News
Kara Walker Satirizes Britain's Public Sculptures with a Monument to Trans-Atlantic Slavery
Kara Walker upends the Tate Modern with a massive fountain, renewing the debate about the nature of public monuments in the heart of violent empire.
United Kingdom
News
Hundreds of Art Workers Join Global Climate Strike in London
On Friday, September 20, around 200 art workers, many of whom have been staunchly urging UK institutions to divest from oil sponsorship, left work and took to the streets to take part in the world’s largest-ever climate protest.
News
Rubens and Hirst Among 46 Objects Donated to British Museums in £58.6 Million Tax Deal
The "cultural gifts" and "acceptance in lieu" schemes arrange tax breaks for the wealthy in exchange for valuable artworks going to the nation's museums. Some say the arrangement has saved local cultural institutions.
In Brief
The Hidden Secrets of Leonardo da Vinci's "Virgin of the Rocks"
Advanced imaging techniques have revealed Leonardo's original design to be vastly different from the final product.
In Brief
Wheelchair User Criticizes Tate Modern for Inaccessibility Issues at Olafur Eliasson Exhibition
The Tate has responded, saying that the tunnel sculpture in question "cannot be made safely accessible for wheelchair users."
Art
The Sprawling Ecologies of Olafur Eliasson
The curators of Olafur Eliasson: In Real Life have highlighted the the open-endedness of his practice by allowing the exhibition to spill out over the boundaries of the ticketed space into corridors, the terrace outside, and other places.
In Brief
Six-Year-Old Boy In Critical Condition After Being Thrown From Tate Modern’s Balcony
Police say the suspect is a 17-year-old who did not know the young child.
In Brief
Objects by Climate Activists Go on Display at Victoria and Albert Museum
The museum acquired a selection of flags, prints, and designs by Extinction Rebellion, a recently formed environmental activist group, for its permanent collection.
In Brief
London Activists Fly a "Boris Blimp" to Mock UK's New Prime Minister
A nine-foot "Boris Blimp," inspired by by the bloated "Baby Trump" balloon, was flown in the skies of London during an anti-Brexit march.
In Brief
British Museum Workers Issue Statement in Support of Trustee Who Resigned
Members of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) Union Culture Group have expressed their solidarity with Ahdaf Soueif, who recently resigned from the board and cited the museum’s endorsement of the oil company BP, its silence on the restitution of cultural artifacts, and labor issues as reasons
In Brief
British Museum Trustee Resigns, Citing Oil Funding and Restitution Inaction
In a public resignation letter, Egyptian-British novelist Ahdaf Soueif named the museum's endorsement of the oil giant British Petroleum (BP) and its inaction on the issue of artifact restitution as some of the reasons for her resignation.
News
78 Prominent Artists Demand National Portrait Gallery End its Relationship with BP
Signatories, including artists Antony Gormley, Anish Kapoor, and Rachel Whiteread, want the museum to end its relationship with the oil company.