When it comes to restitution, UK museums should be careful what they wish for
The V&A’s director Tristram Hunt has floated the idea of changing the law to allow national museums to make permanent returns. Robert Hewison advises treading very carefully
The culture secretary has no business threatening museums
Oliver Dowden’s recent letter to museums about contested heritage is a clear breach of the ‘arms-length’ principle
John Ruskin’s visions of Venice
Drawings and daguerreotypes on view at the Ducal Palace reveal the variety of Ruskin’s engagement with Venice
Museum collections in the UK need a brand new strategy
Both the Mendoza Review and David Cannadine’s recent ‘Why Collect?’ report are too limited in scope
Why Macron shouldn’t gamble on a heritage lottery fund
Should the French government be launching a heritage lottery fund when the UK version is in decline?
Contemporary art museums can’t avoid conflicts of interest – but we need to trust their directors
Commercial interests and public institutions are inextricably entangled
New York’s leading museums are insisting on their internationalism
MoMA and the Met are making strong statements about their values in response to the US travel ban
How to stop the creative industries running out of steam
The Cultural Learning Alliance has released a report which makes a reasoned case for adding the arts to the STEM subjects. Will the government take note?
It’s art school, but not as we know it
Tate and Central Saint Martins have taken it upon themselves to ‘playfully reinvent’ things
The legendary John Latham in London
One of the most interesting – and challenging – shows next year will be the Serpentine’s double-look at John Latham
What’s at stake in digitising heritage sites such as the Lascaux cave?
A new facsimile of the Lascaux cave is about to open, but are digital reproductions of cultural sites merely tourist attractions or will they save our fragile heritage?
The real challenge facing Arts Council England’s leaders
As Nicholas Serota is confirmed as the arts council’s new chair, chief executive Darren Henley’s new book lays out some key ideas
Fighting for the beauty of the British landscape
The former director-general of the National Trust has written a spirited defence of Britain’s rural areas
Brexit will happen. The British culture sector needs a new plan
If anything is going to come out of this shock to the system, there are lessons to be learned
If walls could talk…The Ethics of Dust at Westminster Hall
An evocative new installation in the oldest surviving part of the Houses of Parliament strikes a chord
A London gallery has shut its doors in the name of art. Is that acceptable?
If you want to see Maria Eichhorn’s solo show at Chisenhale Gallery – you can’t. Believe it or not, it’s more than a gimmick
Should museums be ideology-free?
A new book which argues that museums should be above politics is hardly above politics itself
Are the cracks in our museum culture beginning to show?
UK museums are struggling to deal with the long-term effects of funding cuts and falling visitor numbers
Farewell, Sir Peter Bazalgette. Your successor will need a thick skin
What the Arts Council England owes its outgoing Chairman
John Ruskin’s second career
Extract for our July/August Diary by Ruskin expert Robert Hewison
![Masterpiece [Re]discovery 2022. Photo: Ben Fisher Photography, courtesy of Masterpiece London](http://zephr.apollo-magazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/MPL2022_4263.jpg)
For the arts in England, levelling up feels a lot like levelling down
The Arts Council’s latest funding announcement has moved money out of London, but the entire sector has a lot to worry about