Features
For Kurdish artists in Turkey, simply making work is a political act
Works produced in prison by the artist Fatos Irwen speak to the increasingly repressive climate for Kurds in Turkey
Scents and sensibility: why smell counts in art
The visual arts have often toyed with odours and smells, however challenging they are to represent
‘The greatest story of gluttony’ – on the genius of Eric Carle, creator of The Very Hungry Caterpillar
The much-loved author cut his teeth on illustrations for medical ad campaigns – which proved ideal training for the world of children’s books
All art is for children – and great art can make children of us all
Modern masters from Joseph Cornell to Paul Klee have produced works expressly for children, writes Ben Street – but perhaps all great art is a type of child’s play?
On the Grand Canal, this crumbling Venetian palazzo has been given a new lease of life
The Palazzo Vendramin Grimani has opened with a display that reunites some of the paintings it was once home to – plus a helping of contemporary art
Raising the curtain on early Klimt
An early commission by the painter for a public theatre in Rijeka is the subject of a major display in the city this summer
An audience with the Qianlong Emperor, via the small screen
The meticulous attention to Chinese decorative arts is as great a draw as the court intrigue in ‘Story of Yanxi Palace’
Museums are finally reopening – and these are the shows we don’t want to miss
Apollo’s editors pick out the museum shows that they’re most looking forward to visiting in coming weeks
An elephant in the room, at Waddesdon Manor
Toys aren’t just for children, at least if a 250-year-old musical elephant at the grandest house in Buckinghamshire is anything to go by
Weft dreams – the utopian tapestries of Archie Brennan
Archie Brennan was a committed craftsman with a fondness for optical illusions and a strong idealistic streak
The Iranian kings who thought the world revolved around them
As the last rulers of pre-Islamic Iran, the Sasanians crafted a grand courtly culture that would go on to influence kings from the Balkans to Bengal
‘Here are the contradictions of Glasgow laid bare, with love’ – in the footsteps of Joan Eardley
The painter’s tender portraits of slum life are being celebrated across Scotland in her centenary year
The eccentric English socialite who embraced Surrealism
Heir to a railway fortune and an 8,000-acre estate in West Sussex, Edward James transformed his homes into total works of art – with a little help from Dalí and friends
The lost paintings of Marietta Robusti are a maddening Renaissance mystery
Tintoretto’s daughter was a highly acclaimed artist in her own right, but there is frustratingly little to go on when it comes to identifying her paintings
Book keeping: the bookplates that are artworks in their own right
With their miniature artistry and enigmatic personal histories, these striking prints are often more enticing than the volumes they’re found in
Are digital artists waiting for the NFT bubble to burst?
Most of the fuss about NFTs has focused on what, if anything, buyers are getting – but how do digital artists feel about minting their art?
The jobbing artist who became Georgia’s national painter – thanks to his eye for a feast
Niko Pirosmani’s paintings are a testament to Georgian conviviality – although he didn’t always have a place at the table
The magazines that made America
The pages of US periodicals trumpet a country making it up as it went along, covering everything from prohibition to pulp fiction
What did city living look like in ancient Egypt?
The discovery of a 3,000-year old city at the West Bank of Luxor creates a more nuanced picture of ancient Egyptian life
With its return to Chelsea, Dia is having a New York moment
Dia Art Foundation’s support for ambitious experimental artists is as resolute as ever, its director Jessica Morgan tells Apollo
For the gondola builders of Venice, choppy waters lie ahead
Traditional boatyards and boat-building techniques have long been in decline – but the pandemic has only worsened the situation
The cantankerous criticism of Charles Baudelaire
On the bicentenary of the poet’s birth, his art criticism still hums with outrage
Wild things: the beasts of Francis Bacon
Francis Bacon’s work reveals an endless fascination with animals – and the bestial side of human nature
As a portrait sitter, Prince Philip was also a spirited sparring partner
In 2006, Jonathan Yeo painted Prince Philip’s portrait – an invigorating if at times nerve-wracking experience
How artists respond to disaster