The man with the fantastic light machines
With his eccentric inventions, the mid-century artist Thomas Wilfred created a whole new genre of art that left its mark on the likes of James Turrell
Style and substance – in defence of trompe l’oeil
The genre has often been seen as shallow, but the best examples display philosophical depth as well as technical flair
At the world’s northernmost medieval cathedral, religious art takes an agnostic turn
A collage series by Håkon Bleken in Nidaros Cathedral meditates on Christian imagery as well as the traumas of Norwegian history
British abstract painting remains in demand at home
Though its popularity abroad has waned, British art of the 1940s and ’50s is still highly sought after at home
Street cred – Peter Doig gets urban at Gagosian
The painter has curated a show of street scenes, by the likes of Balthus and Bacon, which suggests that the city is an isolated place
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‘As an image of victimhood, Cat in a Crate beats many a crucifixion’
Lucy Ellmann is troubled by an eerily realistic 19th-century painting of a cat behind bars
White Cube hangs up its dancing shoes
Hearing that the gallery is no longer hosting its usual bacchanal at Art Basel Miami Beach this year, Rakewell wonders whether White Cube has gone square
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In the studio with… Ai-Da
The AI-powered humanoid robot talks Apollo through her studio routine, which involves listening to Chopin and pondering the strangeness of her own existence
In the studio with… Pauline Curnier Jardin
When working in her suntrap of a studio in Rome, the artist enjoys people-watching, listening to jazz and admiring an antique manhole cover made of travertine
November 2024
• New Japanese galleries at the MFA Boston
• Are prints the next big thing?
• What makes Christian Marclay tick?
• Chicago’s answer to William Morris
Also: collecting haute couture, marvellous pre-Ming ceramics, and a preview of Asian Art in London; and reviews of Surrealism at the Pompidou, lost London interiors and a new life of Mies van der Rohe. Plus: Lucy Ellmann on a troubling trompe l’oeil painting of a cat behind bars
Frank Auerbach has died at the age of 93
Plus: Italian police uncover a pan-European network of art forgers; and the British Museum receives a gift of Chinese ceramics worth £1bn
A new look for Japanese art at the MFA Boston
The museum holds the world’s largest collection of Japanese art outside Japan itself – and now has suitably meditative spaces to match
The Catholic nun with a penchant for protest
A show of photographs and Pop art-inspired prints by Corita Kent displays the artist’s fun side but plays down her political fervour
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How Oxford became a pale shade of its former self
The replacement of Boswell’s department store with a luxury hotel is part of a beautification process that has gathered pace in recent years
How to remember the Great War
North-eastern France contains the largest number of war memorials in the country and a museum in Meaux is making an unusual new contribution
When it comes to pudding or dessert, what’s in a name?
The language we use to describe the sweet course at the end of a meal is more revealing than we think
In Mati Diop’s ‘Dahomey’, restitution is given a supernatural slant
A prize-winning documentary about France’s return of 26 looted objects from Benin is a haunting tale
Were the Impressionists really so shocking?
It suits us to think of the movement as unpopular, but the passing of time makes it harder to see why the first Impressionist Exhibition of 1874 made such a stir
How will Paris cope without the Pompidou Centre for five years?
The museum is set to close in 2025, leaving a hole in the city’s arts scene and adding to growing disquiet about its general direction
The dealer who launched Picasso
Berthe Weill was as devoted to young artists as she was to the cause of modern art – and her efforts are now receiving belated recognition
The surreal films of Jan Švankmajer
When it comes to conjuring the uncanny atmosphere and impossible logic of dreams, the Czech film-maker has few equals
The 80s: Photographing Britain
The decade is captured in all its turbulence in this searching show at Tate Britain
Grand Dessert
Pudding has always been a sweet distraction, but as this exhibition in The Hague reveals, a little sugar brings a darker side to dessert
Franz Kafka
The Czech writer’s work, life and cultural afterlife are the focus of this show at the Morgan Library & Museum
Tirzah Garwood: Beyond Ravilious
A chance to get acquainted with the work of this long-neglected artist at Dulwich Picture Gallery