Reviews
The Turner Prize plays it safe this year
The four nominees for this year’s prize are presenting their biggest, brightest work but not all of it is saying very much
Wilton House may be famous for its sculpture, but its paintings are just as worthwhile
The paintings acquired by the earls of Pembroke over several generations now have the catalogue they deserve
How to be queer in the Arab world
Artists from across North Africa and the Middle East are expressing themselves in a sprawling show at the Institut du Monde Arabe
At Nottingham Contemporary, caves really are the rocks of ages
A show about caves and the artists who have been inspired by them goes deep underground and incredibly far back in time
Unmasked emotion – the photographer who saw beneath the surface
Working across photojournalism, fashion photography and portraiture, Sabine Weiss captured her subjects with curiosity and emotion
Marina Abramovic goes missing in Oxford
The performance artist is absent from her latest show, instead getting visitors to do the work through wellness-style meditations. Is it worth the effort?
What can we learn from looking at doubles?
An exhibition examining ‘doubles’ in modern art at National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C. ends up a little out of focus
What separates archaeologists from treasure-hunters?
Maria Golia’s history of tomb-raiding in ancient Egypt makes for an entertaining read but there are graver matters to consider
The extraordinary life of Ibrahim El-Salahi
In his memoir, the artist reflects on how his life and approach to making art have been shaped by the events in his home country of Sudan
How Van Dyck made his mark on English portraiture
It’s no secret that Van Dyck inspired generations of artists, but a new book paints a more nuanced picture of the painter’s reception
The English oddballs who cultivated their very own gardens of Eden
In ‘English Garden Eccentrics’, Todd Longstaffe-Gowan introduces us to a gallery of historical horticulturists, all determined to create their own private paradises
How Alfred Munnings got his commercial break
From mustard adverts to Art Nouveau-inspired posters, a show of early works by the horse painter and vehement anti-modernist is full of surprises
Duncan Grant’s private erotica finally gets a public outing
There’s nothing remotely shameful about the artist’s exuberant and explicit sketches of cavorting satyrs and manly men
There’s nothing nonsensical about the lonely landscapes of Edward Lear
The Victorian poet and painter mapped out his moods in meticulous detail, sometimes even minute by minute
Bank account – the story of London’s lost riverside palaces
The Strand is now one of the capital’s busiest thoroughfares, but it was once home to a string of magnificent mansions
In search of the real Carolee Schneemann
The late performance artist celebrated the messiness of bodies in her work – so it’s a shame her survey at the Barbican all feels a bit clean
How Duchamp got himself out of the doldrums
The artist was at something of a standstill before a French critic came along with the idea for a book that gained him a host of new admirers
The British nudists who had their minds set on higher things
Annebella Pollen’s history of nudism in 20th-century Britain takes the movement as seriously as it took itself
Learning curves – how to see Cézanne with fresh eyes
By making unexpected connections and comparisons, this revelatory show allows the painter’s real achievements to become clearer than they have ever been
Is Milton Avery really a forgotten American great?
We’ve struggled to classify the painter as one of history’s greats for very good reason
Why are the British so fond of fancy dress?
Dressing up – at balls, fetes and simply for fun – has long provided Britons of all classes with a creative outlet
Fine romances – the art of illustration in 15th-century Herat
As two of the British Library’s most beautiful manuscripts show, the art of illustration hit new and extraordinary heights in 15th-century Herat
The call of the shopping mall
In ‘Meet Me by the Fountain’, Alexandra Lange uncovers the surprisingly utopian origins of the modern mall and defends it from its critics
How Renaissance artists captured Portugal’s golden age
Portugal’s period of ascendancy can be charted through the paintings of the times
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Are the art market’s problems being blown out of proportion?