16 February 2026 Addis Ababa’s Africa Hall after its renovation. Photograph: Rory Gardiner In the heart of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, a modernist architectural treasure has been meticulously brought back to life, capturing international attention and earning some of the most prestigious honors in heritage preservation. Africa Hall, an iconic structure that first opened its doors in 1961 and served as a defining meeting place for African leaders, has now completed a multi-million-

14 February 2026 Mike Wazowski and James P Sullivan, stars of Monsters Inc. Photograph: Linda Nylind/The Guardian London has become the latest global city to host an ambitious celebration of one of the most beloved animation studios in the world with the opening of the Mundo Pixar Experience, a sprawling immersive exhibition that invites visitors to step inside the vibrant worlds of Pixar’s films. Spread across more than 3,500 square metres in Wembley Park, the exhibition re-

12 February 2026 Venus and Cupid by Artemisia Gentileschi. Photograph: IanDagnall Computing/Alamy In the corridors of Western art history, the nude has been a dominant motif for centuries, often presented through the eyes of male painters whose ideals and fantasies shaped how bodies, particularly female bodies, were depicted and consumed by audiences. Masters like Botticelli and Titian offered visions of beauty rooted in myth and desire, their canvases filled with goddesses a

7 February 2026 Saint Francis of Assisi Receiving the Stigmata, on display in the Philadelphia Museum of Art. A near-identical painting is in the Royal Museums of Turin. Photograph: incamerastock/Alamy An artificial intelligence analysis of two small Renaissance paintings traditionally attributed to Jan van Eyck has sent ripples through the art world by calling into question who actually painted them and prompting a broader conversation about how technology is reshaping the s

10 January 2026 A centuries-old mystery surrounding one of the most famous works of art in history may be moving closer to an answer as art historians and technical experts revisit evidence that Leonardo da Vinci himself might have painted a nude version of the Mona Lisa. The possibility is rooted in long-held speculation about a charcoal drawing known as La Joconde Nue or Monna Vanna, a semi-nude figure bearing striking similarities to the iconic Mona Lisa that has sparked d

6 January 2026 Protest banners against the cost-cutting exercise hang from the Museum of Contemporary Art in Antwerp. Photograph: Zeno Druyts/BELGA MAG/AFP/Getty Images In Antwerp, a city long revered for its rich artistic heritage, the staccato of protest has replaced the usual hush of reverence that envelops its museums. At the heart of a growing cultural storm is the Museum of Contemporary Art Antwerp (M HKA), an institution founded in 1985 that has become a cornerstone of

2 January 2026 Marguerite endormie, 1920. She was Henri Matisse’s favourite subject. Photograph: Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris In a move that resonates through the art world and deepens the cultural riches of Paris, the Musée d’Art Moderne has received an extraordinary gift: 61 artworks by Henri Matisse that had been privately held within his family for generations. The donation, revealed in early January, has been hailed by museum officials as both historic and deeply generou