Several countries refused to participate in this year’s competition because of the ongoing conflict in Gaza – and Israel finished in second place

The storm that accompanied the show’s VIP preview only added to the unrest and rows that peppered Italy’s prestigious event

Cost overruns and shipping delays caused by the conflict threaten one of the world’s fastest growing art markets

Built on asphalt pits, 20 years and $720m in the making, Lacma opened this week to polarised opinion. Was it worth the wait?

At Elon Musk’s 24-hour LA restaurant, you can catch a glimpse of the future. It isn’t pretty

The government’s order to halt the release of imagery from the Middle East follows decades of restrictions on photographs of Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories

A bombastic genre of bass-heavy music so earth-rattling it can induce nausea is sweeping West Bengal, and ravers can’t get enough of it

From Heated Rivalry to the Pillion press tour, the entertainment industry is good at performing queerness without committing to the hard work of creating lasting change

The case against the Prairieland Nine is an attempt to put a face on Maga’s mythical enemy, even as masked ICE agents terrorise communities with impunity

Ukraine will exhibit a deer sculpture rescued from attacks in Donetsk at the same festival, opening a new frontline in the battle over Russia’s cultural rehabilitation

For centuries, Iranian craftsmen turned broken mirrors into dazzling palaces of light. After Israeli airstrikes damaged the Hall of Mirrors at Tehran’s Golestan palace, the fragile art form has become an uneasy symbol of a country at war

A spreadsheet of artworks linked to billionaire investor Leon Black included in the DoJ files shows how Picassos, Rembrandts and other masterpieces are used as collateral in the booming market for art-backed loans

The influencer promotes improving one’s physical appearance by any means necessary. But this isn’t about women – it’s all about the gaze of other men

What will the UK government do about xAI's Grok? Can a 1000-year-old tapestry really help repair European diplomacy? And how does ICE use data to identify who gets deported?   Giles Whittell is joined by The Observer's Head of News, Alex O'Connell, Fronts Editor, Evan Moffitt and Data and Graphics reporter, Bex Sander.    Please come and see us at the next The News Meeting Live on Thursday, the 29th of January: https://observer.co.uk/our-events/the-news-meeting-live-7    Listen to the new Tortoise Investigates series ‘The Walkers: The real Salt Path' wherever you listen to podcasts now: https://observer.co.uk/listen/the-walkers-the-real-salt-path    **We want to hear what you think! Email us at: newsmeeting@observer.co.uk  Follow us on Social Media:  @ObserverUK on X  @theobserveruk on Instagram and TikTok @theobserveruk.bsky.social‬ on bluesky    Host: Giles Whittell   Producer: Amalie Sortland and Casey Magloire   Executive Producer: Katie Gunning   To find out more about The Observer:   Subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content Head to our website observer.co.uk  Download the Observer app – for a listening experience curated by our journalists  

Judges have been accused of virtue-signalling for awarding Kalu the Turner prize. But both critics and supporters fail to put the art before the artist

The Iranian leader said the water problem in the capital “cannot be solved” and has suggested evacuating the city's nearly ten million residents. Iran and Egypt, two countries that criminalise homosexuality, were picked to play the World Cup's Pride Match in Seattle. And some councils are now regularly paying more than £250,000 a year to support children with special educational needs. Rebecca Moore is joined by The Observer reporters Jon Ungoed-Thomas and Jessy Parker Humphreys, and Fronts Editor Evan Moffitt, as they battle it out to pitch the top stories of the day.  **We want to hear what you think! Email us at: newsmeeting@observer.co.uk  Follow us on Social Media:  @ObserverUK on X  @theobserveruk on Instagram and TikTok @theobserveruk.bsky.social‬ on bluesky  Host: Rebecca Moore Producer: Amalie Sortland Executive Producer: Gary Marshall To find out more about The Observer: Subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content Head to our website observer.co.uk  Download the Observer app – for a listening experience curated by our journalists

From a songless summer to ‘Big Album Autumn’, the music industry is adjusting to the sudden drop

In one of the most audacious art crimes in history, masked thieves raided the Louvre and escaped with France's crown jewels. Host: Casey Magloire Writer & Producer: Amalie Sortland Episode Photography: Joe Mee Executive producer: Rebecca Moore

This month Frieze and, across the Channel, Art Basel are locked in a battle for domination of the global art fair market