Artnews

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 »

The White House. Getty Images Regional arts organizations across the United States are speaking out against recent cuts made by the National Endowment for the Arts. In the last month, the Trump administration proposed budget cuts for the forthcoming fiscal year that would effectively eliminate the agency in 2026. In response, the NEA canceled many …

US Regional Arts Organizations Decry National Endowment for the Arts Cuts Read More »

Adam Heft Berninger Heft Editor’s Note: This story is part of Newsmakers, a new ARTnews series where we interview the movers and shakers who are making change in the art world. At a time when most headlines about the art market include the words slowdown or correction, Adam Heft Berninger is opening a gallery. Located on a perfectly gritty …

Why Open a Gallery Now? Artist-Curator Adam Heft Berninger Thinks the Timing Is Perfect Read More »

Diana Ross at the Met Gala. Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The On May 10, the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute will open “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” a landmark exhibition tracing over 300 years of Black fashion through the lens of dandyism. Co-curated by Monica L. Miller and Andrew Bolton, the show delves into how …

All the Best ‘Black Dandyism’ Looks from the 2025 Met Gala Read More »

Herculaneum Scroll PHerc. 172, ca. first century CE, Bodleian Libraries at Oxford University. Courtesy the Vesuvius Challenge The title and author of a charred scroll recovered from Herculaneum have been identified by researchers. The ancient Roman town of Herculaneum was encased in volcanic ash following the 79 CE eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Remaining there is …

Ancient Greek Author of Oxford’s Charred Herculaneum Scroll Revealed Read More »

Molemo Moiloa and Chao Tayiana Maina, founders of Open Restitution Africa. Photo Mekbib Tadesse Since British colonial officers confiscated the Ngadji drum in 1902, the Pokomo people in southeastern Kenya have witnessed a significant percentage of their community convert to Christianity or Islam. They can no longer perform certain traditional ceremonies. Prior to British colonial …

This African-Led Research Organization Aims to Change the Conversation Around Restitution Read More »

Chinese-born crypto founder Justin Sun seems to be enjoying the publicity that comes with buying a $6.2 million banana. AFP via Getty Images Justin Sun, the crypto billionaire who shot to art world notoriety after buying, and promptly eating, Maurizio Cattelan’s duct-taped banana, and has remained in the spotlight amid a legal dispute with collector David …

Amid Fraud Case, Collector Justin Sun Reportedly Spent $75 M. on Trump-Backed Crypto Firm Read More »