What happened to artefacts in museums before they went on display? A lively new study gives us the fuller picture
Plus: the British Council is closing offices in nine countries; and the shortlist for the 2026 Stirling Prize has been announced
Artists from Pinturicchio to the Pre-Raphaelites found a rich subject in Penelope’s marital fidelity – but is she as two-dimensional as they would have her?
The shirt worn by Pelé in the 1958 World Cup final has sold for $4.9m, cementing the footballer’s status as a de facto work of art
The Victorian painter spent most of his life in asylums but his imagination remained unfettered, as this show at the Royal Academy makes clear
These snapshots of the great outdoors at the Yale Center for British Art range from the purely artistic to the fiercely political
After a two-year renovation, the artist’s studio in Sydney reopens with a survey of the formally inventive, technically impressive work he made in the 1970s
In 1958 the painter and printmaker collaborated with the French poet and fellow Surrealist Paul Éluard to create one of the most ingenious of all artist’s books
From Lego versions of Impressionist paintings to Paint by Number kits, here are five ways you can copy your favourite artists and architects at home
The sculptor used vivid hues sparingly and to powerful effect – an aspect of her work that has eluded critical attention until now
Artworks documenting the Wild West are becoming increasingly sought-after – and collectors are paying big bucks to lasso the best ones
Michael Hall’s new book explores the role played by queer culture in preserving country houses for the public
Designed by the architect shortly before his death 300 years ago, a ‘chamber pew’ in St George’s Church in Esher, Surrey, is a thoroughly charming anomaly
Inspired by the Korean boy band’s latest album, the museum is courting a new fan base with a special tour of its Korea gallery
Plus: the Manhattan DA’s office has returned 59 antiquities to Italy, Iraq and Indonesia; and thieves have stolen €4m-worth of jewellery from the Lalique Museum in northeastern France
The painter had a knack for making enemies and, as this exhibition at Museum Folkwang makes clear, his art was all the better for it
Tate Modern celebrates an avant-garde artist who, for all the forward-thinking nature of her art, was most interested in age-old, elemental forces
Whitechapel Gallery is marking its 125th anniversary with a biennial that is taking place across east London. Can it help the gallery find a new generation of art lovers?
The Spanish baroque master’s magnetic paintings get their moment in the London sun
Before she became a novelist, the writer studied architecture – and even made and acted in a film about idealistic students who want to do things their way
A host of remarkable pre-modern works, sold last week at Christie’s and Sotheby’s, have broken several auction records
Folk art is getting a moment in the sun at MoMA – inviting the question of why these artists don’t feature in the museum’s permanent displays
Barnaby Phillips’s new book follows the many twists and turns of the royal treasures Britain took from the Asante kingdom
Plus: the Manhattan DA’s office seizes more antiquities from the Met; and the president of MUCEM in Marseille has been suspended after being accused of harassment
