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Technician, who hung his own picture in an exhibition about art world glitches, has been sacked and given a three-year banThe first picture that greeted visitors to the first-floor exhibition space in Munich’s Pinakothek der Moderne gallery on 23 February may not have immediately grabbed their attention.The 60cm by 120cm artwork was a retro-looking photograph of a family of four, with the background and...

Staff member put work on display at Munich’s Pinakothek der Moderne ‘in hope of achieving his breakthrough’Europe live – latest updatesAccording to a quote commonly – if wrongly – attributed to the artist Andy Warhol, everyone will have their 15 minutes of fame. At Munich’s Pinakothek der Moderne museum earlier this year, one technician and aspiring artist got to bask in the limelight for...

Les Jeux Olympiques: Miroir des Sociétés opens ahead of Paris Olympics and puts previous games in context of conflicts and injusticesFrom the Nazi stadium propaganda in 1936 Berlin to the 1968 Mexico City podium protest of medal-winners Tommie Smith and John Carlos, who were expelled from the competition after raising their gloved fists in a Black Power salute against racial injustice, the Olympic Games...

From expensive rent to efforts to keep up with fashion, a young man’s missives on display in Cumbria are relatable to todayWhen Ben Browne set off on horseback from his small village in the north of England for the bright lights of London in 1719, his concerns were not so different from those of today’s young people. Mainly: please send money, everything is so...

Figures show many still ‘out of the habit’ of visiting museums, galleries, cathedrals, castles and country housesVisitor numbers to the UK’s museums, galleries, cathedrals, zoos, castles and country houses are increasing but remain stubbornly below pre-pandemic levels, with a significant number of people still “out of the habit” of having a day out.Figures released by the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (ALVA) on Monday...

Latin-inscribed artwork tells story of Walter Tirel, whose son killed British monarchThe Italian descendants of King William II’s killer want to donate a work of art partly depicting William’s death to a British museum.The three-slab triptych is owned by the Tirelli family, whose aristocratic origins can be traced back to France, for over 400 years. They have said they believe it was made by...

Proposed sale of Abyssinian artefact taken during 1868 battle triggers appeal for restitution of ‘wrongfully acquired’ itemThe Ethiopian government has called the auction of a looted colonial-era shield “inappropriate and immoral” as it attempts to stop its sale this week and prevent it from disappearing into a private collection.The Anderson & Garland auction house, in Newcastle upon Tyne, was contacted by the Ethiopian National...

Lifesize replica of 70-metre work, which cost museum £16,000, was part of sale of late drummer Charlie Watts’s estateIn 1872, a photographer from the South Kensington Museum – now the Victoria and Albert – travelled to France to take pictures of the Bayeux tapestry, the most famous piece of medieval art in the world.Photography was in its infancy and the images of the 70-metre...

Objects to go on show at the Manhyia Palace Museum in Kumasi as part of Asante king’s silver jubilee celebrationsGold and silver treasure looted from west Africa by the British army in colonial wars are to be lent to Ghana in a three-year deal, the British Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum have announced.The precious regalia, which had belonged to the Asante royal...

Three-year €2.1m fund will prioritise former colonies of the two countries and could lead to return of itemsGermany and France will jointly spend €2.1m (£1.8m) to further research the provenance of African heritage objects in their national museums’ collections, which could prepare the ground for their eventual return.A three-year fund, with contributions of €360,000 a year by each country, was launched in Berlin on...