museums

Bayeux Tapestry exhibition opens Thursday at British Museum

The Bayeux Tapestry, one of Europe's most celebrated medieval artifacts, opens to the public at the British Museum on September 10 in what is being billed as a once-in-a-millennium exhibition. The nearly 70-meter embroidery depicting the Norman Conquest of 1066…

Italy recovers stolen Cézanne, Renoir and Matisse worth millions

Italian police on Friday announced the recovery of three paintings by Paul Cézanne, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and Henri Matisse that were stolen nearly five months ago in a brazen three-minute heist from a private museum near Parma, ending one of Europe's…

Guggenheim Abu Dhabi sets Dec. 11 opening after two decades of delays

Nearly two decades after it was first announced, Guggenheim Abu Dhabi will open its doors on December 11, 2026, the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi confirmed this week. The Frank Gehry-designed museum on Saadiyat Island will become…

Thieves steal 2,500-year-old Celtic gold collar from French museum

Thieves stole a priceless 2,500-year-old gold torque from the Musée du Pays Châtillonnais – Trésor de Vix in Châtillon-sur-Seine, France, on Friday, July 24, after entering the museum as regular visitors and smashing its display case during opening hours.

V&A removed catalogue materials at request of Chinese censors

The Victoria and Albert Museum in London deleted maps and photographs from at least two exhibition catalogues after they were flagged by Chinese censors, according to an investigation by the Guardian published on Monday. The revelations have prompted alarm among…

UK ministers weigh charging tourists for museum entry

The British government is actively considering introducing admission fees for international visitors to the country's major national museums and galleries, a move that would mark the end of a 25-year-old policy of universal free entry to institutions including the British…

Louvre begins charging non-EU visitors 45 percent more

The Louvre Museum began charging visitors from outside Europe sharply higher admission fees on Wednesday, implementing a controversial two-tier pricing system designed to fund renovations at the world's most visited museum still reeling from a major jewel heist.

Water leak damages hundreds of books at Louvre

A water leak at the Louvre Museum in Paris damaged between 300 and 400 historical works in the Egyptian antiquities department last month, underscoring the deteriorating infrastructure at the world's most-visited museum just weeks after a $102 million jewel heist…

Sonnabend art collection opens permanent museum home in Mantua

A major contemporary art museum showcasing nearly 100 works from the celebrated Sonnabend Collection opened its doors on November 29 in Mantua, Italy, marking the first permanent home for one of the 20th century's most influential private art collections.

Chanel opens art library at Shanghai museum

Chanel officially opened Espace Gabrielle Chanel to the public Tuesday at Shanghai's Power Station of Art, marking mainland China's first public library dedicated to contemporary art. The 18,000-square-foot cultural space represents the culmination of a long-term strategic partnership between the…

Museum leaders rally behind Louvre chief after heist

Fifty-seven museum directors from the world's most prestigious cultural institutions have united in an unprecedented show of solidarity for Louvre director Laurence des Cars, following last week's audacious theft of eight priceless Napoleonic jewels worth €88 million. The open letter,…

New Frida Kahlo family museum opens in Mexico City

A new museum dedicated to Frida Kahlo opened to the public on September 27 in Mexico City, offering visitors an intimate glimpse into the legendary artist's early life and family influences through previously unseen personal treasures and newly discovered murals.

Paris to build world’s first free Picasso sculpture park

The Picasso Museum in Paris has unveiled an ambitious €50 million expansion project called "Picasso 2030," marking the institution's 40th anniversary with plans for the world's first free public sculpture park dedicated to the Spanish master and a major doubling…

Centre Pompidou begins five-year closure for major renovation

Paris's Centre Pompidou will close its doors on Sunday for an unprecedented five-year renovation, marking the end of an era for one of the world's most visited modern art museums. The iconic high-tech building, opened in 1977, has welcomed over…

3,000-year-old Egyptian bracelet stolen, melted for scrap

A 3,000-year-old gold bracelet belonging to King Amenemope has been stolen from Cairo's Egyptian Museum and melted down for scrap metal after being sold for approximately $4,000. Four suspects, including a museum restoration specialist who executed the theft, have been…

