News

‘We are on the brink of a different world’ – Caroline Lucas MP turns to curating

The Green Party MP takes her pick of the Towner Art Gallery’s permanent collection – and hopes it will spur others to climate activism

13 Jan 2020
Mound Two at Sutton Hoo.

What’s new at Sutton Hoo?

The archaeological site’s redeveloped exhibition spaces aim to offer a window on to the early Anglo-Saxon world

13 Jan 2020
Workmen riveting the bases of the Eiffel Tower in place using hydraulic power in c. 1888.

A riveting souvenir of the Eiffel Tower

The monument has been celebrating its 130th birthday by peddling limited edition rivets – yours to own for just €525 apiece!

10 Jan 2020
Hinemihi

Why the National Trust is trading in its Maori meeting house for a newer model

The decision to exchange the historic carvings of Hinemihi at Clandon Park for new examples is admirable – and creative

10 Jan 2020
Photo: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images

A legal guide to the new anti-money laundering rules in the UK

The 5th Anti-Money Laundering Directive has passed into UK law. What impact will it have on the British art market?

9 Jan 2020
Mosaic of the Enthroned Christ and the Donor, Theodore Metochites above the entrance to the naos of the Kariye (Chora) Museum, Istanbul.

The Kariye Museum in Istanbul – a Byzantine masterpiece under threat

A court recently ruled that the ancient site be reconverted into a mosque, casting the fate of its well-preserved mosaics and wall paintings into question

A postcard showing the Kursaal Casino and Music Hall, which was on Alfi Bey Street in the Ezbekiyya district of Cairo.

Life was a cabaret – the Roaring Twenties in Cairo

Most traces of the city’s early 20th-century nightlife have now disappeared. Only the shells of former casinos and theatres hint at this bygone era

6 Jan 2020
The Sarr-Savoy report one year on. Illustration: David Biskup

Has the Sarr-Savoy report had any effect since it was first published?

It’s been a year since the publication of a groundbreaking report calling for the restitution of African cultural heritage in French museums. How has it been received?

6 Jan 2020
The Pazzi Conspiracy (Lorenzo de’ Medici) (1478), Bertoldo di Giovanni (obverse on left from Museo Nazionale del Bargello, Glorence; reverse on right, promised gift to the Frick Collection, New York)

The sculptor who found favour with Lorenzo de’ Medici – Bertoldo di Giovanni at the Frick, reviewed

He is best known as the pupil of Donatello and teacher of Michelangelo, but the Florentine sculptor has more than enough accomplishments of his own

4 Jan 2020
Claes Bang as Dracula.

The fine art holdings of Claes Bang’s Dracula

A new adaptation of Bram Stoker’s novel has Castle Dracula kitted out with silver, tapestries, and suitably sinister portraits

3 Jan 2020
Horse Devoured by a Lion (exhibited 1763), George Stubbs. Tate, London

Animal instinct – George Stubbs at MK Gallery, reviewed

The painter’s forensic study of his subjects allowed him to portray them with a startling emotional depth

3 Jan 2020
The young Susi Korihana Theri swimming, infrared film, Catrimani, Roraima (1972–74), Claudia Andujar.

Casting an eye over the year ahead in photography

A new festival in Melbourne and a survey of Claudia Andujar in Paris are among the events to watch out for in 2020

2 Jan 2020
The Mass at Dordrecht (c. 1650), Aelbert Cuyp. National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

Art anniversaries to look out for in 2020

From Renaissance painting to Romantic poetry – expect celebrations of Raphael, Piranesi, Wordsworth and more

2 Jan 2020
Within Reach (detail; 2019), Jordan Casteel.

The politics of pregnancy and the future of painting – contemporary art highlights in 2020

Highlights in the year ahead include a spate of shows around the theme of maternity and a survey of recent figurative painting

1 Jan 2020
Michael Clark & Company, I Am Curious, Orange (1988).

Time and motion study – the year ahead in dance

US audiences have new treats in store from Alexei Ratmansky, while in London the Barbican and Sadler’s Wells celebrate the work of Michael Clark and Richard Alston

31 Dec 2019

Arty films and books to look out for in 2020

From The Rock as an art detective to warts-and-all Warhol – the must-see films and a first reading list for art lovers

30 Dec 2019
Art Basel in Hong Kong in 2019.

Crystal gazing – art market predictions for the year ahead

How will recent investment in AI and digital channels affect the art market? And what of the prospect of Brexit?

28 Dec 2019

The museum openings not to miss in 2020

The Humboldt Forum in Berlin is scheduled to open – finally – in the autumn, while in Oslo the Munch Museum returns in a smart new home

27 Dec 2019
Standing Figure with African Masks (2018), Claudette Johnson. Tate, London

Books, biennials and trailblazing women – artists select their highlights of 2019

Artists including Lubaina Himid, Hew Locke and Ibrahim Mahama pick out their favourite shows and events of the past year

24 Dec 2019
Installation view of Rainforest V (variation I) (1973–2015) by David Tudor in the Marie-Josée and Harry Kravis Studio, a new space for performance, sound and moving-image work at the Museum of Modern Art, New York.

Has MoMA brought modernism up to date?

Man (as represented by white men) is no longer the measure of all things at the headquarters of modern art

23 Dec 2019
The west side of Henbury Hall in Cheshire, designed by Julian Bicknell and built in 1986–87.

When Palladio came to Cheshire – in the 1980s

Henbury Hall is a fine example of neo-Palladian architecture. But what does it mean to recreate a historical style?

The ‘Getty fire’ in Brentwood, California on 28 October 2019 (with the Getty Center visible in the background).

What makes a museum ‘fire-proof’?

The Getty Center’s fire prevention system is a standard-bearer for museums and historic properties worldwide

17 Dec 2019
Henry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton (1573–1624) (detail; c. 1593–97), unknown artist.

Reign makers – Roy Strong’s guide to Elizabethan portraits, reviewed

This authoritative survey gives some of the most familiar works of English art a new lease of life

16 Dec 2019
Demi-lune sideboard (c. 1902–05), Ernest Gimson. Marchmont House, Duns.

Practical magic – the Arts and Crafts designs of Ernest Gimson

A new biography shows how thoroughly the designer’s life and work were intertwined

14 Dec 2019