When David Hockney wrote a book arguing that many Old Master painters used optical devices, the idea was hotly debated by art historians. In 2010, he talked to Martin Gayford about his unorthodox and firmly held belief
Masterpieces by Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera have a rare outing in Mexico City this summer, but their impending move to Spain has raised hackles
The wine producer Ornellaia has commissioned the artist to create labels for its 2023 vintage – an apt choice, given her interest in full-bodied transformations
The Vienna museum dedicated to works on paper is celebrating its anniversary by looking back to its founders – and hatching big plans for the future
The David Geffen Galleries are a bold answer to the problem of the ‘universal’ museum, with an emphasis on looking at the works rather than reading about them
An Irish radical who had a brief stint at Roger Fry’s Omega Workshops, this talented artist emerges from a new exhibition and biography as elusive as the figures in her paintings
Lord’s is the most evocative place in English cricket – but can the art on the walls help haul it into the 21st century?
The American painter won worldwide renown for his lush landscapes, but perhaps his greatest work of art was the mansion he had built in the Hudson Valley
‘Tablescaping’ is nothing new – just look at these dazzling centrepieces made by 18th- and 19th-century goldsmiths
In depicting scenes of Bacchic revelry, painters such as Michaelina Wautier and Angelica Kauffman were tapping into an ancient ritual
Kevin Salatino and Mel Becker Solomon of the Art Institute of Chicago anatomise one of the Abstract Expressionist’s pastel drawings of women
The National Museum of Contemporary in Athens has had a long and troubled gestation. But under its director, Katerina Gregos, it has become one of Europe’s most exciting museums
In praise of the artist as a flag-bearer for a particular kind of inscrutable, elegant painting
BRUSK, a new space for temporary exhibitions in Bruges, is connecting locals with the city’s rich cultural and mercantile past while keeping up with contemporary art
A 17th-century fresco by Giacinto Platania in Catania’s cathedral captures an eruption that lasted for 122 days
Ana María Bresciani of the Munchmuseet explains how Edvard Munch turned the canteen of an Oslo chocolate factory into a de facto gallery of modern art
For 10 years, the photographer Clémentine Schneidermann and creative director Charlotte James have worked with young people in the South Wales Valleys on a fashion project with a real sense of place
A rare snuffbox made by Louis XV’s goldsmith and a floral still life by Bernardo Strozzi are among this month’s highlights
An 18th-century gathering was nothing without a table full of roast hare, yellowhammer pies and truffle-stuffed turkeys
The artist’s love of gold and other metallic pigments shines through in his paintings, from his interest in Japanese lacquers to the very titles of his work
In Steven Soderbergh’s latest film, The Christophers, Ian McKellen’s once-celebrated artist hasn’t put brush to canvas for decades. Creating his cluttered, crusted-over studio was a gift of a project for production designer Antonia Lowe
At the National Gallery Singapore, the winner of this year’s Craft Prize – and the other shortlisted works – offer an invigorating vision of the possibilities of making
‘Fountain’ is perhaps the most famous artwork of the 20th century, but its creator’s intentions are still endlessly debated
The Sharmanka Kinetic Theatre, an offbeat gem of the city’s arts scene, faces an uncertain future along with many other organisations
