Apollo

Reading aloud with Hanne Lippard

Reading (2018), Hanne Lippard. Performance at Somerset House, Lancaster Room, May 2018.

The British-Norwegian artist explores the mysterious nature of speech in a new performance

Okwui Enwezor to step down as director of Munich’s Haus der Kunst

Okwui Enwezor

Art news daily: 4 June

The art of friendship in post-war Greece

Still Life with Three Sailors, , 1980–85, John Craxton, Private collection, © 2018 Craxton Estate/DACS

The lives of John Craxton, Nikos Ghika and Patrick Leigh Fermor come under the spotlight at the British Museum

The artist friends and foes of Philip Roth

The late American novelist’s friends included R.B. Kitaj and Philip Guston. But he didn’t always get on with contemporary art…

The paintings that turned Persian art on its head in the 19th century

Female tumbler, c. 1800–30, unknown artist, Victoria and Albert Museum, London

The arts in Qajar Iran acknowledged previous traditions while reflecting a rapidly changing world

Report recommends that Liverpool keep World Heritage Status

The Albert Dock, Liverpool, © OUR PLACE The World Heritage Collection

Art news daily: 1 June

An authentic alliance: craft and luxury

The leading developer Northacre supported London Craft Week this year – a recognition of its commitment to craftsmanship (advertising feature, in association with Northacre)

Marc Chagall caught between two lives

The artist’s memoir looks back to his childhood in Russia and forward to a new life in France

Book competition

Your chance to win ‘Beyond the Nile: Egypt and the Classical World’ (Getty Publications)

MoMA union plans protest over employee contracts

Museum of Modern Art, New York

Art news daily: 31 May

Bridging the generation gap in avant-garde Chinese art

Freedom Farming (2014), Li Binyuan.

Provocative performances by Zhang Huan and Li Binyuan offer a cross-generational view of contemporary art in Beijing

The looted Ethiopian artefacts that ended up in UK museums

Crown, probably made in Gondar, Ethiopia, around 1740, Victoria and Albert Museum, London

In the debate surrounding the Maqdala artefacts, the significance of the individual objects is often ignored

What’s the motive for museum thefts?

Gold reliquary of Anne of Brittany's heart.

Recent thefts from museums in England and France lay bare the thinking behind such crimes

Opening of Lee Bul show delayed after work catches fire

Interior of the Hayward Gallery, 2017. Photo: Morley Von Sternberg

Art news daily: 30 May

The Rake’s progress: last week in gossip

Supermarket Sweep at the British Museum, Cardsharps for contemporary Italy, and the sweet smell of sea travel

‘LOVE’ and the legacy of Robert Indiana (1928–2018)

A sculpture from Robert Indianas LOVE series in Hong Kong, 2008.

A tribute to the American artist Robert Indiana, who has died at the age of 89

MOCA director Philippe Vergne to depart

Philippe Vergne, newly appointed director of the Serralves Museum in Porto.

Art news daily: 29 May

Ireland is finally splashing out on its heritage – but why now?

The Reading Room of the National Library of Ireland, Dublin. The library has been allocated €23m by the Irish government to upgrade its facilities.

The Irish government has announced a grand investment package for the country’s culture sector. But is it too little, too late?

Should museums display artworks that feature live animals?

Illustration by Graham Roumieu/Dutch Uncle

Victoria Dailey and Giovanni Aloi consider if there is any place for live animals in modern museums

Learning from the Wallace Collection

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The joy of the Wallace Collection is that there’s always more to learn about its holdings – but its new exhibition space is welcome

Museum leadership in a time of crisis

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Why we need agile cultural leadership to meet the challenges of a volatile world

Chantal Joffe on painting, pastel and parenthood

Chantal Joffe photographed in her studio in March 2018.

An interview with the British artist, renowned for expressive portraits of family, friends and fellow artists

China to build $2.8bn arts district near Beijing

Art news daily: 25 May

A peace bargain to tempt all coin collectors

The North Korean peace summit may be off, but you can still get hold of a commemorative coin