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The Headlines
ART FOR GAZA. A group of 21 artists have donated works to “Seeds of Solidarity,” an art auction supporting medical professionals in Gaza, the Art Newspaper reports. Organized by Health Workers 4 Palestine, the sale will take place on February 1 at The Savoy in London, with proceeds going to the Gaza Medics Solidarity Fund, which provides stipends for doctors, supports mobile clinics, and helps rebuild maternity wards. The auction features work by Antony Gormley, Brian Eno, Mona Hatoum, Lisa Brice, Caroline Walker, Rana Begum, and Hassan Hajjaj. Founded by London-based doctor Omar Abdel-Mannan, Health Workers 4 Palestine aims to offer practical support amid the devastation of Gaza’s healthcare system. Curated by Zayna Al-Saleh, the fundraiser forms part of a wider gala with performances and talks from leading artists and medical professionals.
COURTAULD GOES CONTEMPORARY. The Courtauld in London has unveiled plans for two new contemporary art galleries and a reading room at Somerset House, backed by a £10 million ($13.7 million) donation from the Blavatnik Family Foundation, bringing its total support for the institution to £20 million ($27.5 million). Per ArtReview, the Blavatnik Contemporary Galleries are due to open in 2029 as part of an £82 million ($113 million) redevelopment of the Courtauld campus, which will also include a new Blavatnik Reading Room within the remodeled library. The galleries will host exhibitions, commissions, and events, with students from the Courtauld’s MA Curating program participating. Since reopening in 2021, the Courtauld has expanded its contemporary focus, staging exhibitions by artists such as Peter Doig and Claudette Johnson. Senior curator Elena Crippa said the new spaces will connect past and present, placing living artists at the heart of the institution’s activities.
The Digest
The robot artist known as Ai-Da has debuted her first architectural design, Denmark’s Utzon Center. [Artnet News]
The US Holocaust Memorial Museum has condemned Minnesota Governor Tim Walz for comparing Minnesota children to Anne Frank, calling the analogy “deeply offensive.” [Yahoo News]
A Grade II-listed watermill in the UK, which was the inspiration for a J.M.W. Turner painting and is now a house, is on the market for £1.5 million ($2 million). [ARTnews]
Bath’s American Museum and Gardens has appointed Lucy Littlewood, described as an “outstanding” museum leader, to succeed Gareth Thomas on March 1 after a transatlantic recruitment process. [Arts Professional]
The Kicker
WEAK BOTTOM LINES. Museum directors breathed a collective sigh of relief in December when federal grants from the Institute of Museum and Library Services were reinstated, funding that had vanished for many, including Seattle Art Museum’s Scott Stulen, who lost between $300,000 and $400,000 in 2025. Yet as the Art Newspaper notes, the respite masks broader financial unease. The American Alliance of Museums reports that one in four US museums now operates with weaker bottom lines than in 2019. Attendance is patchy: some, like Toledo Museum of Art, have surpassed pre-pandemic gallery visits, while others, reliant on international tourism, lag behind. Meanwhile, rising operational costs, from labor to shipping, and the crushing affordability crisis weigh heavily on institutions and visitors alike. Museums are rethinking their strategies, focusing on local engagement and entrepreneurial fundraising. “We need to actually matter to the people walking through our front door,” Stulen said.
