The financier and philanthropist’s greatest achievement may have been his service to the arts, at Waddesdon Manor and as chair of the National Gallery
In tribute to Rebecca Lee Crumpler, the trailblazing African American who qualified as a doctor 160 years ago today, we look at four works that celebrate the women who have shaped medicine over the years
The conservation of two jewel-like panels by Francesco Pesellino is an opportunity to discover a little-known artist who was highly regarded by the Medici
The artist’s harmonious installation at Chisenhale Gallery memorialises his musician grandfather
A centenary celebration of the Edinburgh-born artist puts his collaborative side in the spotlight
Behind the artist’s enjoyably exuberant artworks is a serious concern with rewiring language and remaking bodies
The South Korean artist has perfected an aesthetic of harmony and balance that rewards patient looking
The country’s short-lived independence in the early 20th century gave birth to a thrilling artistic movement that is only now being rediscovered
Highlights at this year’s edition include a gold-ground painting, a French landscape by Turner and a woodblock print by one of Japan’s Living National Treasures
The notion that art should serve a personal or social good is more prevalent than ever – but is usefulness really the point of creativity?
On hearing that Sam Mendes is set to direct four Beatles biopics – one for each band member – your roving reporter wonders if it’s all too much
Plus: The V&A gets another chance to keep its 12th-century walrus ivory carving
The artist works from her home in the wilds of northern Finland, where she sews textile pieces beside a wood-burning stove to the sound of Sami radio
The Weltmuseum Wien makes its contribution to the International Year of the Camel with an exhibition that celebrates the mammalian family in its all forms
Medieval Christianity went all out for blood and what it represented. The Getty Center presents some macabre objects of devotion and some modern responses in kind
The Met presents art by figures from the African American-led movement and puts it at the heart of 20th-century modernism
The Maison Européenne de la photographie finds the writer looking outwards and pairs her observations with images from its own collection
At the Whitechapel Gallery, the French-Algerian unspools personal and political histories through imitation sets and empty stages
These timepieces are fluttering, chiming embodiments of how Britain and China traded with each other in the 18th and 19th centuries
To mark Winslow Homer’s birthday, we look at four very different marine scenes from across the ages – including one by the Boston-born painter himself
The wearing of imperial silks was an extremely hierarchical affair. No wonder Chinese textiles appeal to the most discerning modern buyers
A flawless digital copy of the artist’s Basket of Fruit raises the tricky question of how much authenticity should matter to museums
In the decades after the Second World War, female artists chafed at the strictures of abstraction and began expressing their gender through their work
Plus: Mick Moon (1937–2024), and a round-up of the week’s most important museum appointments
