Museum Shakeups, Restitution Fights, and Sponsor Fallout

Controversy is still swirling around the British Museum’s object labels after claims that the word “Palestine” was removed in parts of the Ancient Levant and Egyptian galleries. More than 200 cultural figures signed an open letter—published 10 March—criticising the museum for alleged “historical revision and potential erasure,” and naming signatories like Brian Eno, Laleh Khalili, and Jeremy Till. The Daily Telegraph reported the changes came after concerns raised by UK Lawyers for Israel, but the museum told The Art Newspaper on 3 March: “It is simply not true. We continue to use Palestine across a series of galleries, both contemporary and historic.” The Art Newspaper reports the Ancient Levant labels were amended in early 2025, before UKLFI’s 6 February 2026 letter.

New York’s New Museum is set to unveil a major expansion on 21 March after four years of construction. The Art Newspaper reports the eighty two dollarsm project adds a new sixty thousand-square-foot building, doubling the museum’s footprint to one hundred twenty thousand square feet. Designed by OMA’s Shohei Shigematsu and Rem Koolhaas with executive architect Cooper Robertson, the addition is meant to complement the Sanaa-designed 2007 flagship with an open façade of glass and metal panels, a central street-visible atrium, and a public plaza. Permanent commissions anchor public areas, including a façade work by Tschabalala Self, a monumental atrium-stair sculpture by Klára Hosnedlová, and a plaza installation by Sarah Lucas. The expansion also adds a seventh-floor sky room, a 74-seat theatre, and a restaurant with a menu by Julia Sherman.

Staying with the New Museum, Hyperallergic’s editors published a roundtable reacting to the expansion and the inaugural exhibition, New Humans: Memories of the Future. In their conversation—held after a press preview—they describe the new building by OMA / Shohei Shigematsu and Rem Koolhaas as a sixty thousand-square-foot addition that doubles exhibition space and creates more room for residencies, public programs, and NEW INC. The discussion ranges from praise for the central staircase atrium to concerns about visitor experience, including complaints about slippery stairs and how hard it was to find the new restrooms. Several editors say the galleries and the show feel crowded and under-edited, citing long wall texts and a huge number of objects. The exhibition is described as spanning 20th- and 21st-century works and involving more than 150 artists and other contributors.

In London, there’s a major appointment at the Royal Academy of Arts. ARTnews reports Helen Legg, currently director of Tate Liverpool, has been named the Royal Academy’s artistic director, starting in June, overseeing exhibitions, the collection, and public programs. Legg has led Tate Liverpool since 2018, during which the museum underwent a forty six dollars million renovation and closed in 2023 for a “reimagining.” A reopening originally planned for last year was delayed by funding issues, with a relaunch now set for 2027, opening with an exhibition of works by British-Indian artist Chila Kumari Singh Burman, and featuring an art hall built for large-scale installations. Before Tate Liverpool, Legg directed Spike Island in Bristol. Royal Academy chief executive Simon Wallis called her the “ideal” candidate with a strong record delivering exceptional exhibitions.

In Washington, Congress is moving to extend and strengthen the Holocaust Expropriated Art Recovery (HEAR) Act, the 2016 law intended to help families recover art stolen during the Holocaust. ARTnews reports the House approved an extension on Monday after the Senate passed it unanimously, sending it to President Donald Trump’s desk. The measure focuses on time-based barriers: the original law offered heirs up to six years to file after identifying a looted work, but courts have still sometimes dismissed cases tied to the passage of decades. The new bill aims to limit reliance on those time-based defenses so more disputes are decided on the merits. The legislation also addresses sovereign immunity by explicitly treating Nazi-era seizures as violations of international law, potentially enabling more claims against foreign institutions. Supporters cite cases including the Guelph Treasure and claims involving Egon Schiele works connected to Fritz Grünbaum.

