Reviews
A century of art from Northern Ireland inevitably paints a complex picture
An exhibition in Belfast marking 100 years of the country treads rather carefully, for understandable reasons
Jasper Johns, American dreamer
A monumental two-part survey in Philadelphia and New York proves that the artist has always forged his own path
All dressed up and nowhere to go – the art of sprucing up public statues
There’s more than one way to knock a figure off its pedestal, as a documentary about dressing up public monuments in Liverpool shows
The magical films of Georges Méliès make him a name to conjure with
The film-maker deserves pride of place in any history of early cinema – as the Cinèmathèque française’s new display confirms
Damascene conversion – the knotty religious history of the Umayyad Mosque
Built to rival the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, the great mosque in Damascus has always been claimed by rival faiths
The airborne art of Eugenio Dittborn
The Chilean artist’s practice of folding up his work and posting it to galleries began as a means of evading the censors
At home with the Stuarts – Palaces of Revolution by Simon Thurley, reviewed
A new study reminds us that royal palaces were places to live in as well as impressive displays of power
How Francis Bacon got by – with a lot of help from his friends
A new biography of the painter gives full credit to the cast of characters who supported him before he found success
The adventures of Reinhard Behrens and his rusty toy submarine
The painter has created a fictitious world called Naboland which he explores with the help of a rusty submersible
For the real Tokyo story, look beyond kooky stereotypes of the city
An ambitious show at the Ashmolean Museum looks past the familiar clichés to the real city and its artists
All aboard – the transporting art of Jack B. Yeats
Although grounded in actual places and actual people, the artist’s subjects were always utterly transformed by his imagination, writes Tom Walker
This year’s Turner Prize nominees are all doing valuable work – but why compare them?
The shortlisted collectives are more interested in what takes place outside the museum – so considering them for an art prize seems besides the point
The uncanny universe of Leiko Ikemura
The Japanese-Swiss artist’s first exhibition in the UK introduces her eerie, fantastical world to a new audience
Paris Hilton takes a leaf out of Jane Austen’s recipe book
The venerable tradition of copying out recipes in household books lives on in the most unexpected places
The Candyman is back – and this time he’s haunting the art world
The Chicago art scene turns out to be a suitably chilling setting for Nia DaCosta’s sequel to the cult horror film
The Romantics who revolutionised how we think about the past
Rosemary Hill’s nimble survey shows how 19th-century antiquarians paved the way for modern historians
Sting in the tale – how Gustave Moreau added bite to La Fontaine’s fables
Rarely exhibited since their creation, the intense, jewel-like watercolours of the French symbolist make for exhilarating viewing
The British painting scene is a free-for-all these days – and that’s no bad thing
The Hayward’s survey of contemporary painting proves that the medium is thriving – with the figurative artists perhaps edging that little bit ahead
Hazardous dukes – Medici portraits at the Met, reviewed
An entrancing exhibition shows how Cosimo I de’ Medici harnessed art to consolidate his family’s grip on power
What we say when we say it with flowers
Artists and writers have always been fascinated by flowers – and we all like receiving them – but some floral arrangements are more sinister than others
Drinking wine in ancient Greece was a divine but demanding business
The gods were great sticklers for ceremony and frowned on oenophiles who didn’t observe the rules
Dust jackets and dinner jackets – the man who illustrated Bond
Richard Chopping’s striking designs for Ian Fleming’s novels add greatly to the books’ allure for collectors – but his artistic talent went far beyond Bond
Eyes on the ball – the new art gallery at the Spurs stadium is an unexpected winner
Exit through the gift shop at Tottenham Hotspur and you’ll find a gallery full of art inspired by the beautiful game
Do paintings have minds of their own?
Not all works of art need be interpreted – some simply demand that we spend some quality time with them
Seeing London through Frank Auerbach’s eyes