heritage

Italian Luxury Faces Turmoil as Armani Era Closes

The first Milan Fashion Week without Giorgio Armani marks the end of an era in Italian luxury, at a time when houses across the sector are already in transition. After defending his independence throughout his life, the legendary designer, who died this month aged 91, entrusted his heirs with the task of selling his group. He cited French ...

Ivory Coast Launches Major Art Space in Historic Coastal Town

A new contemporary art museum has opened in Ivory Coast's UNESCO-listed beachside town of Grand-Bassam in a building that is a remnant of its colonial past. Twenty-eight artists from nine African countries feature in the inaugural exhibition of paintings, sculpture, photography and design at La Maison de l'art (The House of Art). The former post ...

From Survival to Revival: The World’s Last Beetling Mill Eyes a Bright Future

The noise is deafening and the work can be lonely, but to William Smyth, who toils in the world's last commercial linen "beetling" mill, his job is unique. "There's nothing modern about it, I'm doing the same now as they were doing 100 years and more ago," said Smyth, 59, at the mill in Northern Ireland in a village some 45 miles (70 kilometers) ...

France Confirms Loan of Bayeux Tapestry to British Museum Amid Conservation Concerns

French President Emmanuel Macron's office stressed Monday that the planned loan of the nearly 1,000-year-old Bayeux Tapestry to Britain next year was a surmountable challenge following expert outcry over the diplomatic gesture. Several heritage advisors have argued that the extremely fragile 11th-century masterpiece depicting the Norman conquest ...

Notre-Dame’s Twin Towers Reopen: A New Chapter in Parisian Heritage

French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday reopened the two great medieval towers of the Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris for public visits, one of the final steps in its immense reconstruction following a devastating fire. The inauguration of the restored towers by Macron, who has spearheaded reconstruction efforts since the April 15, 2019 fire, ...

Ancient Egyptian Pharaoh’s Gold Bracelet Melted, Sold Cheaply

Egyptian police said on Thursday they arrested a museum employee and three alleged accomplices after a priceless ancient gold bracelet was stolen from Cairo's Egyptian Museum, sold for about $4,000, and then melted down. The 3,000-year-old bracelet, a gold band adorned with lapis lazuli beads, dated back to the reign of Amenemope, a pharaoh of ...

Sagrada Familia to Complete Tallest Tower by 2026 for Gaudí Centenary

Barcelona's Sagrada Familia basilica expects to complete its tallest tower in time for the 2026 centenary of the death of its architect Antoni Gaudi, organizers said on Thursday. The construction board has invited Pope Leo XIV to preside over a solemn mass on June 10, marking 100 years since the architect's death after being struck by a ...

Robert Redford’s Sundance Vision Shaped Generations of Filmmakers

Robert Redford was rarely spotted at Sundance in his final years, yet the late Hollywood legend forever looms large at the influential US movie festival he co-created. Set up in the 1980s to support creative, independent directors at a time when the blockbuster era launched by Jaws and Star Wars held sway over Hollywood, Sundance is for many ...

Robert Redford, Legendary Actor, Director, and Activist, Dies at 89

Robert Redford, the legendary actor-turned-director, founder of the Sundance Film Festival, and lifelong environmental activist, died Tuesday at his home in Utah. He was 89. Redford wasn’t just a Hollywood heartthrob; he was a visionary who reshaped American film, amplified independent voices, and fiercely advocated for the planet. His career ...

Hermeto Pascoal, Brazilian Jazz Legend, Dies at Age 89

Celebrated Brazilian musician Hermeto Pascoal, who gained international fame for his collaborations with fellow jazz legend Miles Davis, has died aged 89, his family said Saturday. With his distinctive white beard and hair, Pascoal was known as "The Sorcerer" for his ability to create music with a variety of instruments and objects. "With ...

Versace Leads Milan Farewell To Fashion Legend Giorgio Armani

Thousands of mourners paid homage Saturday to Italian fashion legend Giorgio Armani, who died this week aged 91, as his coffin was put on public display in Milan. Italian fashion icon Donatella Versace was among those who filed past Armani's closed casket at the headquarters of his multi-billion-euro lifestyle company, which marked its 50th ...

Tunisian Brutalist Landmark Faces Wrecking Ball, Sparking Outcry

Tunisia's brutalist landmarks the Hotel du Lac, a 1970s postcard icon said to have inspired a desert-roving vehicle in Star Wars, is being demolished, sparking calls from architects, historians and activists to save it. Built by Italian architect Raffaele Contigiani in central Tunis, the concrete-and-steel inverted pyramid opened in 1973 during a ...