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Can contemporary art really make us laugh?
Funny peculiar or funny haha? Perhaps some of the artists who seem a bit obscure are actually trying to make us laugh
Can stones unlock the secrets of our existence?
Contemporary artists are looking to geological forms less for aesthetic cues than for perspective on time, place and human agency
What’s the point of old postcards?
Unused postcards may seem like a blast from the past, but they can still send a powerful message
Digital Benin opens a new chapter in the restitution saga
The project that launched this week is not the first to attempt cataloguing the Benin Bronzes, but it’s by far the most comprehensive
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
Body politics – how physical illness affects an artist’s work
We are well used to art expressing mental anguish, yet when we are presented with work that responds to physical pain, our urge is to look away
It’s time for the Whitechapel Bell Foundry to get back to business
Plans to transform London’s oldest working factory into a hotel have, happily, fallen through – but with the site back up for sale, its future is still uncertain
Museums beware: permanent collections are not piggy banks
The Association of Art Museum Directors’ new guidelines for deaccessioning are welcome, but they still leave its members open to monetary temptation
Is slow painting gathering steam?
Slow painters, who only finish a few works each year, may be less visible in the art world, but their work is no less valuable
Who is UNESCO really for?
As UNESCO marks the 50th anniversary of the World Heritage Convention this November, questions of what – and who – the convention is meant to protect are still up in the air
With the James Webb Telescope, star-gazing has become even more sublime
As data from NASA’s telescope is translated into images we can understand, the wonders it reveals are still out of this world
There’s no need for the future of Clandon Park to be a restoration drama
Critics of the National Trust’s plan to keep the fire-gutted house as a ruin are ignoring the organisation’s history and that of the building itself
Higher purpose – Joseph Wright of Derby’s brush with the divine
The artist’s depiction of an 18th-century scientific experiment may reveal an altogether more spiritual concern
Are artists who are parents getting a raw deal?
Artists have long turned to their children as subjects for their art but with each generation, such work is met with new objections
What the UK’s updated anti-money laundering rules mean for the art market
The new guidance provides some welcome clarity for art businesses, but a few grey areas remain
How Issey Miyake brought art into fashion
The Japanese fashion designer revolutionised womenswear by creating comfortable clothes appreciated for their androgynous elegance and ease
How Raphael gave the Virgin Mary more to do
In the works of Raphael the Virgin Mary often plays a more active and more joyful role than she is allowed by other artists
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
Putting a name to one of Glyn Philpot’s most mysterious faces
Who is the subject of the painter’s cryptically titled ‘Madame C d’A’? Tessa Murdoch looks for clues among his most progressive patrons
We now know where all the UK’s public sculptures are – but are they any good?
Art UK’s new catalogue allows us to assess the artistic merits of the nation’s monuments – and to mourn a lost memorial to Percy Bysshe Shelley
An everyday luxury – the artists finding beauty in banality
Artists have long found beauty in the mundane, but choosing to represent everyday subject matter is a privilege that requires the luxury of time
‘The meekest person can manipulate’ – a tribute to Paula Rego (1935–2022)
The Portuguese-British painter told stories of parental abandonment, misogyny and exile with a power that put her in a class of her own
Why did Renaissance artists steal each other’s drawings?
The monetary value of preparatory studies was slight in the Renaissance – but for the ideas they contained, they were worth their weight in gold
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Arts Council England has made a serious mistake – and its effects will be felt nationwide
The Arts Council’s decision to move money out of London ignores the fact that arts institutions rely upon each other to nurture talent