In the decade before his death, John Constable developed a freer hand to follow new visions – to astonishing effect
William Hogarth liked to present himself as a bluff Englishman, but the truth was a touch more complicated
The Dutch painter already knew the majority of the sitters in his lively portraits of merchants and dignitaries – and it shows
What goes up inevitably must come down – but for a fleeting moment some photographers have tried to suggest otherwise
Rebecca Birrell’s absorbing book asks us to look beneath the surface of work by women artists – but perhaps a rose sometimes really is just a rose?
Nicholas Penny’s survey of 17th- and 18th-century Italian paintings in the Norton Simon Museum reveals the astute figure behind the collections
The artists featured in this exhibition didn’t share the same outlook or methods, but their variousness is part of the point
Sadie Frost’s documentary about the designer is hardly original, but then Quant didn’t actually invent the miniskirt – and it doesn’t hurt to be reminded of her genius
An exhibition in Belfast marking 100 years of the country treads rather carefully, for understandable reasons
A monumental two-part survey in Philadelphia and New York proves that the artist has always forged his own path
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 film-maker deserves pride of place in any history of early cinema – as the Cinèmathèque française’s new display confirms
Built to rival the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, the great mosque in Damascus has always been claimed by rival faiths
The Chilean artist’s practice of folding up his work and posting it to galleries began as a means of evading the censors
A new study reminds us that royal palaces were places to live in as well as impressive displays of power
A new biography of the painter gives full credit to the cast of characters who supported him before he found success
The painter has created a fictitious world called Naboland which he explores with the help of a rusty submersible
An ambitious show at the Ashmolean Museum looks past the familiar clichés to the real city and its artists
Although grounded in actual places and actual people, the artist’s subjects were always utterly transformed by his imagination, writes Tom Walker
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 Japanese-Swiss artist's first exhibition in the UK introduces her eerie, fantastical world to a new audience
The venerable tradition of copying out recipes in household books lives on in the most unexpected places
The Chicago art scene turns out to be a suitably chilling setting for Nia DaCosta’s sequel to the cult horror film
Rosemary Hill’s nimble survey shows how 19th-century antiquarians paved the way for modern historians
