It was always a mistake to take the painter’s portraits at face value, writes Nancy Princenthal – and we shouldn’t have any illusions about the man either
The fate of the Shalva Amiranashvili Museum of Fine Arts in Tbilisi remains uncertain, with curators ordered to evacuate its vast collection within six months
The state has just shelled out €4million for the libertine’s most notorious work – how times have changed
The British artist was a titan of modern sculpture – and following his example, it would never be the same again
The Clash bassist’s pulverised instrument can now be worshipped at the Museum of London
With chaos in Lebanon and Beirut in crisis, the resilience of the city’s artists and heritage workers is something of a miracle
Museums should lead conversations about archives and artefacts gathered in former colonies – and not leave the objects gathering dust
Two documentaries on the ‘lost Leonardo’ have found the story’s sensationalism irresistible – but hard facts are as absent as the painting itself
As calls grow for the return of objects acquired during the colonial era, the assessment of claims requires an independent process
Nicholas Goodison had a distinguished career in the City – but he will also be remembered for his scholarly and philanthropic contributions to the arts
The discovery of an engraved bone in Germany offers yet more evidence that our distant cousins were creatively minded
The privatisation of public space in UK cities means that artists are being made to feel increasingly unwelcome
The disappointing bronze figure raises the difficult question of what a well-dressed statue should wear these days
The sale at auction raises complex questions about who owns the internet today
Union drives have accelerated during the pandemic, but museum workers have been frustrated with management for years, write Dana Kopel and Maxwell L. Anderson
The artist has partnered up with WeTransfer to create a digital version of the Abramovic Method, a series of exercises that will test your patience to its limit
The museum has agreed to give back two plaques in its collection that were taken illegally from Nigeria after 1960. Why now?
With mass tourism poised to return, have local politicians and cultural leaders finally worked out how to manage the crowds?
Mars has never seemed closer, with rovers spamming us with photos from its surface
With the government waging its 'culture war', the independence of national museums is at stake, write Chris Smith and Margot Finn
Stolen objects include the rosary that Mary, Queen of Scots took to her execution
Long thought lost by scholars, a spectacular silver gilt monstrance by Luigi Valadier has now been tracked down to a Central American basilica
Even if the Cerne Abbas giant is Anglo-Saxon, that doesn't make it pagan – after all, Christians were no prudes in those days
The appeal to save Britain’s oldest place of manufacture has been rejected and the foundry will become a boutique hotel. How could Historic England have let this happen?
Georgia’s greatest museum has been saved from demolition, apparently – but for how long?
The fate of the Shalva Amiranashvili Museum of Fine Arts in Tbilisi remains uncertain, with curators ordered to evacuate its vast collection within six months
How the Marquis de Sade became a pillar of the French establishment
The state has just shelled out €4million for the libertine’s most notorious work – how times have changed
‘He transformed how sculpture is made’ – a tribute to Phillip King (1934–2021)
The British artist was a titan of modern sculpture – and following his example, it would never be the same again
How a smashed-up bass guitar became the ultimate punk rock relic
The Clash bassist’s pulverised instrument can now be worshipped at the Museum of London
A year after the blast, Beirut is in crisis – but look hard, and there are small signs of hope
With chaos in Lebanon and Beirut in crisis, the resilience of the city’s artists and heritage workers is something of a miracle
What should happen to colonial collections that weren’t looted?
Museums should lead conversations about archives and artefacts gathered in former colonies – and not leave the objects gathering dust
The saga of the Salvator Mundi is catnip for film-makers
Two documentaries on the ‘lost Leonardo’ have found the story’s sensationalism irresistible – but hard facts are as absent as the painting itself
We need a fair and formal process for restitution claims – but what would that look like?
As calls grow for the return of objects acquired during the colonial era, the assessment of claims requires an independent process
Remembering Sir Nicholas Goodison (1934–2021), the City grandee with a scholar’s eye for the decorative arts
Nicholas Goodison had a distinguished career in the City – but he will also be remembered for his scholarly and philanthropic contributions to the arts
The cultural lives of the Neanderthals
The discovery of an engraved bone in Germany offers yet more evidence that our distant cousins were creatively minded
Why are painters getting pushed out of public spaces?
The privatisation of public space in UK cities means that artists are being made to feel increasingly unwelcome
Diana was a fashion icon, so why is her statue in Kensington Gardens so badly dressed?
The disappointing bronze figure raises the difficult question of what a well-dressed statue should wear these days
Tim Berners-Lee said the World Wide Web was for everyone, so why has he sold its source code as an NFT?
The sale at auction raises complex questions about who owns the internet today
Will unions make a difference at US museums?
Union drives have accelerated during the pandemic, but museum workers have been frustrated with management for years, write Dana Kopel and Maxwell L. Anderson
The path to self-improvement, according to Marina Abramovic
The artist has partnered up with WeTransfer to create a digital version of the Abramovic Method, a series of exercises that will test your patience to its limit
The Met ought to have returned two stolen Benin Bronzes years ago
The museum has agreed to give back two plaques in its collection that were taken illegally from Nigeria after 1960. Why now?
Can Italy solve its tourist troubles?
With mass tourism poised to return, have local politicians and cultural leaders finally worked out how to manage the crowds?
The Martian landscape is magical but mundane – though it would be a mistake to start taking it for granted
Mars has never seemed closer, with rovers spamming us with photos from its surface
Is the ‘arm’s-length’ principle under threat in UK museums?
With the government waging its 'culture war', the independence of national museums is at stake, write Chris Smith and Margot Finn
The heist at Arundel Castle means a heartbreaking loss of heritage
Stolen objects include the rosary that Mary, Queen of Scots took to her execution
A masterpiece of Roman design, rediscovered in Nicaragua
Long thought lost by scholars, a spectacular silver gilt monstrance by Luigi Valadier has now been tracked down to a Central American basilica
Would medieval Christians have blushed at a giant chalk erection?
Even if the Cerne Abbas giant is Anglo-Saxon, that doesn't make it pagan – after all, Christians were no prudes in those days
The sad, shameful demise of the Whitechapel Bell Foundry
The appeal to save Britain’s oldest place of manufacture has been rejected and the foundry will become a boutique hotel. How could Historic England have let this happen?