discovery on early 20th-century design.

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article news schedule Mar 31, 2026 source 2 sources visibility 31 link 2 artists, 5 galleries

The Louvre Remains the World’s Most-Visited Museum, with Competition Coming from the Middle East and Asia in 2025

The Louvre maintained its position as the world's most-visited museum in 2025, drawing approximately 9 million visitors according to the Art Newspaper's annual ranking. The Vatican Museums and the National Museum of Korea in Seoul followed closely, rounding out a top ten list that includes major institutions in London, New York, and Shanghai. Overall, about 200 million people visited the top 100 museums globally, a figure still below the pre-pandemic 2019 peak of 230 million.

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trending_up market schedule Feb 12, 2026 visibility 4 link 2 artists, 1 gallery

henry moore sculpture worth 15 m to headline christies 20th 21st century evening sale in london this spring 1234773231

A major bronze sculpture by Henry Moore, 'King and Queen' (1952-53), will be the top lot at Christie's 20th/21st Century evening sale in London on March 5. The work, estimated at £15 million ($20.5 million), is the first cast from an edition and the only one remaining in private hands, having been acquired directly from the artist by its current anonymous owner.

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article news schedule Dec 18, 2025 visibility 6 link 5 artists, 1 gallery

rothschilds mini louvre at center of family feud british museum on decolonization mission and more morning links for december 18 2025 1234767389

The British Museum is lending 80 significant Greek and Egyptian artifacts to Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS) as part of a new initiative promoting "decolonization through collaboration" rather than restitution. Director Nicholas Cullinan described the long-term loans as a form of "cultural diplomacy" that offers a constructive alternative to ownership disputes. Separately, the Rothschild family's secretive private art collection at Château de Pregny, dubbed a "mini-Louvre," is at the center of a legal battle between Nadine de Rothschild and her daughter-in-law Ariane de Rothschild over whether the artworks should remain in the château or be moved to a public museum in Geneva.

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person people schedule Jan 7, 2026 visibility 21 link 5 artists, 5 galleries

magdalene odundo interview 2718381

Magdalene Odundo, the 75-year-old Kenyan-born British ceramic artist, discusses her lifelong practice and the cultural and spiritual significance of the ceramic vessel in a recent interview at her studio in Farnham, England. Her career has reached new heights following a record auction result this past summer, when an untitled 1990 piece sold for £723,900 ($995,462) at Sotheby's London, nearly tripling its estimate. This milestone coincides with her debut solo exhibition at Xavier Hufkens in Brussels, running until January 24, featuring works including the large-scale installation Transition II (2014) with 1,001 miniature glass vessels.

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museum exhibitions schedule Apr 29, 2026 visibility 8 link 11 artists, 1 gallery

Au boulot ! 10 œuvres qui célèbrent le travail

Beaux Arts Magazine presents a feature on ten artworks that celebrate labor, from ancient Egyptian frescoes to modern depictions of workers. The article highlights pieces such as Pieter Brueghel the Elder's "The Harvesters" (1565), Diego Velázquez's "The Spinners" (c. 1657), and Johannes Vermeer's "The Milkmaid" (c. 1660), examining how artists have elevated peasant, artisan, and domestic work from background detail to central subject. The feature coincides with the Musée d'Orsay's nationwide initiative "100 œuvres qui racontent le travail" (100 Works That Tell the Story of Work), which explores the history and representation of labor in art.

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article policy schedule Feb 16, 2026 visibility 3 link 1 artist, 1 gallery

british museum palestine backlash 2746017

The British Museum has revised labels for ancient Middle Eastern artifacts in its Levant and Egypt galleries, removing the term 'Palestine' from descriptions of ancient civilizations. The institution states the changes are part of an ongoing review, driven by audience feedback and a recognition that the term is no longer historically neutral due to contemporary political sensitivities.

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article culture schedule Jan 28, 2026 visibility 6 link 5 artists, 1 gallery

zahi hawass the man with the hat documentary 2737435

Zahi Hawass, the 78-year-old former Egyptian minister for antiquities, is the subject of a new self-mythologizing documentary titled "The Man With the Hat." The film recounts his rise to international fame through countless TV appearances, his role in overseeing major discoveries like the 3,000-year-old "lost golden city" in Luxor, and his leadership in building the $1 billion Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM). Hawass is also shown advocating for the repatriation of artifacts such as the Nefertiti bust and the Rosetta Stone, while sidestepping controversies that have marked his career.