In Ohio, workers at the Columbus Museum of Art have complained to OSHA about headaches, nausea, and dizziness they believe are linked to chemical fumes during renovation work. ARTnews, citing the Columbus Dispatch, reports the museum used a floor sealing product called GT 275 as renovations began on its Ross building, and staff said fumes spread through the institution in the weeks that followed. A former gallery associate, Eric Clift, said multiple workers called in sick and that the maintenance team distributed information about the sealer and handed out N95 masks. The Dispatch cited manufacturer safety information warning that inhalation can affect the central nervous system, with symptoms including dizziness, headache, and nausea, and that the product should be used outdoors or in well-ventilated areas. The museum told ARTnews it is reviewing conditions and responding to the OSHA inquiry.

In Seattle, police say a man caused “catastrophic damage” at Chihuly Garden and Glass, resulting in an estimated two hundred forty thousand dollars in losses. ARTnews reports the Seattle Police Department described the suspect as a 40-year-old man and said he was arrested for assault. According to the police blotter, several glass plant sculptures on the museum’s grounds—works by Dale Chihuly—were destroyed, leaving large pieces of colorful broken glass scattered on a walking path. Police alleged the man threw broken glass shards at security and then picked up a shard and tried to stab a security officer multiple times, though no one was reported injured. The museum, located at Seattle Center, opened in 2012 and houses numerous Chihuly works, including a 100-foot-long suspended installation resembling a wreath of red flowers.

In Sydney, a major corporate sponsor has withdrawn from the Sydney Biennale after allegations of antisemitism involving a DJ performance in the program. ARTnews reports the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies filed a police complaint over comments allegedly made by US electronic music producer Zubeyda Muzeyyen, who performs as DJ Haram, during a set at the opening night party at White Bay Power Station. The complaint references remarks including a “Zio-Australian-Epstein empire,” a tribute to “martyrs,” and the phrase “long live the resistance.” On Tuesday, PwC, listed as a “strategic partner” for the Biennale’s 25th edition, said it was withdrawing, stating the event was no longer “welcoming and inclusive for everyone.” NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said officers would review the allegations and noted hate speech has a high legal threshold; Biennale organizers said they would cooperate with the investigation.

In Paris, dealer Kamel Mennour has bought Galerie Malingue and will take over its four thousand three hundred-square-foot showroom at 26 Avenue Matignon, in the city’s Matignon district. ARTnews reports the gallery said the venue will showcase “significant works by modern, post-war and contemporary artists from private collections,” complementing Mennour’s primary-market activity and estate work. Mennour said the location is conceived as an exhibition space for museum-quality works from important collections, allowing historical presentations and monographic or thematic exhibitions. Daniel Malingue founded Galerie Malingue more than five decades ago, with a focus on Impressionism, Surrealism, and modern and postwar art; the gallery’s site lists artists including Georges Braque, Gustave Caillebotte, Paul Cézanne, Eugéne Delacroix, René Magritte, Édouard Manet, Claude Monet, Picasso, Mark Rothko, Dorothea Tanning, and Vincent van Gogh. Mennour opened his own Paris gallery in 1999.

And finally, Hyperallergic’s In Memoriam column this week remembers several figures recently lost in the art world, including Éliane Radigue, Axel Burrough, and Kazumasa Nagai. Radigue (1932–2026) is described as a French experimental composer who pioneered electronic music in the 1960s through feedback and tape loops, with work performed or exhibited by institutions including the San Francisco Art Institute and New York Cultural Art Center. Burrough (1946–2026), a British architect and director at Levitt Bernstein Architects, played a key role in designing Manchester’s Royal Exchange theatre and led construction and remodel projects including the Bristol Beacon concert hall and the Theatre Royal in Bury St. Edmunds. Nagai (1929–2026) is remembered as a Japanese graphic designer who helped shape Japan’s 1960s advertising boom and built visual identities including the 1972 Sapporo Winter Olympics and Japan Railways.

That’s today’s download—links to every story are in the show notes. Come back tomorrow for more art world news you can actually use, and until then, Chinga la migra.

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