The week in art news: Delhi’s new gallery district, concern over ‘hammering’ at Giza pyramids, man sets museum crawl Guinness World Record, and more…

Alonzo Davis dies at 82. The American artist and gallerist who was known for championing Black American artists passed away in Hyattsville, Maryland. Davis co-founded the Brockman Gallery, the first major Black-owned contemporary gallery in Los Angeles, with his brother in the city’s Leimert Park neighborhood in 1967. In his own practice, Davis produced mixed media works that often featured arrow motifs, explaining that it was indicative of forward-moving time, decision-making and political shifts. Parrasch Heijnen gallery, which began representing him in 2021, confirmed his death on Monday 27th January.

Smashing work: Egyptologists concerned after worker seen hammering at Great Pyramid of Giza. A viral video showing a worker using a hammer and chisel on the Great Pyramid of Giza has caused outrage in Egypt’s heritage sector and sparked rumours about the pyramid’s demolition. The controversy escalated to parliament, where MP Amira Abu Shoka demanded accountability from the tourism and antiquities minister, Sherif Fathy. The ministry clarified that the work involved removing modern materials added decades ago for lighting, not the original stones. However, Egyptologists remain concerned, calling for stricter adherence to Unesco regulations and the Venice Charter.

Introducing Delhi’s new gallery district: Just in time for India Art Fair Delhi, a hub of galleries is set to open in the central Defence Colony, joining existing dealerships in the area. Galleryske and Photoink planned to open in the next two months, according to The Art Newspaper, but a Supreme Court ban delayed the move due to air quality concerns. Meanwhile, Mumbai’s Method gallery has opened its first Delhi location, following Mirchandani + Steinruecke, which expanded there last year. Roshini Vadehra, director of Delhi’s Vadehra Art Gallery, told TAN that “with coordinated efforts of exhibition previews and programming, the Delhi community can now enjoy a version of the gallery-hopping event ‘Art Night Thursdays’ that have become the norm in Mumbai.”

British Council art collection at risk. The organisation reportedly owes a staggering £197M to the government that it might have to sell some works from its prestigious art collection to offset. The collection features almost 9,000 British works of the 20th and 21st centuries by artists such as Lucian Freud, David Hockney and John Akomfrah. The BC’s finances went downhill after taking out an emergency £250M loan from the government during Covid. The Art Newspaper reports that the commercial interest applied to the loan costs the council around £14M each year. This crisis comes amid rumours about budget and staff cuts. Yikes!

London’s Sherbet Green gallery moves into an ex-Rolls-Royce factory. Sherbet Green will be merging with non-profit gallery and project space Generation & Display, which will operate under Sherbet Green at a new location at Queensrollahouse. According to the gallery, the 1950s building offers “a studio space, a rooftop bar and a gallery, reflecting our commitment to critical discourse and innovation within the arts landscape.” The new space will be inaugurated by a duo exhibition from artists Anthony Baussy and Tyler Eash, with an opening and after party on 22nd February.

Annie Leibovitz launches new photography prize with Lisa Saltzman. The Saltzman-Leibovitz Photography Prize will award $20k to six shortlisted photographers based in Ukraine, Nigeria, Romania, the Netherlands, France and America. The artists were selected from participants in Leibovitz’s mentorship programme, part of her role as the first IKEA Artist in Residence. The judging process concluded on 31st January and the winner will be announced in April.

British man sets Guinness World Record for most museums visited in one day. Ben Melham visited 42 museums in London in under 12 hours on a scooter including the British Museum, the Natural History Museum and the Barbican Art Gallery on 25th October last year, with the world records team verifying his achievement last week. Melham beat the previous record holders, India’s Sujoy Kumar Mitra and Swaroop Dawrani, by nine museums. Melham, who works in the museums sector as an operations consultant, told Artnews that his children encouraged him to take on the challenge.

Restored anti-fascism mural by Philip Guston and Reuben Kadish unveiled. The long-forgotten mural The Struggle Against Terrorism, has been revived in Mexico after a six month, $150k restoration. Argentine architect Luis Laplace first spotted the crumbling 1930s artwork in Morelia’s Regional Museum of Michoacán seven years ago and led efforts to save it. The 1,000-square-foot piece, depicting persecution and resistance, had been deteriorating in a neglected palace courtyard. Now fully restored, the mural’s unveiling comes amid heightened US-Mexico tensions over the tariffs Donald Trump is moving to impose.