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museum exhibitions schedule Apr 15, 2026 visibility 43 link 5 artists

Met Museum to Stage Giacometti Show in Temple of Dendur This Summer

The Metropolitan Museum of Art has announced a rare exhibition of Alberto Giacometti’s sculptures to be staged within the iconic Temple of Dendur this summer. Titled “Giacometti in the Temple of Dendur,” the show will feature 17 works, including "Walking Woman (I)" and "Women of Venice," marking a significant departure for the ancient Egyptian site which seldom hosts temporary exhibitions.

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museum exhibitions schedule Nov 17, 2025 visibility 3 link 4 artists

auguste rodin egyptian collection exhibition nyu isaw 1234761903

A new exhibition titled “Rodin’s Egypt” opens November 19 at NYU’s Institute for the Study of the Ancient World (ISAW), exploring how ancient Egyptian art influenced Auguste Rodin’s sculptures. Guest curated by Bénédicte Garnier of the Musée Rodin in Paris, the show features 65 objects, including Rodin’s rarely seen assemblages that combine his plaster casts with Egyptian antiquities from his personal collection of over 1,000 Egyptian items. This marks the first US exhibition of Rodin’s Egyptian holdings.

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museum exhibitions schedule Apr 16, 2026 visibility 48 link 5 artists

Giacometti Meets the Gods in the Met’s Temple of Dendur Show

The Metropolitan Museum of Art has announced a landmark exhibition titled "Giacometti in the Temple of Dendur," which will place the Swiss sculptor’s slender, modernist figures within the museum’s iconic 1st-century B.C.E. Egyptian temple. Opening in June, the show features fourteen loans from the Fondation Giacometti alongside works from the Met’s permanent collection, including the placement of "Walking Woman (I)" inside the temple’s offering hall to mimic ancient cult statuary.

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article news schedule Dec 9, 2025 visibility 4 link 5 artists

louvre leak strike 2725275

A water pipe burst at the Musée du Louvre in Paris on November 26, damaging 300 to 400 archival documents related to Egyptian history in the Mollien Pavilion. The leak, which also posed a fire risk due to a nearby electrical cabinet, was followed by a smaller leak days later. Employees, represented by a coalition of unions including CGT, CFDT, and Sud, have voted unanimously to begin a rolling strike next Monday, demanding urgent renovations and the hiring of 200 new staff to restore the workforce to 2014 levels. The Louvre's director Laurence des Cars had previously warned that the museum's buildings were in "poor condition" and "no longer water tight," and a major renovation was announced, but pipe repairs were not scheduled until September 2026.

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museum exhibitions schedule Nov 25, 2025 visibility 2 link 5 artists

rodin egypt art collection show isaw 2717783

The Musée Rodin has brought Auguste Rodin's collection of ancient Egyptian art to the United States for the first time, in an exhibition titled "Rodin's Egypt" at New York University's Institute for the Study of the Ancient World (ISAW). The show presents about 60 objects across two galleries, including Egyptian artifacts Rodin collected from the 1890s onward, alongside a dozen of his own sculptures. Curated by Bénédicte Garnier and Roberta Casagrande-Kim, the exhibition highlights Rodin's deep engagement with Egyptian art and features loans from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, as well as objects tied to the Brummers family of art dealers.

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article culture schedule May 5, 2025 link 7 artists

art bites jan van eyck oil paint 2631103

The article debunks the long-held myth that Flemish painter Jan van Eyck invented oil painting, tracing the origin of the technique back to 7th-century Afghanistan. It recounts how Giorgio Vasari's 1550 biography "Lives of the Artists" falsely credited van Eyck with the invention after a story about the artist seeking a sun-proof medium. In reality, oil-based paints were used by Buddhist artists in the Bamiyan valley caves centuries earlier, and ancient Egyptians also combined oils with pigments for cosmetics.

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article policy schedule Oct 9, 2025 visibility 3 link 1 artist, 1 gallery

unesco new chief gaza and ukraine us exit anti israel bias 1234756336

UNESCO's executive board has nominated Khaled El-Enany Ezz as its sole candidate for the next director-general, following a decisive vote during the organization's meetings at United Nations High Week. El-Enany, a 54-year-old Egyptian professor of Egyptology and former minister of tourism and antiquities, previously oversaw the construction and renovation of more than 20 museums, including the Grand Egyptian Museum. He will be the first Arab to lead UNESCO, replacing outgoing director-general Audrey Azoulay.

