The British Council has been crippled by conditions attached to an emergency Covid loan. What will happen to the art collection that is one of its best ambassadors?
The theft at the Louvre has drawn more attention to the department’s woes, with the minister facing corruption charges and budget cuts in the offing
The dissolution of certainties about American power now has its perfect visual emblem – in the form of bulldozers reducing part of the White House to rubble
The cultural legacy of Vanessa Bell, Duncan Grant and co. is undeniable but, with the design, fashion, art and literary worlds forever ‘rediscovering’ them, perhaps it’s time to move on
After a gloomy few years, promising auction results and some exciting upcoming sales suggest that the market could be on the road to recovery
Puffing away is definitely deleterious to your health, but it can still be a ripe subject for art
The museum’s director, Laurence des Cars, told French lawmakers that she had been appalled by the Louvre’s security when she took over – and had told the culture ministry so
It is a century since most of Sir John Soane’s structure was demolished to make way for Herbert Baker’s bigger but more boring vision
The V&A’s exhibition demonstrates the doomed queen’s remarkable ability to represent whatever we want her to represent
An exhibition of Watteau's drawings at the British Museum is a lesson in appreciating the virtues of ambiguity
As the London art world prepares for its busiest month, Hettie Judah explains why she’s planning her escape
Collecting paintings made after 1900 might restart a border dispute with the Tate, but the rewards for audiences could be significant
The Egyptian artist’s ingenious operas, which he writes, scores, designs and directs, play around with our ideas about history
Hopes are high that the second half of 2025 – like the restoration of Holbein’s portrait of Anne of Cleves – will offer a much-needed refresh
The decision to demolish Grenfell Tower – where 72 people died in a fire in 2017 – is inevitably controversial, but the process of doing so will be unusually considered
The Art Students League of New York has trained many a great painter and is still going strong on its 150th anniversary
Wasps have a terrible image problem but a new exhibition highlighting their design abilities should help us get over our horror
The artist’s sculptures and installations acknowledge and stand up to the lavish interiors of the Galleria Borghese in equal measure
The architectural historian will be remembered for his great wit and erudition, opennness of mind and deep love of the capital
The satirist who combined musical wit with erudition, political conscience and pure silliness has died at the age of 97
The Guennol Grasshopper is coming to auction after spending years in notable private collections, but are its origins even more illustrious?
The Tate’s plan to raise £150m by 2030 is bold by UK standards, but may have unintended consequences
As parts of historic houses are refurbished, removed and replaced, the question of authenticity arises
Stellan Skarsgård’s art dealer/spymaster in ‘Andor’ is perfectly placed to see the inner workings of empire
The French culture ministry goes in for the wrong kind of drama, again
The theft at the Louvre has drawn more attention to the department’s woes, with the minister facing corruption charges and budget cuts in the offing
So, goodbye East Wing. What’s next for the White House?
The dissolution of certainties about American power now has its perfect visual emblem – in the form of bulldozers reducing part of the White House to rubble
Have we reached peak Bloomsbury yet?
The cultural legacy of Vanessa Bell, Duncan Grant and co. is undeniable but, with the design, fashion, art and literary worlds forever ‘rediscovering’ them, perhaps it’s time to move on
Is the art market at a turning point?
After a gloomy few years, promising auction results and some exciting upcoming sales suggest that the market could be on the road to recovery
It’s not cool to smoke, unless you’re in a painting
Puffing away is definitely deleterious to your health, but it can still be a ripe subject for art
The Louvre theft points to the wider crisis in France
The museum’s director, Laurence des Cars, told French lawmakers that she had been appalled by the Louvre’s security when she took over – and had told the culture ministry so
The man who broke the Bank of England – and built it back up again
It is a century since most of Sir John Soane’s structure was demolished to make way for Herbert Baker’s bigger but more boring vision
The meaning of Marie Antoinette
The V&A’s exhibition demonstrates the doomed queen’s remarkable ability to represent whatever we want her to represent
In praise of uncertainty
An exhibition of Watteau's drawings at the British Museum is a lesson in appreciating the virtues of ambiguity
Why I’m breaking up with London, just for October
As the London art world prepares for its busiest month, Hettie Judah explains why she’s planning her escape
A new dawn for the National Gallery?
Collecting paintings made after 1900 might restart a border dispute with the Tate, but the rewards for audiences could be significant
The grand performances of Wael Shawky
The Egyptian artist’s ingenious operas, which he writes, scores, designs and directs, play around with our ideas about history
Out with the old, in with the new
Hopes are high that the second half of 2025 – like the restoration of Holbein’s portrait of Anne of Cleves – will offer a much-needed refresh
Taking down Grenfell Tower
The decision to demolish Grenfell Tower – where 72 people died in a fire in 2017 – is inevitably controversial, but the process of doing so will be unusually considered
In praise of New York’s most egalitarian art school
The Art Students League of New York has trained many a great painter and is still going strong on its 150th anniversary
If we liked wasps more, we could learn from them
Wasps have a terrible image problem but a new exhibition highlighting their design abilities should help us get over our horror
Wangechi Mutu gets reflective in Rome
The artist’s sculptures and installations acknowledge and stand up to the lavish interiors of the Galleria Borghese in equal measure
‘London was in his veins’: Andrew Saint (1946–2025)
The architectural historian will be remembered for his great wit and erudition, opennness of mind and deep love of the capital
Tom Lehrer, master of the musical art
The satirist who combined musical wit with erudition, political conscience and pure silliness has died at the age of 97
Did this grasshopper come from the tomb of Tutankhamun?
The Guennol Grasshopper is coming to auction after spending years in notable private collections, but are its origins even more illustrious?
Will the Tate’s endowment drive pay off?
The Tate’s plan to raise £150m by 2030 is bold by UK standards, but may have unintended consequences
Period problem: when should a house museum stop the clock?
As parts of historic houses are refurbished, removed and replaced, the question of authenticity arises
Why antiquities matter in a galaxy far, far away
Stellan Skarsgård’s art dealer/spymaster in ‘Andor’ is perfectly placed to see the inner workings of empire