When it comes to culture, the UK has lost the plot – and found Nadine Dorries
Rakewell is delighted to discover that the former culture minister’s memoir contains more than one vague musing about the art of Downing Street
Censorship can be a fiendish business: just ask Joshua Reynolds
Conservation of a painting by the artist has revealed an evil spirit – if only all art censorship were so mild
Is François Pinault slumming it at the Bourse?
The billionaire collector is going for broke with an exhibition of ‘poor art’
Berlusconi’s art collection may soon be bunga-bunga’d into the bin
The late Italian prime minister’s 20,000-strong collection of choice artworks – including a topless rendition of the Mona Lisa – has failed to charm his heirs
Flower power – is Damien Hirst blooming again at Frieze?
While the artist led collectors down the garden path at Gagosian’s sell-out booth, more pleasing floral arrangements can be found at Frieze Masters
Christie’s is getting into the ghostbusting business
Rakewell is delighted to hear that director Ivan Reitman’s art collection is heading to auction this November, but wonders whether his tastes might have been haunted by his blockbuster hit
Leave it to beavers – if you want to build infrastructure in the UK
The sighting of the first beaver kit born in the London area in more than 400 years is a bright spot in the landscape – and a lesson to policymakers everywhere
How often should anyone think about the Roman empire?
While #romanempire has more than a billion view on TikTok, some of us only have eyes for the TV adaptation of ’I Claudius’ – and regrets about the Roman Republic
How to fast-forward through Guernica
The Reina Sofia has lifted its ban on taking selfies with Picasso’s masterpiece in order, incredibly, to speed up visitor flow
Artwashing really works – just ask Theresa May
Judging by reactions to Saied Dai’s well-received painting of the former prime minister, a good portrait can still work wonders
Are museums realising that the best things happen after dark?
Rakewell applauds the ICA London’s revolutionary new opening hours
How to dress like Jane Austen
The Library of Congress’s Literary Costume Ball has set Rakewell thinking about the pros and cons of taking sartorial inspiration from famous authors
A night to remember at the Eiffel Tower
It has been a monumental week for Paris’s leading tourist attraction. Let us hope recent events have distracted La Dame de Fer from an unhappy matter of the heart
I can’t get no… satisfactory statuary
The Rolling Stones’ Mick Jagger and Keith Richards have been immortalised in bronze, but it leaves a bad taste in Rakewell’s mouth
Doing it in Style – when Harry met Hockney
Two national treasures are going tête-à-tête at the National Portrait Gallery, but this isn’t the pop star’s first brush with a museum
X marks the spot? Probably not in the case of Elon Musk
The social media site has had what Musk dubiously dubs an ‘art deco’ rebrand
Ringing the changes – what’s so special about a telephone box?
Historic England has followed Beyonce’s wise words and put a ring on it, as the iconic K8 phone box has been Grade II-listed
What made Grayson Perry show his true colours?
Rakewell has spotted an infamous shade popping up at art world parties
Madonna keeps her feet firmly off the ground
Clues to the popstar’s creative process can be found on her coffee table – in a book of illustrations by John Willie, foot-fetishist extraordinaire
Indiana Jones defies (the UNESCO) convention
Real archaeologists are probably right to regard their famous fictional colleague as a renegade, but he’s a useful reminder of what not to do on a dig
Hell is more compelling than heaven, say scientists
Research proves that viewers linger longest over the torments in Bosch’s Garden of Earthly Delights. What that says about humanity, God only knows.
Portrait of the King as a Young Artist
As Charles III’s juvenilia comes to auction, Rakewell’s thoughts turn to other members of the royal family who have displayed artistic tendencies
The hunt for the Loch Ness Monster continues
Rakewell isn’t about to quit the city to stake it all on a monster hunt – but there have been some significant sightings in museum collections
The price of nothing and the value of everything
A surprising statement from Nicholas Serota leads Rakewell to reflect on the nature of ‘value’
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Are the art market’s problems being blown out of proportion?