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person people schedule Jul 2, 2025 visibility 4 link 3 artists, 3 galleries

rafik greisss photo paris new talent 1234746735

Dublin-born Egyptian artist Rafik Greiss discusses his practice and recent work in an interview conducted at a Paris café. Greiss, who recently presented a solo show titled “The Longest Sleep” at Galerie Balice Hertling in Paris, creates photographs and films that explore themes of loneliness, urban space, and religious experience. His 12-minute film *The Longest Sleep* (2024), shot in Cairo, depicts Sufi rituals and deserted fairgrounds, informed by neurotheology. Greiss prints his black-and-white photographs on thick Japanese paper, emphasizing the tactile signature of his lens-based work. He is currently considering exhibition invitations from institutions around the Mediterranean and plans to travel to Egypt to make new work.

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trending_up market schedule Feb 2, 2026 visibility 7 link 7 artists, 1 gallery

MENA Artists Are Having a Market Moment That’s Built to Last

Auction sales for artists from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region rose 9.4% to $33.2 million in 2025, driven by increased activity from international auction houses and the emergence of new hubs like Riyadh. The Sotheby's 'Origins' sale in Saudi Arabia achieved $17.3 million, setting artist records, while works from Lebanon, Egypt, and Iraq saw particularly strong gains, indicating a market rebalancing.

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museum exhibitions schedule Jan 22, 2026 visibility 6 link 12 artists, 1 gallery

Must-see exhibitions in 2026: APAC

The article highlights a curated selection of must-see art exhibitions across the Asia Pacific region in 2026. Key shows include Zao Wou-Ki's printmaking retrospective at M+ in Hong Kong, a major Cartier jewelry exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne, and a survey of Western landscape art from the Centre Pompidou collection. Other notable exhibitions feature ancient Egyptian treasures at the Hong Kong Palace Museum, as well as shows dedicated to Klimt, Van Gogh, and Vermeer in Taipei and Japan.

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museum exhibitions schedule Oct 3, 2025 visibility 4 link 12 artists, 1 gallery

Who made ancient Egyptian art? Plus, Michaelina Wautier, Robert Rauschenberg’s ‘Bed’—podcast

This episode of The Art Newspaper's podcast 'The Week in Art' covers three major art stories. Alexander Morrison visits the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge to explore 'Made in Ancient Egypt,' an exhibition revealing the untold stories of the craftspeople and techniques behind ancient Egyptian objects. Ben Luke speaks with Katlijne Van der Stighelen about the largest-ever exhibition of Baroque painter Michaelina Wautier at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, which will travel to the Royal Academy of Arts in London. The episode also features Robert Rauschenberg's iconic work 'Bed' (1955), part of the exhibition 'Five Friends' at the Museum Ludwig in Cologne, which brings together artists John Cage, Merce Cunningham, Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg, and Cy Twombly.

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museum exhibitions schedule Jul 9, 2025 visibility 5 link 5 artists, 6 galleries

Art Basel Qatar unveils new fair format and appoints Artistic Director

Art Basel has announced details for its inaugural edition in Qatar, set to take place from February 5 to 7, 2026, at the M7 creative hub in Doha's Design District. Departing from the traditional booth model, the fair will introduce an open-format exhibition centered on the theme 'Becoming,' with solo presentations by galleries responding to a central curatorial framework. Egyptian-born artist Wael Shawky has been appointed Artistic Director for the first edition, working alongside Art Basel's Chief Artistic Officer Vincenzo de Bellis to shape the curatorial vision and guide gallery selection. The fair will span two key venues—M7 and the Doha Design District—as well as public sites in Msheireb, and plans include transforming Qatar Museum's Fire Station into a platform for educational programs.

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article news schedule Mar 9, 2026 visibility 6 link 1 artist, 1 gallery

ancient egyptians correction fluid book of the dead 1234776392

Researchers at the Fitzwilliam Museum have discovered that ancient Egyptian scribes used a primitive form of correction fluid to amend errors on papyrus scrolls. While preparing a 3,300-year-old copy of the Book of the Dead for the tomb of the scribe Ramose, conservators noticed white lines of huntite and calcite mixed with yellow orpiment used to slim down a painted jackal. This 'ancient Wite-Out' was specifically blended to match the cream-colored tone of fresh papyrus, concealing revisions made during the artistic process.

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gavel restitution schedule Dec 19, 2025 visibility 2 link 2 artists, 1 gallery

british museum loans csmvs india 1234767692

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.

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