Coloured tattoos escape ban in France
Tattoo artists in France, who were up in arms about a government ban on certain dyes, say the health ministry has reassured them they will be able to keep using coloured ink, attributing the uproar to a misunderstanding of thousands of pages of regulations.
Three Norman Rockwell works sell for almost $60 mn
Three oil paintings by Norman Rockwell, the celebrated 20th century master illustrator of everyday life in America, sold Wednesday for almost $60 million, setting a new record for the artist.
'Banksy' Lego-style crime mural goes viral in Malaysia
A street mural that was whitewashed by authorities because it highlighted Malaysia's crime problem has gone viral, with versions popping up across the country and earning their creator comparisons to UK graffiti artist Banksy.
Afghanistan's modern artists puzzle and provoke
Shocking, intimate and often bemusing to outsiders, the modern art produced by a small group of young Afghans would come as a surprise to connoisseurs who stalk the galleries of New York, London and Tokyo.
Empty chair to represent China's Ai Weiwei at Sweden film fest
When the Stockholm Film Festival opens Wednesday, the jury will include world-famous Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei -- in spirit only, represented by an empty chair he designed himself.
Brazil singers fight for right to veto biographies
Famous Brazilian songwriters -- long activists for freedom of expression -- are themselves coming under fire as they fight an attempt to overturn a law allowing celebrities to veto unauthorized biographies.
Cher & Co won't make room for Miley Cyrus generation
Cher may have her ideal burial place all mapped out, but the veteran pop star is far from having one foot in the grave with a new album and feisty views on feminism and the "genius" of Miley Cyrus.
Young artists shine at Hong Kong contemporary art show
With artwork sprawled on queen-sized beds, hung in front of television sets and even placed on toilet counters, Hong Kong's Asia Contemporary Art Show has an unusual take on what constitutes an art gallery.
Matisse cut-outs going on show in London
The biggest exhibition of Matisse's paper cut-outs -- a technique the French artist invented in his final years -- is going on show in London.
Renoir works, personal items fetch $1.3 mn at NY auction
A collection of over 100 letters, photos, plasters, drawings and personal items that once belonged to Pierre-Auguste Renoir were sold at auction Thursday in New York.
Thai nomad theatres strive to preserve ancient art
They eat, sleep and raise their children beneath the stage floorboards and when dusk falls Thailand's travelling theatres come to life with ornate costumes, colourful face paint and high-pitched Chinese opera.
Kazakhstan artist got gold medal at New York Realism contest
Kazakhstan artist Beibut Assemkul was awarded with a gold medal as the author of the new trend called hyper impressionism.
Renoir's personal items to be auctioned in New York
A mass of Pierre-Auguste Renoir's personal items will be auctioned in New York next month in what is billed as the biggest collection of the French Impressionist artist's memorabilia.
Nazarbayev and Cameron discuss incident with armless Kazakhstan artist
Kazakhstan President and British Prime-Minister have discussed the incident that happened with the visa of disabled artist from Kazakhstan Karipbek Kuyukov.
Granddaughter puts Picasso muse nudes on show
Four decades after Pablo Picasso's death, the gates of the house she inherited, along with thousands of his art works, are always promptly opened to visitors.
China artist Ai Weiwei releases 'Dumbass'
Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei released a foul-mouthed heavy rock song titled "Dumbass" on Wednesday, with a video parodying his months in police detention.
Modigliani lover portrait sells for £26.9 mn in London
A portrait by Italian artist Amedeo Modigliani of his lover Jeanne Hebuterne went under the hammer in London on Wednesday for £26.9 million ($42.3 million, 31.2 million euros).
Finding buyers, Malaysian art searches for a voice
After art school, Haslin Ismail was the typical struggling artist, selling just a few of his mixed-media fantasy pieces for a few hundred dollars each over the next five years.
Fury over S. Korea presidential hopeful satire
South Korea's ruling party has threatened to sue an artist who painted its presidential candidate giving birth to her father, former dictator Park Chung-Hee, likening the work to Nazi propaganda.
Genius or clown? Paris show weighs Dali legacy
Twirling his waxed moustache, Salvador Dali's larger-than-life figure was beamed into millions of homes in the 1960s, his televised antics bringing huge fame, but burning his bridges with the art world.