Recent denials that the department for culture, media and sport is for the chop don’t address the problem of its glaring lack of purpose
The artist modelled for Renoir, Toulouse-Lautrec and others, but her own sitters were afforded much more agency
Japan’s support of its artisans shows how highly it views its cultural heritage, but the same isn’t always true of the rest of the world
Reports of looting at the Sudan National Museum were confirmed last month as government forces retook Khartoum. The losses are still being reckoned
The artist has updated her ‘Hexen’ deck charting the rise of the military-industrial complex for an age of climate crisis and disinformation
The attacks on ‘degenerate’ art were brutal and shocking, but the bravery of the artists whose work was singled out should also be remembered
It’s not just federally funded museums that have reason to be wary. Self-censorship is also a danger, and all institutions should stand up for their stated principles
As development agencies have become increasingly entangled with heritage projects, the end of USAID raises the question of who will fill the funding gap
Archives are much more than stuffy storerooms filled with dried-out documents, and might be our best way of connecting to the past
UK museums are hamstrung by outdated laws around restitution. It’s time for politicians to end the impasse and give them greater autonomy over their collections
Women have often been thought susceptible to demonic influence, and creativity can be seen as a form of possession – notions reclaimed by artists in ingenious ways
If AI is treated as little more than a fashionable selling point, then its potential to create genuinely innovative art may be lost
The sinister corporation in the dystopian office drama really cares about art, but the paintings on the walls only highlight the workers’ sense of alienation rather than relieving it
Shattered by high energy prices and shifting consumer habits, the historic Potteries in Stoke-on-Trent are more vulnerable than ever
Nothing gets a certain type of viewer more hot under the cravat than anachronisms in period drama – but the best inaccuracies are artistically liberating
The winner of the competition to redesign the most popular galleries will be announced next month, but are the finalists thinking hard enough what the museum should really be?
The art world tends to favour self-promoting extroverts, but it is often the eccentrics and wallflowers who make the most interesting work
Art can never bring anything back to life, but it can help what has been lost live on in the imagination
Figurative art is on the up and up but that doesn’t mean that every painting of a person is a literal depiction
The film-maker was always an original but what makes his work unforgettable – and inspiring to other artists – is its radical sincerity
The planned renovation of Minster Court in the City says much about the attitude of developers to our postmodern buildings
The Met’s Siena show was the toast of New York and the National Gallery’s version is expected to wow London. After December’s strong Old Master sales, the past is looking golden
A ring collector who became a leading expert in the field of jewellery studies, Scarisbrick always retained a direct, personal approach to the subject
During her time as director of the Wallace Collection and well beyond it, Savill was a champion of the decorative arts and her beloved Sèvres porcelain, and a dedicated public servant
Suzanne Valadon’s shifting gaze
The artist modelled for Renoir, Toulouse-Lautrec and others, but her own sitters were afforded much more agency
Do we take craft for granted?
Japan’s support of its artisans shows how highly it views its cultural heritage, but the same isn’t always true of the rest of the world
The threat to Sudan’s cultural heritage
Reports of looting at the Sudan National Museum were confirmed last month as government forces retook Khartoum. The losses are still being reckoned
Suzanne Treister’s tarot offers humanity a new toolbox
The artist has updated her ‘Hexen’ deck charting the rise of the military-industrial complex for an age of climate crisis and disinformation
When the Nazis pilloried modern art
The attacks on ‘degenerate’ art were brutal and shocking, but the bravery of the artists whose work was singled out should also be remembered
Cultural leaders must resist being brought into line
It’s not just federally funded museums that have reason to be wary. Self-censorship is also a danger, and all institutions should stand up for their stated principles
What the dismantling of USAID means for world heritage
As development agencies have become increasingly entangled with heritage projects, the end of USAID raises the question of who will fill the funding gap
‘Archives are the closest thing we have to a time machine’
Archives are much more than stuffy storerooms filled with dried-out documents, and might be our best way of connecting to the past
How to give back looted objects
UK museums are hamstrung by outdated laws around restitution. It’s time for politicians to end the impasse and give them greater autonomy over their collections
The artists full of sympathy for the devil
Women have often been thought susceptible to demonic influence, and creativity can be seen as a form of possession – notions reclaimed by artists in ingenious ways
Who will put the art into artificial intelligence?
If AI is treated as little more than a fashionable selling point, then its potential to create genuinely innovative art may be lost
What Severance says about our fractured selves
The sinister corporation in the dystopian office drama really cares about art, but the paintings on the walls only highlight the workers’ sense of alienation rather than relieving it
Can Britain’s fragile pottery industry survive?
Shattered by high energy prices and shifting consumer habits, the historic Potteries in Stoke-on-Trent are more vulnerable than ever
What would Jane Austen say?
Nothing gets a certain type of viewer more hot under the cravat than anachronisms in period drama – but the best inaccuracies are artistically liberating
Who will reimagine the British Museum?
The winner of the competition to redesign the most popular galleries will be announced next month, but are the finalists thinking hard enough what the museum should really be?
In defence of the outsider artist
The art world tends to favour self-promoting extroverts, but it is often the eccentrics and wallflowers who make the most interesting work
How artists respond to disaster
Art can never bring anything back to life, but it can help what has been lost live on in the imagination
Do portraits have an image problem?
Figurative art is on the up and up but that doesn’t mean that every painting of a person is a literal depiction
‘He wasn’t edgy. He was honest’ – on the genius of David Lynch
The film-maker was always an original but what makes his work unforgettable – and inspiring to other artists – is its radical sincerity
London has its own Dracula’s castle – and a stake is about to be driven through its heart
The planned renovation of Minster Court in the City says much about the attitude of developers to our postmodern buildings
Are the Old Masters going up in the art world?
The Met’s Siena show was the toast of New York and the National Gallery’s version is expected to wow London. After December’s strong Old Master sales, the past is looking golden
‘Her rings were her first teachers’ – a tribute to Diana Scarisbrick (1928–2024)
A ring collector who became a leading expert in the field of jewellery studies, Scarisbrick always retained a direct, personal approach to the subject
‘She had no time for elitism, but was passionate about excellence’ – a tribute to Rosalind Savill
During her time as director of the Wallace Collection and well beyond it, Savill was a champion of the decorative arts and her beloved Sèvres porcelain, and a dedicated public servant