Under bombing in eastern Ukraine and disabled by illness, an unknown painter awaits his fate

SLOVIANSK, Ukraine — Mykola Soloviov, 88, is a painter the world does not know. His landscapes of eastern Ukraine, records of a lost time, lie tucked away in a modest home under threat of Russian attack. Soloviov can’t hear or walk and barely speaks. Disabled since a 2017 stroke, he spends his days bedridden in … Read more

Second suspect arrested in theft of Banksy stop sign artwork featuring military drones

LONDON — A second suspect was arrested in the alleged theft of a work by the elusive street artist Banksy of a stop sign adorned with three military drones, London police said Sunday. A man in his 40s was in custody on suspicion of theft and criminal damage, the Metropolitan police said. A suspect in … Read more

Now you see it, now you don’t: Banksy stop sign taken from London street soon after it appears

LONDON — The elusive artist Banksy displayed his latest work on a London street corner and it was taken less than hour after he confirmed its installation Friday. A red stop sign with three military drones on it was taken in the middle of the day by a man with bolt cutters as witnesses snapped … Read more

A vibrant art scene in Uganda mirrors African boom as more collectors show interest

KAMPALA, Uganda — Lilian Nabulime hasn’t forgotten the time in the 1990s when the Ugandan capital had just one commercial art gallery, a small space that emerging artists struggled to get into. Now, there are at least six in Kampala, including one whose curator recently exhibited the sculptor’s contrarian work. Nabulime’s show, which has attracted … Read more

Artist Zeng Fanzhi depicts ‘zero-COVID’ after a lifetime of service to the Chinese state

SHENZHEN, China — In one painting, a child sits, mouth wide open, as a worker in white medical garb extends a long cotton swab toward her tonsils. In another, a masked officer and medical workers stand guard in front of an apartment cordoned off with ropes and seals reading “CLOSED,” as residents look on with … Read more

Censored art from around the world finds a second opportunity at a Barcelona museum for banned works

BARCELONA, Spain — A drawing of a nude Donald Trump. A punching bag sculpture shaped like a woman’s torso. A display of women’s party shoes standing proudly on prayer rugs. All are pieces of contemporary art that have provoked debate and, sometimes, violent reactions. These pieces and dozens more that were subjected to some sort … Read more

Scientists winkle a secret from the `Mona Lisa’ about how Leonardo painted the masterpiece

PARIS — The “Mona Lisa” has given up another secret. Using X-rays to peer into the chemical structure of a tiny speck of the celebrated work of art, scientists have gained new insight into the techniques that Leonardo da Vinci used to paint his groundbreaking portrait of the woman with the exquisitely enigmatic smile. The … Read more