Frieze New York, the Cranach in Hitler’s Munich apartment, Ajamu X

Frieze New York, the Cranach in Hitler’s Munich apartment, Ajamu X

From The Week in Art by The Art Newspaper

May 14, 2026 · 51 min

About this episode

This episode covers the latest Frieze New York fair, the complicated provenance of a painting once owned by Hitler, and features the Glamour Posse series by Ajamu X.

The latest edition of Frieze New York is open now and we hear all about this year’s fair from The Art Newspaper’s editor-in-chief in the Americas, Ben Sutton, and our art market editor, Kabir Jhala. Cupid Complaining to Venus (1526-27), a painting by Lucas Cranach the Elder in the National Gallery in London has long been known to have a complicated provenance and was once in the possession of Adolf Hitler. In The Art Newspaper’s May print edition, a photograph of the work in Hitler’s Munich apartment is reproduced for the first time in an English-language publication. Ben Luke talks to Martin Bailey, our special correspondent in London, who has been following this story since the 1990s, about the latest news. And this episode’s Work of the Week is the Glamour Posse series from the early 1990s by the British photographer Ajamu X. The work features in Gender Stories, a UK touring exhibition that this week opens at the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool, and Ben speaks to the head of the gallery, Charlotte Keenan. Frieze New York continues until Sunday, 17 May, Esther continues until 16 May and Tefaf is on until 19 May. Gender Stories, Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, 16 May-31 August…

People in this episode

Host: Ben Luke

Guests: Ben Sutton, Kabir Jhala, Martin Bailey, Charlotte Keenan

Topics covered

  • Frieze New York
  • art market
  • provenance
  • historical art
  • photography
  • exhibitions

Keywords

  • Frieze New York
  • art market
  • Lucas Cranach
  • Hitler
  • Ajamu X
  • Gender Stories
  • exhibition
  • photography
  • provenance

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Art Newspaper

Books & works: Cupid Complaining to Venus, Glamour Posse

Places: National Gallery, Munich, Liverpool

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