Features
Acquisitions of the Month: January 2023
A first for the Frick and a Caillebotte at the Musée d’Orsay are among the most important works to enter museum collections this month
In good company – at the Vintners’ Hall in the City of London
The Worshipful Company of Vintners still provides a very convivial welcome
How Christopher Wren built his reputation
On the 300th anniversary of his death, the architect’s fame remains unassailable – but the character of the man is more contested than ever, writes Matthew Walker
The tale of the magpie that taunted a tiger
Robert Mintz of the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco explains how tensions between tigers and magpies in Korean folk tales made their way on to a porcelain vase
Modern myths about ancient Egypt
In Turin, traces of ancient Egypt are never far away, which makes it a welcoming place for contemporary artists with a historical bent
The family that made John Singer Sargent feel at home
The painter’s close friendship with the Wertheimers is quite evident in the many portraits he made of them all
Silicon Valley’s highly developed sense of self
Tech companies have long tried to put a human face on their latest innovations, with varying degrees of success
Knives out – the fine art of carving meat
In the 17th century, tips for carving could often be gleaned at the card table
The unflinching gaze of Gerda Taro
The photographer who bore witness to the Spanish Civil War paid the ultimate price for her fearlessness
Acquisitions of the Month: December 2022
A donation of 220 works by Philip Guston from the artist’s daughter and a portrait of one of Louis XV’s most controversial aides are among this month’s highlights
The museum openings not to miss in 2023
The new-look National Portrait Gallery in London and the International African American Museum in Charleston are among the highlights of the year ahead
The royal christening gift that did sterling service
George II gave his god-daughter a decorative silver bowl that was later put to surprisingly practical use
The landscape that shaped Gainsborough’s view of the world
The painter’s house in Suffolk now tells a compelling story about his formative influence
Making wine in Venice is a very exclusive affair
The wines of the Veneto need no introduction, but it’s worth getting to know the ones produced inside the city itself
Rubens and an outstanding display of Roman virtue
While the painter’s designs for the Decius Mus cycle were used to create several sets of tapestries, the version now in Kilkenny Castle in Ireland is in a class of its own
‘Eggs are rarely as simple as they seem’
A new book turns the staple into a star and unscrambles its significance beyond the kitchen
The subtle details that put Paris streets ahead
Street lights, kiosks and benches are easy to ignore, but they can make all the difference to how a city look and feels
The Venetian artists who vied with the ancients
Working in an Italian city with no Roman past allowed painters and sculptors to put their own spin on classical antiquity
Sculpture from the scrapyard and Simone Leigh’s first museum survey – contemporary art highlights in 2023
Exhibitions to look forward to include some major retrospectives and shows that pick up where the Venice Biennale left off
Super-high skyscrapers and sensitive restorations – the year ahead in architecture
The prospect of more towering edifices on the horizon is hardly cheering, but there are more grounded projects to look forward to
The major art anniversaries to look out for in 2023
Joshua Reynolds, Sarah Bernhardt and Pablo Picasso are all being celebrated in anniversary events this year
The first lady of Florence: how Eleanor of Toledo made her presence felt
Marrying into the Medici family made the Spanish noblewoman one of the most important artistic patrons of her day
Through the grapevine – the secret ceremony of Château Mouton Rothschild’s artist collaborations
Last week Peter Doig was revealed as the latest artist to design a label for the chateau – a tradition that began in 1945 and remains shrouded in mystery
The most approachable avant-garde artist in Britain – a tribute to Tom Phillips (1937–2022)
The artist who effortlessly crossed genres, but stayed close to south London, was best known for ‘A Humument’, a masterpiece 50 years in the making
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