high vat rates art sales spain protest reina sofia 1234774135

Hundreds of artists, gallery owners, and collectors staged coordinated sit-ins at major Spanish museums, including the Museo Reina Sofía, to protest the country's 21 percent Value Added Tax (VAT) on art sales. Demonstrators gathered around Richard Serra’s 'Equal-Parallel/Guernica-Bengasi'—a replica of a work that famously vanished from storage—to symbolize the potential disappearance of the Spanish art sector under current fiscal pressures. The protests included demands for the resignation of the culture and finance ministers and calls for tax parity with European neighbors.

climate activists deface christopher columbus painting on day marking his arrival to americas 1234756823

Two activists from the climate group Futuro Vegetal were arrested on October 12 after throwing biodegradable red paint on José Garnelo's 1892 painting *First Tribute to Christopher Columbus* at the Naval Museum in Madrid. The protest occurred on Spain's National Day, which commemorates Columbus's arrival in the Americas. The activists unfurled a banner reading “October 12, nothing to celebrate. Ecosocial justice” and were charged with crimes against cultural heritage. Separately, about 20 activists from Marea Palestina staged a sit-in around Picasso's *Guernica* at the Reina Sofía Museum, demanding an end to “the genocide against the Palestinian people,” temporarily closing the gallery.

civil rights photographer bob adelman obituary 455654

Photographer Bob Adelman was found dead in his Miami home at age 85, with head injuries likely from a fall. Adelman began his career photographing New York jazz clubs, studied under Harper’s Bazaar art director Alexey Brodovitch, and became a protégé of presidential photographer Jacques Lowe. He earned a master’s degree in philosophy from Columbia and was a member of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), using his camera to document the Civil Rights movement—including sit-ins, the Selma-to-Montgomery march, and Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech. He also photographed cultural figures such as Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Samuel Beckett, and Jim Morrison.

France Restitutes Talking Drum to Ivory Coast; Will Free Entry to UK Museums End Soon? Morning Links for February 23, 2026

france restitutes talking drum to ivory coast will free entry to uk museums to end soon morning links for february 23 2026 1234774139

France has officially repatriated the 'talking drum,' or Djidji Ayokwe, to the Ivory Coast after it was seized by colonial officers in 1916. The restitution required a specific act of French law to remove the artifact from the national collection at the Musée du Quai Branly. Simultaneously, the Spanish art community is staging sit-in protests at the Reina Sofia Museum to demand a reduction in the 21 percent VAT on art sales, while the UK faces a growing debate over ending free museum entry due to a significant deficit at the National Gallery.

centre for contemporary arts glasgow closure protest 1234746308

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.