Painter Howard Hodgkin has died at the age of 84

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Howard Hodgkin (1932–2017) | The painter Howard Hodgkin has died in London at the age of 84. Hodgkin, who is widely considered as one of the greatest painters to emerge from Britain in the postwar era, trained at Camberwell School of Art and Bath Academy of Art, where he later taught for many years. He was granted numerous major exhibitions at institutions including the Metropolitan Museum, Irish Museum of Modern Art, Tate, and the Reina Sofia, and represented Britain at the 1984 Venice Biennale. He was knighted in 1992 and made a companion of honour a decade later. ‘Howard Hodgkin was one of the great artists and colourists of his generation’, said outgoing Tate director Sir Nicholas Serota. ‘Over the past 30 years Howard’s international standing has continued to grow with major exhibitions in Europe and America. His characteristic subject, the memory of a meeting or a conversation with a friend, resulted in paintings that radiate the emotions of life: love, anger, vanity, beauty and companionship.’

Malta’s Azure Window arch collapses into the sea | The Azure Window arch, one of Malta’s most famous heritage attractions, has collapsed into the sea following heavy storms. According to the Times of Malta, studies made in the last decade had concluded that erosion was inevitable, but had not anticipated the structure’s imminent collapse. Locals have mourned the loss of the naturally occurring structure, with Prime Minister Joseph Muscat describing the collapse as ‘heartbreaking’.

ISIS leaves Mosul Museum in ruins | Following the Iraqi army’s recapture of key sites in Mosul earlier this week, CBS News reports that the city’s antiquities museum has been left in ‘ruins’. According to reporters from Associated Press, who were granted access to the site on Wednesday, the exhibition spaces of the institution are piled with rubble, while a fire in its basement has decimated scores of irreplaceable books and manuscripts.

Bradford’s National Media Museum announces change of name | Bradford’s National Media Museum has announced that it will henceforth be known as the National Science and Media Museum, reflecting a major revamp designed to highlight the science of moving and still images. The museum, which was at the centre of a controversy when it announced the transfer of some 400,000 images belonging to the Royal Photographic Society to London’s V&A, will open a £1.8 million gallery at the end of March. According to the Guardian, its new Wonderlab gallery will explore ‘the science of light, sound and images through state-of-the-art exhibits’.

National Trust opens £30 million design competition for Clandon Park | The National Trust has launched a £30 million competition aimed at restoring Clandon Park, the Palladian mansion in Surrey that was gutted by fire in 2015. The contest invites architects to submit ‘sensitive and thoughtful’ proposals for the renovation of the structure. ‘The National Trust is delighted to invite the best talent from around the world to enter this design competition for the restoration and reimagining of Clandon Park’, said National Trust director general Helen Ghosh.