Comment

Billboard poster for the Social Democratic Party (SPD) in Berlin, spring 2019.

Boris Johnson and the Backstreet Boys – Berlin’s take on Brexit

From political billboards to karaoke-fuelled performance art, Brexit is a looming presence in the city

25 Apr 2019
Photo: © The Fitzwilliam Museum

In defence of the university museum

Headlines attacking UK universities for spending money on art are deeply misguided

23 Apr 2019
Illustration by Simon Landrein

Do volunteers still have a place in museums and cultural organisations?

The Art Fund is disbanding its volunteer network – is the culture sector becoming too professional?

23 Apr 2019
Le Quai Saint Michel et Notre-Dame de Paris (detail; 1901), Maximilien Luce. Musée d'Orsay, Paris.

‘Notre-Dame’s fortunes have merged with the destiny of France itself’

Over the centuries Notre-Dame de Paris has become much more than a place of worship – it is a symbol of a nation

18 Apr 2019
Seeking After the Fully Grown Dancer *deep within* (2016–2018), Paul Maheke. A version of this performance will be staged at the 58th Venice Biennale.

Performance art costs a lot to produce – but can it make money, too?

The status of performance may be on the up, but its place in the art market is still precarious

10 Apr 2019
Inside the Hagia Sophia Museum in Istanbul.

Church, mosque and museum – the Hagia Sophia could be all things to all people

The status of the Byzantine church turned mosque turned museum shows no sign of being settled – but perhaps it shouldn’t be

4 Apr 2019
The Venice Installation: The Last Room , showing texts from several series (detail; 1990), Jenny Holzer.

Adios to the monoglot museum

For all the limitations of translation, it’s good to see artists and museums trying to cross language barriers

2 Apr 2019
Illustration by Graham Roumieu/Dutch Uncle

Should the Houses of Parliament be turned into a museum?

Ed Vaizey and Michael Hall debate whether politicians should relocate for good when the Palace of Westminster closes for repairs

1 Apr 2019
Assistants at work on Girl with Dolphin and Monkey Triple Popeye (Seascape), at Jeff Koons’ studio in New York, February 2010.

Is the era of superstar artists with scores of assistants coming to an end?

Recent layoffs by Jeff Koons and Damien Hirst suggest factory-style set-ups may be a thing of the past

29 Mar 2019
The Archduke Leopold William in his Picture Gallery in Brussels (detail; 1647–51), David Teniers the Younger. Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid

Museums need to move with the times – that’s why deaccessioning isn’t always bad news

In their missions to stay modern, institutions are sometimes right to reevaluate their holdings

14 Mar 2019
Carolee Schneemann holding a Venetian lion mask, photographed in London in May 2017, Photo: Benjamin McMahon

Catching up with Carolee Schneemann

Remembering an artist who was so far ahead of her time that her work is still full of revelations

8 Mar 2019
Karl Lagerfeld with Cara Delevingne during the Chanel show at Paris Fashion Week, 2014.

Karl Lagerfeld’s greatest creation was himself

The late couturier, photographer, art collector and ‘showman’ was a master of harnessing the power of the image

26 Feb 2019

Could federal museums be better prepared for US government shutdowns?

Federal museums were closed for more than a month during the recent shutdown. What can they do to protect themselves in the future?

25 Feb 2019
Detail of the Lander Stool.

Lagos is a better home for the Lander stool than London

The rare Yoruba artefact would mean more in a new museum in Lagos than it does in storage at the British Museum

22 Feb 2019
The Anatomy Lesson of Dr Nicolaes Tulp (detail; 1632), Rembrandt Van Rijn. Mauritshuis, The Hague.

Paintings suffer from breakouts, too – but what is ‘art acne’?

It’s not just the Old Masters that get spots – small bumps have started to erupt on modern paintings

22 Feb 2019
The Pyramid of Khafre (left) and the Great Pyramid of Giza (right), photographed in October 2018.

The pyramids at Giza looked very different when they were first built

The Egyptian pyramids were originally covered in smooth white limestone – as a casing stone now in Scotland shows

30 Jan 2019
Leda and the Swan, discovered in Pompeii.

The age of spectacular finds at Pompeii is far from over

The Great Pompeii Project’s restoration of the site has led to a stream of exciting discoveries

29 Jan 2019
Illustration by Graham Roumieu/Dutch Uncle

Is the US trustee system good for museums?

Are volunteer board members a useful source of good will and money, or do they tie museums to the whims of the wealthy?

28 Jan 2019
Stone carvings discovered in the Popoloca ruins in Puebla state, photo: Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, Mexico

What if the Aztecs just had a very different attitude to war?

The recent discovery of a temple of the Aztec ‘Flayed Lord’ has revived myths about human sacrifice

26 Jan 2019
The Penitent Saint Jerome (detail; c. 1650), Bartolomé Esteban Murillo. Museo del Prado

It’s time to return Murillo to the canon of the greats

A year in celebration of the Spanish baroque painter in Seville has made a clear case for his talent and influence

25 Jan 2019
Image: Tom Lobo Brennan

Museums in the UK have been sold short by the new Cultural Development Fund

The government has pledged £20m of investment in five regions – but cultural institutions are unlikely to be better off than before

25 Jan 2019
A fleck of lapis lazuli found in the lower jaw of a female skeleton from the 11th or 12th century, Photo: Christina Warinner

The nun with lapis lazuli in her teeth is a great story – but she wasn’t alone

It shouldn’t be news that women illustrated manuscripts in the Middle Ages, but there’s no denying the appeal of a recent discovery

21 Jan 2019
Installation view of ‘A Master’s Hand’ exhibition at Driscoll Babcock Galleries, New York, 2017.

Warren MacKenzie’s commitment to craft

The renowned American potter believed simplicity, beauty, and affordability were of paramount importance

14 Jan 2019
Seattle Art Museum, with Hammering Man (1991) by Jonathan Borofsky at its entrance.

What can museums do to ensure collectors follow through on promised gifts?

With no contracts or value exchanges, announced gifts can easily be revoked. But there are ways to firm up loose agreements

14 Jan 2019