Features

Arty films to look out for in 2024

New features by Steve McQueen, Kelly Reichardt and Joshua Oppenheimer will give art lovers plenty to get excited about

29 Dec 2023

The festive geese of Christmas past

The festive bird has often been served up by artists and writers including J.M.W. Turner and Charles Dickens

21 Dec 2023

At the Kennel Club: the world’s largest collection of doggy art

The Mayfair institution contains scores of paintings of dogs who had jobs and some rather more pampered pets

18 Dec 2023

The magnificent art of Marisol

The Pop sculptor shot to fame in the 1960s, but her determination not to be pigeonholed confounded many critics

15 Dec 2023

The designers getting creative with restaurant posters

Poster art has become a crucial part of the experience provided by more creative eateries

15 Dec 2023

Not so much a doll’s house, more a practical guide to running a great house

Far from being a toy, the Uppark doll’s house was designed as an instruction manual in three-dimensional form

15 Dec 2023

Acquisitions of the Month: November 2023

A terracotta relief by Donatello and a vanishingly rare set of 16th-century silverware are among this month’s highlights

1 Dec 2023

Chiharu Shiota weaves her magic for Mouton Rothschild

The Japanese artist is the latest to take on the prestigious commission to design the vineyard’s label, it was announced today

1 Dec 2023

The rise of the Renaissance woman

The flurry of exhibitions focusing on women artists is very welcome – as long as they avoid reinforcing tired old narratives

28 Nov 2023

The best wines of 2023

Apollo’s wine columnist tasted many excellent wines this year, but half a dozen were outstanding

28 Nov 2023

The arrested adolescence of Mike Kelley

The artist found freedom in a form of DIY making that teeters on the edge of self-indulgence

24 Nov 2023

The city of Nantes has really pushed out the boat for culture

Ambitious arts programming has transformed the fortunes of the French city since it experienced tough times in the 1980s

16 Nov 2023

The London museum that is putting on its war paint

The new art, film and photography galleries at the Imperial War Museum contain many welcome surprises

9 Nov 2023

Acquisitions of the Month: October 2023

A conversation portrait by Johann Zoffany and a marble sculpture by Giovanni Bandini are among the most significant works to enter public collections

3 Nov 2023

Extended reality may still be in its infancy – but it’s certainly growing up fast

The use of virtual, augmented and mixed technology in film-making hasn’t produced a masterpiece yet, but it’s only a matter of time

27 Oct 2023

Around the galleries – ambitions are high at Asian Art in London

The return of the event shows that the capital remains a global hub for the market

24 Oct 2023

Taking Philip Guston on his own terms

Hettie Judah stops her ears to the endless chatter to find a painter whose work is full of flaws and self-doubt – and all the better for it

24 Oct 2023

The Venetian family that brought glass-making into the modern age

The founders of the firm Nason Moretti revolutionised the making of glass without compromising on its quality

24 Oct 2023

‘Ideas about nation, territory and identity are thrown into disarray’

At the Steirischer Herbst festival in Graz, the spectre of nationalism and anxiety about borders haunted this year’s programme

23 Oct 2023

Is Uzbekistan poised to become a major cultural player?

The country is keen to rebrand by promoting its art and architecture – and the modernist buildings of its capital Tashkent are part of the plan

23 Oct 2023

Unscrolling China’s historic urban fabric

A 30m-long painting presents the Kiangxi Emperor touring southern China, says Clarissa von Spee of the Cleveland Museum of Art

23 Oct 2023

Grapes of froth – making the thinking man’s ‘champagne’

A vineyard-meets-sculpture park in Franciacorta makes wine truly a multisensory affair

20 Oct 2023

Money matters – the problem museums have with philanthropy

As museums face rising costs and lower grants, fundraising is more important than ever – but they have to be very careful where the money comes from

20 Oct 2023

Is Denmark Street really London’s Tin Pan Alley?

Once famous as the home of music publishers and recording studios, Denmark Street has adapted to a changing city but never lost its soul

18 Oct 2023