A painting-focused challenge on the hit BBC series has caught Rakewell’s attention, and reminds us all of the pleasures of the Victorian tableau vivant
An ambitious exhibition in the painter’s home city of Florence makes clear that his art had a touch of the divine
Labour has been in power for 18 months now, but the arts sector is still very much in the red
A mammoth retrospective in Paris confirms the German artist as one of the world’s greatest living painters – and one of the most elusive
Plus: V&A director Tristram Hunt knighted for services to museums; and resignation of Istanbul Biennial curator cuts event short by two years
A biography of the Purist artist Amédée Ozenfant brings welcome attention to an esoteric period of modernism
The rise of the term ‘pitch curator’ to replace ‘groundsman’ shows that the influence of the art world is greater than even Rakewell suspected
An exhibition of artists’ depictions of sleep at the Musée Marmottan Monet is very far from a snoozefest
Much of the art of Rembrandt and his peers was influenced by Jewish culture, as this show in Boston attests
The beefy demigod has long been an emblem of masculine power, but many artists have chosen to highlight his flaws too
From depictions of animals to bustling street scenes, the art made for the East India Company could be highly varied and collaborative
This mid-century group of friends and collaborators drew on Surrealism, German Expressionism and more in their eclectic paintings
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
This inaugural list celebrates 40 artists, thinkers, businesspeople and patrons to watch in 2026
Gallerists come off badly in features by Cathy Yan and Hlynur Pálmason, while Michaela Coel plays a forger in the new Steven Soderbergh
LACMA, George Lucas’s museum of ‘narrative art’ and a revamped London Museum are just a few of the highlights to look forward to
The subject of this painting by Marie Laurencin was actually a French film star, but the work will always have a strong family connection
The Francs de Pied movement hopes to see some of the world’s oldest grape stocks join the list of intangible cultural heritage
If galleries and institutions want to grow their visitor numbers, they need to add style to their substance
Curator, High Line Art
Director, Cultural Foundation, Abu Dhabi
Director, Victoria and Albert Museum
Artist
Susanna Berger’s new book makes a sound argument for the tricksiness of Catholic architecture in 17th-century Rome
