Features
Acquisitions of the Month: June 2022
An outstanding collection of some 900 Japanese cloisonné enamels is among this month’s highlights
The architect whose greatest achievement was the world’s first miniature village
Wolf’s Cove, the model village in Gloucestershire designed by Charles Paget Wade, is proof of the architect’s commitment to creating ideal communities
A culinary education – Claudia Roden’s ode to Jewish cuisine
Twenty-five years after it was first published, ‘The Book of Jewish Food’ remains an invaluable record of the Jewish diaspora and its manifold culinary traditions
Progress report – the Huntington reckons with its past and looks to the future
The Gilded Age institution renowned for its Eurocentric holdings is re-evaluating its history and winning over a wider audience
Why was the Royal Academy so willing to let one of its most treasured pieces go?
Sixty years ago the Royal Academy announced the sale of a cartoon by Leonardo da Vinci to fund its activities, but did it make the right decision?
The restoration of the ruins of York Castle is a towering achievement
All that remains of the city’s two medieval castles is the empty shell of a single tower, now imaginatively restored by Hugh Broughton Architects
Making a stand – the Russian artists saying no to war
Judging where to draw the line between maintaining a safe silence and tacitly endorsing the war in Ukraine has become a pressing matter
Assassination attempts – how Joan Miró set out to destroy painting
The artist produced some of his most innovative and political works at the age of 80 by burning and torturing his canvases and also turning to textiles
Shrine of the times – a Yoruba masterpiece in focus
Curator James Green takes a close look at a carving by Bamigboye, a sculptor who represented the beating heart of his community in the early 20th century
The perfect blend – art and wine at Château Mouton Rothschild
The graphic designer Jean Carlu was the first artist to create a label for the historic wine estate in 1924, marking the beginning of a long-standing tradition
Acquisitions of the Month: May 2022
This month’s highlights include a silver casket that may have played a part in the downfall of Mary, Queen of Scots
Why are New York’s new skyscrapers so bad?
As the Manhattan skyline keeps getting higher, the quality of the skyscrapers crowding the horizon seems to be getting lower and lower
What medieval Christians thought about climate change
Christians in the Middle Ages believed that there was no bad weather in paradise after the Creation and before the Fall of Man
Off the grid – the side of Mondrian you’ve never seen before
A completely overlooked painting, left out of the artist’s catalogue raisonné, makes the case for an unexpectedly messier and much more interesting career
Grand designs – how Gio Ponti transformed Palazzo Bo
The University of Padua may be 800 years old, but this ancient institution is also home to masterpieces of 20th-century design
A closer look at William Kent’s gilded ceilings at Houghton Hall
With a new book dedicated to William Kent’s Houghton Hall ceilings, Apollo takes a closer look at the depiction of Venus in the Green Velvet Drawing Room
Gnarled histories – winemaking in Algeria
Though France is now better known for its winemaking industry, the country owes the survival of its connoisseurship to Algeria
How El Greco rocked Picasso’s world
Carmen Giménez, the curator of an upcoming exhibition in Basel, talks to Apollo about the modernist’s lifelong debt to the Old Master
Can an exhibition represent a nation?
Exhibitions can successfully capture a cultural and social moment, but they are as much a glimpse into the mindset of the curators as they are into the art of that time
Fresh flavours at the National Gallery’s new restaurant
The gallery’s gloomy dining room is now a thing of the past. The restaurant has an elegant new look and menu to match
Cosmopolitan oil dealer Calouste Gulbenkian’s rich pickings
The Armenian businessman had a taste for portable items of beauty and cherished his collection as though it were an extension of himself
Acquisitions of the Month: April 2022
A terrifically grumpy portrait of Goya and a mythical landscape by Paul Bril are among this month’s highlights
The art of armour – uncovering the details of a Renaissance shield
Pierre Terjanian of the Metropolitan Museum of Art tells Apollo why a Renaissance pageant shield is such a beguiling work of art
Lines of control – the story of Jackson Pollock’s drips
The American painter may be famed for a chaotic approach, but in reality he had complete command of his materials – and he owed his technique to a printmaker
Are the art market’s problems being blown out of proportion?