Artnews

The Magna Carta in London. Photo Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images A Magna Carta classified by Harvard as an unofficial copy for almost 80 years has been declared as an original issued by Edward I from 1300, the university has announced. The discovery means that there are now seven surviving copies of the first document to effectively …

Harvard’s Magna Carta, Listed as ‘Unofficial’ for 80 Years, Turns Out to Be Real Read More »

Ana Pellicer. Courtesy Mexican Culture Ministry Ana Pellicer, a sculptor beloved in her home country of Mexico for her copper creations, has died at 79. Mexico’s culture ministry announced her death this week but did not state a cause. Pellicer has received international praise in the past decade for the jewelry she made for the …

Ana Pellicer, Mexican Sculptor Who Made Jewelry for the Statue of Liberty, Dies at 79 Read More »

The White House. Photo Alex Wong/Getty Images A class action lawsuit was filed Monday by the Authors Guild, along with independent scholars and writers, against the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and officials within the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) for terminating millions in committed grants from Congressional funds. The lawsuit argues that these …

The Authors Guild Sues the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Department of Government Efficiency Read More »

A view of the Metropolitan Museum of Art building in New York City, United States on July 15, 2024. NurPhoto via Getty Images The Metropolitan Museum of Art has received a promised gift of more than 6,500 photographic works from German American collector Artur Walther and the Walther Family Foundation, which operates photography-focused exhibition spaces …

Met Receives ‘Trailblazing’ Photography Gift from Collector Artur Walther Read More »

The Sainsbury Wing’s rehang. Getty Images To celebrate its 200th anniversary, London’s National Gallery has recently revamped its Sainsbury Wing, a transformation that has taken three years and $113 million. It was an arduous process, and one that has not always received positive attention. But when I met Gabriele Finaldi, director of London’s National Gallery, …

London’s National Gallery Reopens Its Sainsbury Wing, Now ‘More Approachable’ Than Ever Read More »

German Historical Museum, new building, Pei Building, behind the foundry, Mitte, Berlin, Germany. (Photo by: Bildagentur-online/Schoening/Universal Images Group via Getty Images) Bildagentur-online/Universal Ima A nearly century-long legal battle over royal property has ended, as Germany’s federal government and the states of Berlin and Brandenburg reached a settlement with the descendants of a German noble family …

Germany Settles Century-Long Restitution Dispute Over Royal Property Read More »

Larry Gagosian. Getty Images The Hamptons’ favorite indie bookstore has found a savior—and it’s not Oprah, but the art world’s most powerful art dealer. Larry Gagosian has quietly purchased BookHampton, the beloved East Hampton shop that’s served readers and summer people for decades. Owner Carolyn Brody, who bought the store in 2016, announced last fall …

Larry Gagosian Buys BookHampton to Keep Pages Turning in East Hampton Read More »

Drents Museum, in Assen, January 29, 2025. ANP/AFP via Getty Images Dutch officials now believe the suspects involved in a heist of Dacian gold artifacts from the Drents Museum in Assen earlier this year hid the artifacts after failing to sell them on the black market, Romania Insider reported Monday. The theory offers the possibility …

Dutch Authorities Suspect Stolen Dacian Gold Remains Hidden, Not Sold Read More »

Sotheby’s sales floor during the Modern Evening Sale, May 2025. Brendon Cook/BFA.com Sotheby’s modern art evening sale in New York on Tuesday night collectively hammered at $152 million, or $186.4 million with buyer’s premium, across 60 lots. Fifty works sold, for a sell-through rate of 83.3 percent. Roughly 40 percent of the lots exceeded their …

Giacometti Bust Flops While Frank Lloyd Wright Lamp Soars at Sotheby’s $186.4 M. Modern Sale Read More »

The National Museum of the American Indian, a Smithsonian institution in Washington, D.C. Getty Images A group of 71 House Democrats is urging the inspector general of the Smithsonian Institution to investigate a March executive order by President Donald Trump, warning that the directive could breach federal law and threaten the museum network’s autonomy. In …

Lawmakers Seek Probe into Trump’s Executive Order Targeting Museum Content Read More »