Homepage

Morning Glory (detail), from Some Japanese Flowers (c. 1894), Kazumasa Ogawa.

‘This is a wildflower meadow of an exhibition’ – a paean to plants at Dulwich Picture Gallery

A survey of 180 years of botanical photography proves that the art form continues to flourish

5 Jan 2021

Can historic houses tell more stories than they have done?

All the evidence suggests that the real challenge for historic properties is to present a much fuller and more complex account of the past

4 Jan 2021
Self-portrait in Red (detail; 1915), Anders Zorn. Zornmuseet, Mora

Scandi style – Anders Zorn’s visions of Sweden

The painter, who enjoyed a glittering international career, was as fascinated by high society as he was by Sweden’s rural life

4 Jan 2021

Rate of return – is France’s commitment to restitution waning?

In a changing political climate, conversations about colonial history – and calls for action – are taking on a new urgency

Arty films and books to look forward to in 2021

From a Netflix flick about the Sutton Hoo dig to a study of women’s self-portraits – the must-see movies and a first reading list for art lovers

4 Jan 2021
David Garrick as Richard III (detail; c. 1745), William Hogarth. Walker Art Gallery.

Bard boy – David Garrick and the cult of Shakespeare

The actor did more than anyone to revive Shakespeare’s reputation in the 18th century – and a plethora of curious wooden relics also played their part

2 Jan 2021
Dante (detail; c. 1448–49), Andrea del Castagno.

The major art anniversaries to look out for in 2021

Plans for exhibitions and events may be up in the air, but the anniversaries they mark are fixed in the calendar

1 Jan 2021
A livestreamed sale at Sotheby’s in June 2020.

What does 2021 hold for the wounded art market?

The art market, like many other business sectors, is not about to revert to its pre-pandemic appearance

29 Dec 2020
Detail of Two Hills (2020), Annie Morris’s screenprint for Make a Wish UK

Silver linings – artists share their hopeful moments from 2020

Annie Morris, Sunil Gupta, Edmund de Waal and other artists reflect on what’s made them feel a little more positive this year

28 Dec 2020
All Hands on Deck (detail; 2003), Denzil Forrester.

Club classics – on the dance floor with Denzil Forrester

The painter discusses dancehalls, club music and drawing in the dark

26 Dec 2020

Buttered toast and bridge evenings – Summoned by Bells revisited

John Betjeman’s nostalgic verse memoir was well served by its illustrators

24 Dec 2020
Rosalind Nashashibi at her exhibition ‘An Overflow of Passion and Sentiment’ in the National Gallery, London

Spanish pointers – Rosalind Nashashibi at the National Gallery

During a residency at the gallery, the artist has made works inspired by the drama of Spanish Golden Age painting

23 Dec 2020
The National Assembly Building (Parliament) in Ljubljana.

Concerns rise about cultural freedom in Slovenia

The recent dismissal of two respected museum directors widens the gulf between the ministry of culture and the contemporary arts sector

23 Dec 2020
Ian Jenkins (1953–2020) in the garden at the British School at Athens. Reproduced with the permission of the British School at Athens

‘The Parthenon was but the tip of the iceberg’ – remembering Ian Jenkins (1953–2020)

Brilliant and charismatic, the British Museum curator was dedicated to sharing his passion for ancient Greece

22 Dec 2020
I am The Last of my Kind (2019), Tracey Emin.

The agony and the ecstasy – Tracey Emin and Edvard Munch at the RA, reviewed

This triumphant double bill brims with emotion – from the pain of loss to the pleasures of beauty

22 Dec 2020
Cover of Follies: An Architectural Journey by Rory Fraser

Fantasy land – a guide to English follies

A personal guide to the playful structures has much in common with its whimsical subject

21 Dec 2020

Keeping time – the Tunisian clock monuments that tell of a bygone regime

A decade after the uprisings that led to the downfall of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, the clocks he loved remain

18 Dec 2020

Prince Albert’s passion for Raphael

When it came to cataloguing the Royal Collection’s holdings of the Old Master, only the latest technology would do for the Prince Consort

18 Dec 2020
Rock art at the Cerro Azul hill in Serranía La Lindosa, in the Guaviare region of Colombia.

‘These ancient rock paintings are unlikely to be about what was for dinner’

The meaning of tens of thousands of recently discovered rock paintings in Colombia will be a hotly debated topic for many years to come

15 Dec 2020
Untitled (Finlayson Point) (early 1930s), Emily Carr.

Acquisitions of the Month: November 2020

Canadian landscapes by Emily Carr and a major fresco by Tiepolo are among this month’s highlights

15 Dec 2020
Irina Antonova. Courtesy the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, Moscow

‘The curatorial coups she pulled off are legendary’ – on Irina Antonova (1922–2020)

Whether breaching the Iron Curtain or riding pillion in her eighties, ‘Madame Antonova’ – director of the Pushkin Museum for 52 years – was a force to be reckoned with

14 Dec 2020
Photo: Geoff Caddick/AFP via Getty Images

Banksy and the art of sneezing

Banksy has decorated a wall in Bristol with a sneeze – leading Rakewell to ponder the art of sneezing

12 Dec 2020
The Holy Shroud (detail; c. 1540), attrib. here to Giulio Clovio. Galleria Sabauda, Turin

‘It has all the twists and turns of a classic detective story’ – unwrapping the Turin Shroud

A scholar’s 40-year quest to trace the origins of the world’s most famous length of linen makes for a gripping read

12 Dec 2020
Shaun Parkes as Frank Crichlow, Altheia Jones as Letitia Wright, Malachi Kirby as Darcus Howe and Rochenda Sandall as Barbara Beese in Mangrove (dir. Steve McQueen).

Steve McQueen’s ‘Small Axe’ films are a great feat of storytelling

By bringing recent Black British history to life, the film-maker has also conjured up a world full of joy and anger

11 Dec 2020