The reintroduction of entry fees for national museums in England is back on the agenda. But even if charges apply only to international visitors, the consequences will be felt by everyone
Looking past the strictures of genre to judge a work on its own merits can yield great rewards, as an exhibition of Michaelina Wautier’s work attests
The idea of the beautiful and the damned ugly is a longstanding one, but a problematic one – in art as well as life
Mackenzie Crook’s BBC sitcom perfectly conveys the contradictions of a realm where nothing much is allowed in public and anything can happen in private
As the threat of armed global conflict increases, we mustn’t stop trying to protect archaeological and cultural sites
A new biography of the comic-book artist Vince Colletta reminds us that painting has long relied on a sense of narrative tension
Hettie Judah is captivated by the photographer’s seriously thoughtful approach to adolescence
It’s been a big month for the artist, with a new record set at auction and the National Gallery of Art acquiring an ecstatic Mary Magdalene. And her stock seems set to rise even higher
Devotion, in its many different senses, has always been at the heart of the artist’s work
When the complex was first proposed in the late 1950s, it was intended as a concrete expression of US soft power and its designer, Edward Durell Stone, was one of the most in-demand architects in the United States
Plans for a widely opposed redevelopment of London Liverpool Street have been approved – why, when there is a better, less costly alternative?
Niccolò dell’Arca's terracotta sculpture depicting the lamentation of Christ captures the mixed emotions wrapped up in grief
The art dealer, who has died at the age of 97, was a tireless champion of her artists and brought an entirely new perspective to New York in the 1980s
The dystopian series asks whether creativity has any value when everyone thinks the same way
In praise of the late-career artists, Joan Semmel and Caroline Coon among them, who keep on painting their own bodies
The late Hungarian film-maker’s epic studies of apocalyptic gloom have never seemed more ravishing or more timely
The tacky cursive typeface used for the new White House signs says much about the current administration
When the sculptor was announced for the US Pavilion at Venice, many in the art world declared their unfamiliarity with his work, doubts about the selection process and incredulity that abstract art could speak to the current moment
While annual registers that sound the alarm for architectural and cultural sites have accumulated, their challenge remains Sisyphean
If galleries and institutions want to grow their visitor numbers, they need to add style to their substance
The contents of the artist’s house were sold after his death and Annemarie Kloosterhof has remade the most elusive of these in paper – to wonderfully spooky effect
Alt text in museums doesn’t benefit only low-vision users – it helps all of us think more deeply about how to understand an artwork
The photographer, who has died at the age of 73, always insisted that he was capturing his subjects as they really were
Heavily influenced by his artistic contemporaries, the architect pushed the limits of design – and revolutionised the idea of the modern museum
The art of looking closely
Looking past the strictures of genre to judge a work on its own merits can yield great rewards, as an exhibition of Michaelina Wautier’s work attests
The dangers of playing the ‘beautiful’ game
The idea of the beautiful and the damned ugly is a longstanding one, but a problematic one – in art as well as life
Small Prophets taps into the weird roots of English suburbia
Mackenzie Crook’s BBC sitcom perfectly conveys the contradictions of a realm where nothing much is allowed in public and anything can happen in private
What can be done to save cultural heritage in wartime?
As the threat of armed global conflict increases, we mustn’t stop trying to protect archaeological and cultural sites
The art of storytelling, from Lorenzetti to Lichtenstein
A new biography of the comic-book artist Vince Colletta reminds us that painting has long relied on a sense of narrative tension
Catherine Opie’s powerful portraits of innocence
Hettie Judah is captivated by the photographer’s seriously thoughtful approach to adolescence
Boom time for Artemisia
It’s been a big month for the artist, with a new record set at auction and the National Gallery of Art acquiring an ecstatic Mary Magdalene. And her stock seems set to rise even higher
Tracey Emin’s faith in art
Devotion, in its many different senses, has always been at the heart of the artist’s work
What does the Kennedy Center stand for now?
When the complex was first proposed in the late 1950s, it was intended as a concrete expression of US soft power and its designer, Edward Durell Stone, was one of the most in-demand architects in the United States
Liverpool Street station is on schedule to be an architectural train wreck
Plans for a widely opposed redevelopment of London Liverpool Street have been approved – why, when there is a better, less costly alternative?
The many faces of mourning
Niccolò dell’Arca's terracotta sculpture depicting the lamentation of Christ captures the mixed emotions wrapped up in grief
‘One of the best gallerists in the world’: Marian Goodman (1928–2026)
The art dealer, who has died at the age of 97, was a tireless champion of her artists and brought an entirely new perspective to New York in the 1980s
In Pluribus, art holds up a mirror to a hollow world
The dystopian series asks whether creativity has any value when everyone thinks the same way
The age-old problem of painting nudes
In praise of the late-career artists, Joan Semmel and Caroline Coon among them, who keep on painting their own bodies
Béla Tarr, poet-laureate of doom (1955–2026)
The late Hungarian film-maker’s epic studies of apocalyptic gloom have never seemed more ravishing or more timely
What the writing on the walls says about the White House
The tacky cursive typeface used for the new White House signs says much about the current administration
In defence of the art of Alma Allen
When the sculptor was announced for the US Pavilion at Venice, many in the art world declared their unfamiliarity with his work, doubts about the selection process and incredulity that abstract art could speak to the current moment
How effective are Britain’s ‘heritage at risk’ lists?
While annual registers that sound the alarm for architectural and cultural sites have accumulated, their challenge remains Sisyphean
Should museums be making spectacles of themselves?
If galleries and institutions want to grow their visitor numbers, they need to add style to their substance
The long-lost collection of Frederic Leighton
The contents of the artist’s house were sold after his death and Annemarie Kloosterhof has remade the most elusive of these in paper – to wonderfully spooky effect
How to describe a work of art
Alt text in museums doesn’t benefit only low-vision users – it helps all of us think more deeply about how to understand an artwork
Martin Parr was Britain’s greatest documentary photographer
The photographer, who has died at the age of 73, always insisted that he was capturing his subjects as they really were
Frank Gehry’s frontier spirit
Heavily influenced by his artistic contemporaries, the architect pushed the limits of design – and revolutionised the idea of the modern museum