London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, May 31, 2025

The state of painting, black British resistance and a fake Banksy NFT – the week in art

The state of painting, black British resistance and a fake Banksy NFT – the week in art

Lisa Brice and Oscar Murillo feature in a sweeping survey, Tottenham Rights highlight Black communities and an unlucky buyer falls foul of an elaborate hoax – all in your weekly dispatch

Lisa Brice and Peter Doig feature in a sweeping survey, Tottenham Rights highlight Black communities and an unlucky buyer falls foul of an elaborate hoax – all in your weekly dispatch
Exhibition of the week
Mixing It Up: Painting Today
A state of the art survey of contemporary painting that stars Peter Doig, Lisa Brice, Oscar Murillo and many more.
*  Hayward Gallery, London, 9 September to 12 December

Also showing
Sophie Barber

Bright, raw daubs of birds, lovers and the East Sussex seaside.
*  Alison Jacques, London, until 2 October

Ray Harryhausen
See the original models and drawings for some of the most dreamlike sequences in cinema in this deservedly extended celebration of a unique genius.
Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art (Modern Two), Edinburgh, until 22 February


Photo London

International photography fair featuring artists from Abdourahmane Sakaly to Anton Corbijn, and a special show by award winner Shirin Neshat.
*  Somerset House, London, 9 September to 12 September

War Inna Babylon
A survey of resistance by Britain’s Black communities, organised by Tottenham Rights.
ICA, London, until 26 September

Image of the week
The fake Banksy NFT, title Great Redistribution of the Climate Change Disaster


It’s the NFT every collector would want: Banksy’s first. Unfortunately for its buyer, the recent auction of a Banksy non-fungible token was not what it seemed. This piece (called Great Redistribution of the Climate Change Disaster) did enough to convince a buyer to pay the equivalent of £244,000 in cryptocurrency as the victim of what appears to be an elaborate hoax.

What we learned


Porcelain seized by the Nazis is set to fetch more than £2m at Sotheby’s in New York

Tasmania’s leading gallery has made Covid jabs compulsory for staff …

… while Brussels doctors will be able to prescribe museum visits for Covid stress

A Netflix documentary about US painter and TV host Bob Ross has caused a stir

A boy has made £290,000 selling NFTs of digital whale art

… and an art show co-curated by a five-year-old can be nuanced and deep

Plans for a London skyscraper threaten Britain’s oldest synagogue

Berlin spent £120m fixing its dysfunctional Mies van der Rohe art gallery

Young black photographers are changing the face (and bodies) of fashion photography

Photographer Hiro’s experimental images transformed fashion and beauty advertising

Brooklyn-based artist Sophia Dawson has created artwork using correspondence from jailed black activists

The British Press Photographers’ Association Assignments exhibition celebrates its members’ best work …

… while the French city of Perpignan is also celebrating photojournalism

Feminist artist Judy Chicago, who has a retrospective in San Francisco, would throw one hell of a dinner party

Abstract expressionist Douglas Abercrombie has died aged 87

Artists are reviving St Austell in Cornwall

William Mullan’s obsession with apples began in Waitrose

Frank Gehry’s Luma Arles is the glittering icon of a new cultural campus

It’s possible to get into art collecting on a budget

London’s Courtauld gallery is reopening after three years, with a Van Gogh and some Cézannes returning

Work by forgotten Indian masters of nature painting are going on show before an auction in October

Agi Katz, who championed artists Josef Herman, Mark Gertler and David Bomberg, has died

Masterpiece of the week

Sassetta: The Stigmatisation of Saint Francis, 1437-44

The Stigmatisation of Saint Francis by Sassetta.


Two bloody holes appear on the palms of this revolutionary saint as he prays in a remote rocky hideaway: the nails that crucified Christ have pierced his flesh. Francis of Assisi was a wealthy young man who rejected his comfortable life and chose to have no possessions. He preached love for all nature and is even said to given a sermon to a flock of birds. In another painting in this series of touching scenes, he negotiates with a wolf that was terrorising the town of Gubbio. Sassetta worked in the Renaissance but uses a deliberately archaic style, influenced by the much earlier Giotto, to express the vision of one of Christianity’s most radical thinkers.
*  National Gallery, London

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Satirical Sketch Sparks Political Spouse Feud in South Korea
Indonesia Quarry Collapse Leaves Multiple Dead and Missing
South Korean Election Video Pulled Amid Misogyny Outcry
Asian Economies Shift Away from US Dollar Amid Trade Tensions
Netflix Investigates Allegations of On-Set Mistreatment in K-Drama Production
US Defence Chief Reaffirms Strong Ties with Singapore Amid Regional Tensions
Vietnam Faces Strategic Dilemma Over China's Mekong River Projects
Malaysia's First AI Preacher Sparks Debate on Islamic Principles
White House Press Secretary Criticizes Harvard Funding, Advocates for Vocational Training
France to Implement Nationwide Smoking Ban in Outdoor Spaces Frequented by Children
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
Russia's Fossil Fuel Revenues Approach €900 Billion Since Ukraine Invasion
U.S. Justice Department Reduces American Bar Association's Role in Judicial Nominations
U.S. Department of Energy Unveils 'Doudna' Supercomputer to Advance AI Research
U.S. SEC Dismisses Lawsuit Against Binance Amid Regulatory Shift
Alcohol Industry Faces Increased Scrutiny Amid Health Concerns
Italy Faces Population Decline Amid Youth Emigration
U.S. Goods Imports Plunge Nearly 20% Amid Tariff Disruptions
OpenAI Faces Competition from Cheaper AI Rivals
Foreign Tax Provision in U.S. Budget Bill Alarms Investors
Trump Accuses China of Violating Trade Agreement
Gerry Adams Wins Libel Case Against BBC
Russia Accuses Serbia of Supplying Arms to Ukraine
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
Chinese Woman Dies After Being Forced to Visit Bank Despite Critical Illness
President Trump Grants Full Pardons to Reality TV Stars Todd and Julie Chrisley
Texas Enacts App Store Accountability Act Mandating Age Verification
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Vatican Calls for Sustainable Tourism in 2025 Message
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
Trump Threatens 25% Tariff on iPhones Amid Dispute with Apple CEO
Putin's Helicopter Reportedly Targeted by Ukrainian Drones
Liverpool Car Ramming Incident Leaves Multiple Injured
Australia Faces Immigration Debate Following Labor Party Victory
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Founder Warns Against Trusting Regime in Nuclear Talks
Macron Dismisses Viral Video of Wife's Gesture as Playful Banter
Cleveland Clinic Study Questions Effectiveness of Recent Flu Vaccine
Netanyahu Accuses Starmer of Siding with Hamas
Junior Doctors Threaten Strike Over 4% Pay Offer
Labour MPs Urge Chancellor to Tax Wealthy Over Cutting Welfare
Publication of UK Child Poverty Strategy Delayed Until Autumn
France Detains UK Fishing Vessel Amid Post-Brexit Tensions
Calls Grow to Resume Syrian Asylum Claims in UK
Nigel Farage Pledges to Reinstate Winter Fuel Payments
Boris and Carrie Johnson Welcome Daughter Poppy
×