Legendary Broadway songwriter Stephen Sondheim, widely credited with revolutionizing American musical theater, died Friday at the age of 91.

In his first major show in Europe in nearly five years, US painter Mark Bradford says he has turned to the mediaeval period to explore contemporary conflicts and racial tensions.

The Yogyakarta painter has made a name for himself as a book cover illustrator

His dream of using the books to set up Africa's largest photography library in Ghana became a reality after popular blog "Humans of New York" promoted a crowdfunding campaign for his project that raised US$1 million in a single day.

The new "ITsART" (Italy is art) platform, launched Tuesday in the spectacular surroundings of the Colosseum in Rome, will offer a mix of live and on demand events, from plays, concerts and films to virtual tours of museums and monuments.

New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art returned three works of art to Nigeria that were looted in the 19th century, as museums make increasing efforts to repatriate some foreign treasures.

"This craft is on the verge of extinction," said the head of Shoe Manufacturers Association, lamenting that Jordanian shoemakers received little support.

The shells, assumed to have formed necklaces and bracelets, were discovered in the Bizmoune cave near the coastal resort of Essaouira.

An Arabic-Javanese writing system used by scholars during wartime is at risk of being forgotten.

"I remember I was playing this infamous match at Indian Wells ... That was a rough one for me," Serena said.

Cute cartoon animals have been at the heart of Chickeeduck since its founding in 1990, and as democracy protests convulsed the city in recent years it embraced designs that subtly backed the movement.

Adidas Singapore has apologized for its Instagram caption that claimed wayang kulit was from Malaysia.

Using a mix of traditional and digital techniques, Japanese researchers have crafted a "super clone" of an Afghan mural destroyed by the Taliban.

Despite being duller than synthetic dyes, natural dyes are more environmentally sustainable and have a greater market value because of their quality and durability.

Inspired by Bali, Hofker created a series of paintings describing the island and its culture's elegance.

Completed in 1949, Kahlo's "Diego y yo" (Diego and I) went under the hammer at Sotheby's in New York and sold to an unidentified buyer for US$34.9 million.

The auction in New York saw a parade of 35 modern and contemporary works by artists such as Warhol, Rothko, Koons, Picasso and Giacometti go under the hammer.

Titled, "No.7," the 95 in (241 cm) high canvas painted in 1951 in bands of green, crimson and lavender, had been expected to sell for $70 million to $90 million at Sotheby's in New York. It was the first time the painting had come to auction.

Hong Kongers queued for the opening of the much-anticipated multimillion-dollar art museum M+, a project bedevilled by delays, spiralling costs, and now the spectre of censorship.

Entrepreneur Renaldi Perdana Kesuma and illustrator Hari Prast are spreading the wonder of everything from traditional folktales to culinary heritage through the boldly printed shirts of Telusur Kultur (Exploring Culture).

Archeologists found remains of some 25 people, mainly women and children, as well as dozens of ceramic vessels and objects such as needles used in textile work.

Taiyoshi Hyakuban hasn't functioned as a brothel for decades, and now operates as a restaurant, but it is seen as a symbol of the surrounding neighbourhood.

The large oval brooch and ear clips had belonged to Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna, wife of Grand Duke Vladimir, who was also the aunt of the last Russian Emperor Nicholas II.

Grieve Records has dug up some underground gems through its followers' recommendations and curated a new compilation album, Noise Assault Vol. 1, due out at the end of November.

The return of the pieces taken from Abomey palace, which also include three totemic statues, comes as calls mount in Africa for European countries to return the colonial spoils lining their museum shelves.

It was the first time that the bracelets, made up of 112 old-cut diamonds, had ever gone under the hammer.

About 30 art galleries from across the African continent -- but also from Paris, London and Barcelona -- showed off their best pieces at a fair in Lagos this week.

After more than a year, in-person auctions return to New York this week with the sale of the Macklowe collection -- the world's most expensive to hit the market.

Experts believe the site in the Lima district of La Victoria may be linked to the culture known as "Blanco sobre Rojo," or "White on Red," which settled on the central coast of Peru in the valleys of Chillon, Rimac and Lurin, the three rivers that cross Lima. 

Mexico had called for the cancelation of the auction of 40 objects by the Artcurial house in Paris that nevertheless went ahead this week, as well as another planned next week by Christie's.