Thieves steal €600,000 in gold from Paris Natural History Museum

Professional thieves broke into Paris's Natural History Museum on Tuesday morning, making off with rare native gold specimens worth approximately €600,000 ($700,000) in a sophisticated heist that exploited security vulnerabilities created by a July cyberattack. The theft highlights a disturbing…

David Bowie archive opens to public at London’s V&A Museum

The Victoria and Albert Museum's David Bowie Centre opened its doors to the public on September 13, 2025, marking a milestone for fans and researchers seeking unprecedented access to the late music icon's creative legacy. The center at V&A East…

Twin Vermeer guitar paintings reunite after 300 years

For the first time in over three centuries, two nearly identical paintings of a woman playing guitar are displayed side by side at London's Kenwood House, reigniting one of art history's most persistent mysteries. The exhibition "Double Vision: Vermeer," which…

Banksy’s ‘Piranhas’ moved to storage ahead of museum debut

Banksy's iconic 'Piranhas' artwork has been moved into secure storage ahead of its permanent exhibition at the new London Museum, marking a significant cultural acquisition for the capital. The piece, which transformed a City of London police sentry box into…

Tadao Ando breaks ground on massive Uzbekistan museum

World-renowned Japanese architect Tadao Ando officially broke ground on the National Museum of Uzbekistan in Tashkent on August 27, 2025, with President Shavkat Mirziyoyev laying the ceremonial foundation stone. The project marks Ando's first major commission in Central Asia and…

Van Gogh Museum threatens closure over funding dispute

Amsterdam's Van Gogh Museum announced it may be forced to close unless the Dutch government provides an additional €2.5 million ($2.9 million) annually for critical infrastructure repairs, marking an escalation in a two-year funding dispute that has now reached the…

JFK’s new $4.2B terminal to feature ‘Museum Row’ art district

JFK Airport's new $4.2 billion Terminal 6 will transform its international arrivals corridor into a museum district, featuring permanent art installations from four of New York City's premier cultural institutions. The collaboration, announced Monday by the Port Authority and JFK…

Trump orders sweeping review of Smithsonian museums

The Trump administration announced a comprehensive review of eight major Smithsonian museums on Tuesday to ensure their exhibitions align with the president's directive to "celebrate American exceptionalism" and remove what the White House termed "divisive or partisan narratives." The sweeping…

National Gallery launches UK’s first cultural citizens’ assembly

London's National Gallery is launching the UK's first national citizens' assembly by a major cultural institution, sparking both praise for democratic innovation and sharp criticism from traditionalists who question whether ordinary members of the public should influence one of the…

Studio Museum in Harlem reopens after 7-year expansion

The Studio Museum in Harlem will officially reopen on November 15, 2025, after a seven-year closure that enabled one of the most ambitious museum expansions in New York City's recent history. The institution announced the opening date today, marking the…

Pearlman Foundation gifts 63 masterpieces to three museums

The Henry and Rose Pearlman Foundation announced today the donation of its entire 63-piece collection of Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, and modern masterpieces to three major American museums in an unprecedented shared ownership arrangement. The collection, assembled over nearly three decades by…

Smithsonian to restore Trump impeachment mentions after backlash

The Smithsonian National Museum of American History announced Saturday that it will restore references to President Trump's two impeachments to its presidential exhibit "in the coming weeks," following intense public backlash over their quiet removal in July.

Herzog & de Meuron to redesign former Birkenstock campus for Eames Institute

The Eames Institute of Infinite Curiosity has acquired the iconic former Birkenstock campus in Novato for $36 million, marking a transformative moment for the preservation and celebration of mid-century design in the Bay Area. The 88.5-acre property, featuring the distinctive…

Smithsonian removes Trump impeachment references after White House pressure

The Smithsonian's National Museum of American History quietly removed references to Donald Trump's two impeachment proceedings from its exhibits in July, following pressure from the White House as part of what museum officials described as a "content review" process. The…

George Lucas announces 2026 opening of narrative art museum

After decades of cinematic influence on pop culture, George Lucas made his first-ever appearance at San Diego Comic-Con on Sunday, stepping into Hall H to thunderous applause and chants of "Lucas! Lucas!" from thousands of fans wielding glowing lightsabers. The…