From the art world
News
Stories from the world of painting, exhibitions and the art market — told in our own words.
October 22, 2021
A Tower for The Scream: Oslo's New MUNCH Opens
After years of delays, Oslo opened a vast 13-storey waterfront museum in 2021 to house the world's largest collection o…
October 14, 2021
Shredded and Sold Again: Banksy's £18.6 Million Prank Pays Off
The Banksy painting that famously shredded itself at auction in 2018 returned in 2021 as 'Love Is in the Bin' — and sol…
September 24, 2021
The Fair Returns: Art Basel Comes Back in Person
After pandemic cancellations, the flagship Art Basel fair returned to Switzerland in person in 2021 — a cautious sign o…
September 22, 2021
Berlin's Humboldt Forum Opens — and Confronts Its Past
Berlin's vast Humboldt Forum, housed in a rebuilt Prussian palace, opened its ethnological galleries in 2021 amid inten…
September 18, 2021
Wrapped at Last: Christo's Arc de Triomphe Dream Comes True
In 2021, Paris's Arc de Triomphe was swathed in silvery-blue fabric — realising a dream Christo and Jeanne-Claude first…
September 4, 2021
Brazil's Great Survey: The São Paulo Bienal Returns
The 34th São Paulo Bienal, one of the oldest and most important art events in the Americas, returned in 2021 inside Osc…
September 1, 2021
The World's Most Expensive Painting Has Vanished
Attributed to Leonardo and sold for $450 million in 2017, 'Salvator Mundi' then disappeared from public view — one of a…
June 18, 2021
The Obama Portraits Hit the Road
In 2021 the celebrated portraits of Barack and Michelle Obama began a national tour, drawing record crowds across the U…
June 14, 2021
Into the Infinite: Yayoi Kusama's Mirror Rooms Take Over Tate Modern
Two of Yayoi Kusama's hypnotic 'Infinity Mirror Rooms' opened at Tate Modern in 2021 — and stayed, by overwhelming dema…
June 1, 2021
Step Inside the Painting: The Immersive Van Gogh Craze
Around 2021, projected 'immersive' Van Gogh experiences exploded worldwide, swirling his sunflowers and starry skies ac…
May 22, 2021
Pinault's Paris Dream: The Bourse de Commerce Opens
After a 20-year quest, billionaire François Pinault opened a museum for his contemporary art collection inside Paris's…
March 24, 2021
Greece Reopens Its National Gallery for a Bicentenary
After an eight-year revamp, Athens's National Gallery reopened in 2021, timed to Greece's 200th anniversary of independ…