Apollo

Around the world in 35,000 objects – and a handful of clicks

Noah’s Ark, from the Jami‘ al-Tawarikh of Rashid al-Din (MS 727), copy from 1314–15.

The Khalili Collections have partnered up with Wikimedia UK to broaden access to their vast holdings spanning centuries and cultures

Bertille Bak wins Mario Merz Prize for art

Bertille Bak below in front of her works at the Mario Merz Prize finalist group exhibition

Art news daily: 10 October

From schools to cigar shops – the eclectic vision of Henry van de Velde

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Photograph of the saleroom of the Continental Havana Company in Berlin, designed by Henry van de Velde in 1899, and published in Innen-Dekoration, October 1899.

The Belgian painter-turned-designer was a prominent figure in the early history of modernism – although his precise role is not so easy to pin down

Italian court blocks Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man from travelling to Louvre

Vitruvian Man, Leonardo da Vinci, c. 1490, Gallerie dell'Accademia

Art news daily: 9 October

Cumberbatch the cat artist brings London to a standstill (sort of)

You’ve heard about the Extinction Rebellion protests… but a 19th-century cat artist is also doing his bit to bring London to a standstill

‘Making already complex things more complex’ – an interview with Imran Perretta

Imran Perretta filming the destructors (2019).

The artist discusses his latest film, whose title – the destructors – is borrowed from a short story by Graham Greene

Art UK initiative uncovers Van Dyck portrait in Liverpool’s Walker Art Gallery

The lnfanta Isabella Clara Eugenia (detail; c. 1630), Anthony van Dyck.

Art news daily: 8 October

Painted as a villain – how the Tudors regarded Richard III

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Richard III (detail; late 16th century), English School.

The latest addition to the long gallery at Hever Castle presents the Plantagenet king in the worst possible light

England’s rich heritage is writ large on its walls – and must be safeguarded

An astonishing number of historic wall paintings have survived religious upheaval, climate-related damage and the passage of time. But they need our protection

Acquisitions of the month: September 2019

The Death of Breuse sans Pitié (detail; 1857; retouched 1865), Dante Gabriel Rossetti.

This month’s highlights include a rock-crystal Venetian coffer and a once-lost watercolour by Rossetti

Design Museum appoints Tim Marlow as director and chief executive

Tim Marlow.

Art news daily: 7 October

Your chance to own a painting by Congo the chimpanzee

Congo with Desmond Morris in 1957.

Picasso and Miró were fans – now the gifted simian is getting a solo show in London. Plus other arty animals

Knight vision – how Maximilian I used the arts to bolster his brand

The triumphal car of the Emperor with his family (detail), from Triumphal Procession of Emperor Maximilian I (c. 1512–15), Albrecht Altdorfer. Albertina Museum, Vienna

The emperor was no connoisseur – but he understood the power of art to paper over the cracks in his troubled reign

Jeff Koons unveils controversial tulip sculpture in Paris

Jeff Koons poses in front of his Bouquet of Tulips in Paris on 4 October 2019.

Art news daily: 4 October

How the museum changed its name

The museum formerly named the Gemeentemuseum Den Haag. Photo: GAPS

What’s in a new name? For museums it can mean an expensive rebrand that doesn’t stop anyone using the old moniker

Monsters, mirrors and ruined mansions – on Büyükada island at the Istanbul Biennial

Installation view of Monster Chetwynd’s Hybrid Creatures (Snake, Spider, Bat, Crocodile) at the Istanbul Biennial, 2019.

The decaying grandeur of the island makes for a beautiful setting – but it’s one that vies for attention with the art on view

New Museum reaches contract agreement with employees’ union

The New Museum, New York.

Art news daily: 3 October

Dijon’s grand old museum has a new look – and it really cuts the mustard

Boy Blowing on Firebrand (detail; c. 1660), Georges de la Tour.

After a decade-long renovation, the palatial Musée des Beaux-Arts in Dijon can now show its masterpieces to even greater advantage

Benedict Drew’s new film gives form to the anxiety of modern life

Stills from The Bad Feel Loop (2019), Benedict Drew.

Currently on view at the Science Gallery London, The Bad Feel Loops is a nervous, nerve-wracking piece of work

Katherine Crawford Luber to direct Minneapolis Institute of Art

Dr Katherine Crawford Luber.

Art news daily: 2 October

Cornering the maquette – the Swedish museum dedicated to works in progress

The Skissernas Museum in Lund, Sweden.

Founded in 1934 in Lund, southern Sweden, the Skissernas Museum of sketches, models and preparatory work offers a valuable insight into artistic projects – including those never made

Cairene conversions – the adopted identities of John Frederick Lewis

In the Bezestein, El Khan Khalil, Cairo (1860), John Frederick Lewis. Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery

The Victorian painter certainly had a penchant for play-acting, but his depictions of Egypt remain something of an enigma

A filched finch that never really takes flight – The Goldfinch, reviewed

Ansel Elgort in The Goldfinch (2019)

The film adaptation of Donna Tartt’s novel is visually enticing but unwieldy

Otobong Nkanga wins inaugural Lise Wilhelmsen Art Award

Otobong Nkanga, who has been awarded the inaugural $100,000 Lise Wilhelmsen Art Award.

Art news daily: 1 October