December 2025

Hew Locke

Frick Collection, New York

‘The Crucifixion with the Virgin, Saint John the Evangelist and the Magdalen’ by Fra Angelico

Getty Provenance Index

‘Siena: The Rise of Painting, 1300–1350’ at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York and National Gallery, London

Toi Te Mana: An Indigenous History of Māori Art

Gabriele Finaldi and John Booth

The History Faculty Building in Cambridge, completed in 1968, is hard to love. But love it this former student does

Amid all the gallery parties there’s plenty of remarkable art to see at this year’s edition of the fair

A spate of new fairs across the world suggests that ‘fairtigue’ is over, but perhaps we still need to slow down

At the time of their making, Roman glass vessels were less valuable than their contents – but the few surviving examples are highly prized by collectors

The success of London’s National Gallery during a tricky time for museums is a testament to having the right people steering the ship

For contemporary artists such as Sasha Gordon and Nayland Blake the current moment screams unease

The transformation of the Musée des Augustins has brought this former convent into the modern age

The best way of appreciating Carpaccio’s work is to treat his paintings like Venice itself – to meander through them and bathe in their elusiveness

Baroque still lifes can be a source of serenity if the abundance of Christmas gets too much

The son of Filippo Lippi mastered the art of painting in a circular format, and this depiction of the Holy Family is one of the most magnificent examples

Glass in hand, Apollo’s wine correspondent ponders the link between wine and philosophy

An uncanny automaton by the Czech artist Jan Žalud is testament to the forces that shaped the city in the 20th century

As the prospect of restored state support becomes ever more distant, Britain’s museums are turning to US-style fundraising. But can this benefit more than just a handful of London institutions?

Best known for his horrifying tales of the supernatural, the author was inspired by his work as a medievalist and the spookiness of antique objects

‘Comrades in Art’ is a timely and provocative account of the role of art in the age of tyranny

Ruth Ellis, Diana Dors, Barbara Windsor and Pauline Boty star in Lynda Nead’s fascinating study of the blonde in British culture

A tour of the painter’s 18th-century morality tales reveals the ideas that shaped the age

Susanna Berger’s new book makes a sound argument for the tricksiness of Catholic architecture in 17th-century Rome

The artist’s immaculate paintings of cakes, deli counters and pinball machines are in fact odes to imperfection