Features
Acquisitions of the month: January 2025
Highlights include a trove of photographs by Robert Frank and the first Bernini statue in a Dutch public collection
Prince Karim Aga Khan IV (1936–2025)
The Aga Khan IV, who has died at the age of 88, formed an important collection of Islamic art and dedicated some of his fabulous wealth to cultural heritage projects around the world
The meteorite that fired up Dürer’s imagination
The meteorite that fired up Dürer’s imaginationHelen Gordon charts the fall and cultural rise of the Ensisheim meteorite of 1492
On the irresistible ripples of Viennetta
A textural triumph and a sensual delight, this distinctly ’80s ice cream is as pleasing to look at as it is to consume
The Louvre restores Cimabue to his rightful place
Two restored masterpieces – one vast in scale, the other intimate – are being shown together for the first time to give us fresh insights into ‘the first light of Renaissance painting’
Pompeii’s extraordinary recent discoveries lay a firm foundation for the future
The Great Pompeii project has more than lived up to the name, but it’s now time for a period of conservation and consolidation
The menacing visions of Jusepe de Ribera
Though clearly influenced by Caravaggio, the Spanish painter rendered saints and sinners in a ferocious style all of his own
The repeat performances of William Morris
The designer’s wallpaper patterns are so familiar that they’re in danger of being taken for granted – but there’s still plenty to discover if we look more closely
Sheila Hicks and the art of infinite possibility
A retrospective by the textile artist is wonderfully open to interpretation, with works so inviting you might want to throw yourself at them
How the return of Asante gold is going down in Ghana
Artefacts looted by British soldiers from the Asante kingdom in the 19th century can now be seen in Ghana, but are loans from UK museums nearly enough?
How to express yourself in Tudor England
The identity of two terracotta busts attributed to Guido Mazzoni may be up for debate, but there’s no denying the emotional possibilities of the material in which they’re made
The memory palace of Mario Praz
The scholar’s meticulously preserved apartment in Rome testifies to his passion for all things 19th century, and to how he treated collecting as a form of memoir
The woman who brought shop-window mannequins to life
London’s Fashion and Textile Museum celebrates the era when Adel Rootstein’s factory produced innovative, glamorous models – and laments the blandness of the industry today
Department store makeovers, migration museums and Scandi sustainability – the year ahead in architecture
While Scandinavia streams ahead with ecologically sound projects and Edinburgh promises restored retail therapy, the outlook for London seems murkier
The ancient art of winemaking in Tunisia
The country has a long and rich history of viticulture, as we can tell from ancient Roman mosaics and its present-day vineyards
The year ahead in novels and biographies with an artistic slant
Keep an eye out for reissues of novels by Elaine Kraf and Inger Christensen, a literary thriller in which Giorgio Vasari turns detective and Francesca Wade’s biography of Gertrude Stein
Back to the future? The return of the art of divination
From the ancient world to modern times, humans have looked to the esoteric arts to answer questions about life, the universe and everything
The painterly brilliance of Luchino Visconti
‘The Leopard’ is the Italian film-maker’s masterpiece, and it owes much of its visual splendour to 19th-century paintings
The devilish museum that makes its own wine
The Museum of Old and New Art in Tasmania is not just a gallery, but also a winery offering visitors a dose of bacchanalian revelry
After centuries of neglect, Plautilla Nelli’s reputation is soaring again
The resurgence of interest in female Renaissance painters has reached the neglected Florentine nun and her workshop
The year ahead in anniversaries
A string of exhibitions marks 250 years since Turner’s birth and a hundred years of art deco, while Amsterdam turns 750 – and Apollo is celebrating its centenary (watch this space)
Arty films to look out for in 2025
From Adrien Brody’s architect in ‘The Brutalist’ to Tilda Swinton curating a post-apocalyptic gallery, art lovers have plenty to look forward to on screen
The major museum openings of 2025
The United States will be the centre of attention, but from London to Warsaw to Abu Dhabi, it’s a bumper year for museum-goers all over the world
Acquisitions of the month: November 2024
A panel by Fra Angelico and a video work acquired using cryptocurrency are among the most significant artworks to enter public collections recently
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