[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/www.artnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/2280456460-e1785860672944.jpg?w=1024″]<\/p>\n
To receive\u00a0Morning Links\u00a0in your inbox every weekday,\u00a0sign\u00a0up\u00a0for our\u00a0<\/em>Breakfast with ARTnews\u00a0newsletter<\/em>.<\/p>\n \n\tGood Morning!<\/p>\n LAND OF THE FREE.<\/strong>\u00a0London mayor\u00a0Sadiq Khan\u00a0<\/strong>has defended free entry to the capital\u2019s national museums, arguing that culture should remain accessible regardless of income or background. In\u00a0an op-ed\u00a0<\/strong>for LBC<\/em>, Khan said free admission transformed museum access, with visits rising significantly after charges were removed, while also boosting tourism and making museums vital public spaces. His comments come amid renewed debate over proposals to charge overseas visitors at England\u2019s national museums. Supporters argue tourist fees could help address funding pressures, while critics warn they risk undermining the principle of museums as institutions open to all.<\/p>\n \u2018BARKING MAD.\u2019<\/strong>\u00a0The UK\u2019s\u00a0National Gallery<\/strong>\u00a0has been criticized after spending \u00a3250,000 on\u00a0NG Citizens<\/strong>, a five-year citizens\u2019 assembly designed to help shape the museum\u2019s future,\u00a0the\u00a0Times of London<\/em>\u00a0reported<\/strong>. Fifty people, selected through a civic lottery to reflect the UK\u2019s diversity\u2014including some with no art background\u2014will advise on the gallery\u2019s priorities, though not acquisitions or curatorial decisions. Critics, including art experts and Conservative MP\u00a0Charlie Dewhirst<\/strong>, argue the initiative undermines professional expertise and call it \u201cbarking mad.\u201d The gallery says the project is about strengthening public engagement and ensuring its future reflects a broader cross-section of society, not replacing expert decision-making.<\/p>\n UNESCO<\/strong>\u00a0has been urged to investigate feared damage to Lebanon\u2019s World Heritage\u2013listed\u00a0Beaufort Castle\u00a0<\/strong>after the Israeli military triggered explosions nearby. [The Art Newspaper]<\/p>\n \n\tA Scottish architect has launched a petition calling for the Mackintosh Building at the\u00a0Glasgow School of Art<\/strong>, twice devastated by fire, to be fully restored and transferred to an independent organization.\u00a0[Artnet News]<\/p>\n \n\tMuseum strikes are spreading across London as\u00a0Royal Museums Greenwich<\/strong>staff have voted for industrial action over pay, conditions, and workplace reforms. [Artforum]<\/p>\n \n\tAn anonymous Belgian collector has loaned a rare\u00a0Ren\u00e9 Magritte\u00a0<\/strong>work to the\u00a0Israel Museum\u00a0<\/strong>as the artist\u2019s iconic\u00a0The Castle of the Pyrenees\u00a0<\/em>undergoes restoration after accidental damage. [Jerusalem Post]<\/p>\n PULLING BACK THE CURTAIN.<\/strong>\u00a0A\u00a0new BBC series<\/strong>\u00a0called\u00a0The Big Deal with Steph McGovern<\/em>\u00a0aims to pull back the curtain on the art market, exploring how artworks are discovered, valued, and sold. The six-part competition kicks off on August 13 and follows aspiring dealers as they navigate the business of buying and selling contemporary art, testing their instincts, commercial skills, and ability to spot emerging talent. The series seeks to challenge perceptions of the art world as exclusive or inaccessible.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n [analyse_source url=”https:\/\/www.artnews.com\/art-news\/news\/london-mayor-defends-free-entry-to-museums-morning-links-1234794277\/”]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" [analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/www.artnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/2280456460-e1785860672944.jpg?w=1024″] To receive\u00a0Morning Links\u00a0in your inbox every weekday,\u00a0sign\u00a0up\u00a0for our\u00a0Breakfast with ARTnews\u00a0newsletter. Good Morning! The National Gallery has been criticized after spending \u00a3250,000 on its NG Citizens program. Royal Museums Greenwich staff have voted for industrial action over pay, conditions, and workplace reforms. London\u2018s mayor has defended free entry to the capital\u2019s national museums, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[61,226],"class_list":["post-2079908","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-artnews-com","tag-crawlmanager"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2079908","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2079908"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2079908\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2079908"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2079908"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2079908"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
\n\t\tThe Headlines\t<\/h2>\n
\n\t\tThe Digest\t<\/h2>\n
\n\t\tThe Kicker\t<\/h2>\n