On 4 July 2026 the US will mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the nation’s founding doc. However large divisions in US society and tradition are symbolised in quite a few disputes regarding its historical past and the illustration of its folks. The newest furore got here this week, when it emerged that the Trump administration had eliminated the rainbow Satisfaction flag from the Stonewall Monument, the landmark for LGBTQ+ rights in New York.
Ben Luke speaks to Ben Sutton, The Artwork Newspaper’s editor-in-chief, Americas, about this and different flashpoints because the US grapples with its historical past, and we discover the cultural initiatives which are marking the semiquincentennial. One among London’s greatest recognized and longest-established artwork sellers, Stephen Friedman, has introduced the closure of his London gallery, following that of his New York house final 12 months. Ben speaks to our contributing artwork market editor, Anny Shaw, concerning the fallout from the closure and the importance for the broader London artwork market.
A customer on the Melvin Edwards solo exhibition at Stephen Friedman’s London house, in 2024
Photograph: ukartpics
And this episode’s Work of the Week is the Tudor Coronary heart, an intricately adorned golden pendant with hyperlinks to Henry VIII and his first spouse, Katherine of Aragon. The British Museum has raised £3.5m to accumulate the work, following a four-month fundraising marketing campaign. Our digital editor, Alexander Morrison, talks to Rachel King, the curator of Renaissance Europe and the Waddesdon Bequest on the museum, concerning the pendant.
The pendant options the phrases Tous Iors—which can be a pun on the French phrase “toujours”, or “at all times”
© The Trustees of the British Museum
The Tudor Coronary heart pendant is now on view on the British Museum.
