Politics Artists Pulled a ‘Borat’ on the Art World by Pretending to Steal a Joseph Beuys From Germany and Giving It Tanzania as a Comment on Colonial Plunder [UPDATED] The brazen group of German artists have even created a video documenting their actions. By Kate Brown, Oct 23, 2020
Politics German Museums Are Embarking on Long-Overdue Research Into Chinese Colonial-Era Objects as Part of a €1.1 Million Grant The German Lost Art Foundation has announced its third round of research funding. By Kate Brown, Oct 22, 2020
Art World An Art Foundation Has Pledged €100,000 in Aid to a Group of German Museums Attacked by Vandals. But Security Questions Still Linger The perpetrators of the attack remain at large. By Kate Brown, Oct 22, 2020
Art World Vandals Attacked 70 Artworks in Berlin Museums in Broad Daylight—and Commentators Are Linking the Incident to Far-Right Conspiracy Theorists An oily liquid was poured on many works in what has been called the worst attack on art and antiquities in post-war Germany. By Kate Brown, Oct 21, 2020
Art World As They Hang on to Survive, Hundreds of UK Arts Institutions Will Get Another $98 Million From the British Government News of the grants comes a week after the Arts Council England announced it would give away £257 million to more than 1,300 additional organizations. By Kate Brown, Oct 20, 2020
Reviews ‘How Does Information and the Body Travel Now, When People Cannot?’: Frieze Live’s Experimental New Format Probes New Possibilities for Performance Art The fair's performance platform boldly experimented with physical performances for digital audiences. By Kate Brown, Oct 12, 2020
Art World The Netherlands Should Return Cultural Objects Looted From Former Colonies, a New Report Says—and Major Museums Agree The government is expected to respond to the recommendations in early 2021. By Kate Brown, Oct 9, 2020
Art Fairs Two Innovative Brazilian Galleries Have Set Up ‘Surrogate’ Frieze London Booths Back Home in Rio de Janeiro A Gentil Carioca and Fortes D'Aloia & Gabriel are trying out a clever approach to the online viewing room. By Kate Brown, Oct 8, 2020
Auctions Deutsche Bank Will Sell Off 200 Modern Works From Its Corporate Collection to Pivot Its Focus to Contemporary Art The bank, which says it wants to buy more "up-and-coming talents," bought several works at Frieze London. By Kate Brown, Oct 8, 2020
Galleries The Top 17 Percent of Germany’s Art Galleries Made 80 Percent of All Revenue Last Year, a New Report Finds "Gallery sales are extremely unevenly distributed," the authors of the study say. By Kate Brown, Oct 7, 2020
Art World With Right-Wing Extremism on the Rise, the Albertinum Museum Has Become an Epicenter of Germany’s New Culture Wars The prestigious institution will soon open a major exhibition on the East German legacy of US civil rights activist Angela Davis. By Kate Brown, Oct 6, 2020
Art World After Ditching Its Colonialist Name, a Dutch Art Institution Has Renamed Itself After a Female Working-Class ‘Anti-Hero’ The institution formerly as the Witte de With will now be called the Kunstinstituut Melly. By Kate Brown, Oct 2, 2020
Law & Politics Activists Who Seized an African Statue From a Paris Museum Are Now on Trial. Their Argument: It Wasn’t Theft, It Was Political Protest Prosecutors downgraded the fine to just €1,000 for the group's leader and €500 each for his associates. By Kate Brown, Oct 1, 2020
Market Who Is Huang Yuxing? Barely Known Outside China, He’s One of the Year’s Breakout Art Stars, With Paintings Already Cracking $1 Million A vibrant work by the Beijing painter was among the priciest works sold by young artists this year. Who is he? By Kate Brown, Sep 29, 2020
Galleries In Germany’s Latest Bailout for the Arts, the Government Is Spending $18.7 Million to Keep Commercial Galleries Afloat The federal government is releasing funds specifically aimed at helping commercial galleries with their early 2021 programming. By Kate Brown, Sep 28, 2020