Donations, Restitution, and the Museum Power Play

Greek collector Dimitris Daskalopoulos is donating 51 contemporary works from his collection to four museums in Greece and Scotland, The Art Newspaper reports. The biggest share—29 works—goes to the National Gallery of Greece in Athens, with additional gifts to Momus–Museum of Contemporary Art Thessaloniki, the Museum of Contemporary Art of Crete, and National Galleries Scotland in Edinburgh. A statement says the inclusion of Greek artists reflects a commitment to increasing the global visibility of contemporary Greek creativity, and that the initiative aims for long-term preservation and an “ongoing dialogue with the art of the future.” A project spokesperson adds that Daskalopoulos will not claim any tax advantages in any jurisdiction connected to the gift.

In Santander, Spain, Banco Santander is opening a new museum to display its art holdings. The Art Newspaper says the Faro Santander museum opens on 8 September in the Pereda Building, a Neo-Classical structure from 1795 overlooking the Bay of Santander and the Cantabrian mountains. The former bank headquarters has been refashioned by British architect David Chipperfield, keeping the original structure while adding changes like glazing over the central archway and creating landings linking both sides. The museum will show a one thousand-piece collection featuring names including Lucas Cranach the Elder, Velásquez, Titian, Rubens, Goya, and Picasso, alongside other works and a coin collection. It spans 10 floors, with four floors of exhibition spaces and the core collection on the fourth floor.

In St Louis, the Counterpublic triennial is putting environmental sustainability at the center of its planning. The Art Newspaper reports that Counterpublic’s latest edition, Coyote Time, runs 10 September through 13 December, and the organization worked with consultant Laura Lupton of Field Forms on a climate impact strategy. That includes assessing materials and transportation, promoting zero-carbon visitor transportation through walkable sites, offering bikes and electric-vehicle shuttles, and aiming for zero- or low-waste build-outs where possible. The effort is expected to lead to a report that other organizations can use as a model. Counterpublic also received a grant from the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation, and four participating organizations got Frankenthaler Climate Initiative grants ranging from twenty thousand dollars to twenty five thousand dollars.

An Argentine court has ordered the return of a Nazi-looted painting to the heir of Dutch Jewish art dealer Jacques Goudstikker. The Art Newspaper says the work is Portrait of a Lady, an 18th-century painting by Giacomo Antonio Melchiorre Ceruti—previously attributed to Giuseppe Ghislandi—valued at around €two hundred fifty thousand. It was found last year in photos from a real estate listing and had been held for decades by the family of Friedrich Kadgien, a Nazi official who later settled in Mar del Plata. On 4 September, federal judge Santiago Inchausti approved an agreement suspending criminal proceedings against Patricia Kadgien and her husband Juan Carlos Cortegoso, who relinquished any claim to the painting. Marei von Saher said she is thrilled by the decision.

Chanel is expanding its Chanel Culture Fund work in Southeast Asia through a new partnership in Thailand. ARTnews reports that Chanel has teamed up with Dib Bangkok on the inaugural annual Chanel Gateway Commission, which will select a local artist in Southeast Asia to create a large-scale artwork to be shown at Dib Bangkok. The museum was founded by Purat “Chang” Osathanugrah and opened in December 2025. The first commissioned artist is Nawin Nuthong, whose work borrows from interactive gaming. His project, titled Project 147, is described as a multimedia installation and interactive video game with screen-based imagery and six player gaming consoles, borrowing its name from an ancient Thai folk story. The installation will be on view from September 26 to May 3, 2027, at Dib Bangkok.

The National Portrait Gallery in London is launching a new contemporary program called Artist Focus, and its first pick is Issy Wood. ARTnews says the gallery’s Weston Wing will host three free-admission exhibitions each year, starting with Wood’s show, on view October 9 through February 28, 2027. Wood is American-born and British, and in 2025 she made headlines for painting pop star Charli XCX for the cover of Vanity Fair. The National Portrait Gallery has already collected three of her works, including Self Portrait 2 (2021), which will appear in the presentation. The show will also include 11 paintings from Wood’s personal collection and seven portraits that have never been exhibited publicly before, marking a major institutional platform for the program’s debut.

Jenny Holzer and Andy Goldsworthy are among this year’s five recipients of Japan’s Praemium Imperiale award. ARTnews reports this is the 37th edition of the prize, and each laureate receives 15 million yen, about ninety five thousand dollars. Holzer is recognized in the painting category, and the press materials describe her practice as exploring “the political and social implications of public speech and the relationship between language and space.” Goldsworthy receives the sculpture award and is known for works made with natural materials found in the environment, often ephemeral. The other laureates named are actor Cate Blanchett, architect Daniel Libeskind, and conductor Herbert Blomstedt. The Japan Art Association also awarded a 5 million yen grant, about thirty two thousand dollars to France’s La Source Garouste association for supporting young artists.

At the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, a dispute is unfolding over a public post about damage in the Grand Foyer. ARTnews says the Kennedy Center shared images of debris on X and Instagram on Friday, writing that a section of the Grand Foyer ceiling collapsed after storms and that no one was hurt, while pointing to “decades of deferred maintenance.” The post also said, “Chairman President Trump has been right: America’s cultural center needs to close, renovate, and be restored—now.” The Guardian reported heavy rain as the cause, and Kennedy Center vice president for public relations Roma Daravi called it an urgent example supporting closure for renovation. On Sunday, activist group Hands off the Arts posted a video calling the “ceiling collapse” messaging “propaganda.”

Hyperallergic reports on a chaotic situation around an artist residency promoted by Abstract Mag. The piece centers on 25-year-old airbrush painter Syd Sauer Wilson in Los Angeles, who received an email on Friday, June 5 inviting them to take part in an “all-expenses-paid” two-week residency in August in the mountainous regions of southern Georgia, where 40 visual artists were supposed to stay in a “historic chateau” and join expeditions and activities. Wilson had applied to the prior year’s residency—held at the 18th-century Château De Forbin in Marseille—after paying a forty dollars fee, and the email said that after being shortlisted last year, they were personally invited this time. But Wilson soon saw many artists reporting similar invitations online, raising doubts about legitimacy. Abstract Mag later announced 40 artists had been accepted in since-deleted Instagram posts, and artists say they were then ghosted as the residency pages went dark.

St Paul’s Cathedral is facing backlash after announcing a four-year partnership with Fabric, London’s iconic nightclub. ARTnews notes St Paul’s is the seat of the Bishop of London and has been the site of major state events, including the funerals of Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher and the wedding of King Charles III—when he was Prince of Wales—to Princess Diana. The cathedral also contains works including a copy of William Holman Hunt’s The Light of the World (1853), completed with help from Edward Robert Hughes, and Henry Moore’s Madonna and Child (1943). Criticism has included comments from the Nelson Society, since St Paul’s is the burial place of Horatio Nelson. Director of visitor engagement Sandra Lynes Timbrell said events aim to showcase world-class talent and bring new visitors to engage with the building in new ways.

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