Archaeology & History Archaeologists Are Using Incredible Photographs From This Cold War-Era Spy Satellite to Unlock Secrets of World History Some of the earliest satellite photography has been declassified, and is proving a boon to all different kinds of research. By Sarah Cascone, Jan 8, 2021
Law & Politics In a Win for UK Antiquities Dealers, Britain Will Abandon the EU’s Strict Regulations on Importing Cultural Heritage Now That It’s Finalized Brexit The regulations were conceived as a way to curb the illegal trafficking of cultural goods. By Taylor Dafoe, Jan 6, 2021
Law & Politics Lawmakers Are Cracking Down on the ‘Unregulated’ US Art Market. Here’s How a New Anti-Money Laundering Law Will Affect Dealers The new regulations target antiquities dealers, but could soon apply across the art market. By Eileen Kinsella, Jan 6, 2021
Archaeology & History The Extraordinary Discovery of a 1,000-Year-Old Chinese Coin in the UK May Give Proof of a Global Medieval Trade Route Two medieval Chinese coins have now been discovered in the UK. By Sarah Cascone, Jan 5, 2021
Auctions Top Auction Houses Saw Total Sales Drop in 2020—But Sotheby’s Outpaced Rival Christie’s With $5 Billion in Revenue Private sales, online sales, and demand from Asia are driving growth. By Eileen Kinsella, Dec 18, 2020
Art World French Authorities Seized More Than 27,000 Potentially Looted Archaeological Artifacts Hoarded by a Single Collector in Belgium The suspect said he found ancient Roman coins in his apple orchard in Belgium, but experts say that is impossible. By Sarah Cascone, Dec 17, 2020
Art World A 500-Year-Old Aztec Tower of Human Skulls Is Even More Terrifyingly Humongous Than Previously Thought, Archaeologists Find Spanish conquistadors destroyed the Huei Tzompantli tower, but archaeologist are unearthing its ruins. By Sarah Cascone, Dec 16, 2020
Art World A Dutch Architecture Firm Is Building an Underwater Museum Around a 271-Year-Old Shipwreck—See the Incredible Plans Here But first, they have to relocate the waterlogged vessel from England to Amsterdam. By Artnet News, Dec 15, 2020
Auctions Here Are the 10 Most Expensive Works of Art Sold at Auction in 2020—and Why They Fetched the Prices They Did Plus, who bought and sold them (when we could figure it out). By Eileen Kinsella, Dec 14, 2020
Art World The Venus of Willendorf and Other Voluptuous Ancient Figures May Have Been ‘Ideological Tools’ to Shape Body-Image Norms The Ice Age figures may have been worn as amulets to help achieve weight gain. By Sarah Cascone, Dec 4, 2020
Art World Archaeologists Have Unearthed More Than 100 Painted Sarcophagi—Some With Mummies Intact—in an Ancient Necropolis Near Cairo It’s the latest in a string of significant discoveries at the historic site this year. By Artnet News, Nov 16, 2020
Analysis The Market for Chinese Art and Antiques Tumbled to a 10-Year Low in 2019, According to Our Exclusive Report Tensions between the US and China and political unrest in Hong Kong had much to do with the drop. By Eileen Kinsella, Nov 8, 2020
Are You an Aspiring Design Aficionado? Check Out This Day-to-Day Guide to Intersect Chicago/SOFA’s Action-Packed Online Fair By Artnet Gallery Network, Nov 6, 2020
People Patricia Marroquin Norby Is the Met’s First Curator of Native American Art. Here’s How She Navigates the Field’s Thorniest Issues The curator is in charge of the museum's new Indigenous art program. By Sarah Cascone, Nov 3, 2020
Art World An Art Historian Discovered a Cheeky Self-Portrait That a Stonemason Left as an Easter Egg Inside a Famous Spanish Cathedral 800 Years Ago Jennifer Alexander found the 11-inch-tall carving in a corner of the Santiago de Compostela Cathedral, over 40 feet off the ground. By Artnet News, Nov 2, 2020
