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
Whether it’s a plush sofa or a severe slab of wood, the choices museums make about seating matter much more than we think
The idealised nude figure has an unshakeable place in art history, but artists have also turned their gaze to their own imperfect bodies
The historian of 18th- and early 19th-century art combined a deep love of objects with an equally deep love of ideas
The modernist potter was one of a handful of British ceramicists who pushed clay to its expressive limits
As the magazine marks its centenary, its belief in being curious about both the past and present – and in the power of art – is more important than ever
The designer was a genius but, as a new film shows, her achievements still have to be untangled from the men who kept getting in her way
Recent denials that the department for culture, media and sport is for the chop don’t address the problem of its glaring lack of purpose
The artist modelled for Renoir, Toulouse-Lautrec and others, but her own sitters were afforded much more agency
Japan’s support of its artisans shows how highly it views its cultural heritage, but the same isn’t always true of the rest of the world
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
Sitting pretty – the world’s best museum benches
Whether it’s a plush sofa or a severe slab of wood, the choices museums make about seating matter much more than we think
Just the bare necessities of art
The idealised nude figure has an unshakeable place in art history, but artists have also turned their gaze to their own imperfect bodies
‘A revolutionary flame burned bright within him’: David Bindman (1940–2025)
The historian of 18th- and early 19th-century art combined a deep love of objects with an equally deep love of ideas
‘Like landscape, his objects seem to breathe’: Gordon Baldwin (1932–2025)
The modernist potter was one of a handful of British ceramicists who pushed clay to its expressive limits
Apollo at 100
As the magazine marks its centenary, its belief in being curious about both the past and present – and in the power of art – is more important than ever
Why it’s time to stop rediscovering Eileen Gray
The designer was a genius but, as a new film shows, her achievements still have to be untangled from the men who kept getting in her way
The Department of Culture badly needs a sense of direction
Recent denials that the department for culture, media and sport is for the chop don’t address the problem of its glaring lack of purpose
Suzanne Valadon’s shifting gaze
The artist modelled for Renoir, Toulouse-Lautrec and others, but her own sitters were afforded much more agency
Do we take craft for granted?
Japan’s support of its artisans shows how highly it views its cultural heritage, but the same isn’t always true of the rest of the world