Features
The paintings that turned Persian art on its head in the 19th century
The arts in Qajar Iran acknowledged previous traditions while reflecting a rapidly changing world
How conservators are fighting the battle against built-in obsolescence
It’s never too early to begin preserving time-based media art
Rodin’s complicated relationship with classical art
Rodin’s relationship with the Parthenon sculptures – and classical art in general – was far from straightforward
Seats of power through the centuries
Throne chairs have acted as seats of power for centuries – but their form and meaning has evolved
‘The Royal Academy remains a great asset that must never be squandered’
Norman Rosenthal, Rebecca Salter, Nick Goss and Sarah Turner share their views on what sets the RA apart
The making of the new Royal Academy – an insider’s view
The RA’s Secretary and Chief Executive traces the history of the institution’s redevelopment
A tribute to Per Kirkeby (1938–2018)
The Danish artist and former geologist has died at the age of 79
Patronage, prizes and Mad King Ludwig pens
The luxury brand Montblanc recently launched the 27th edition of its cultural patronage awards
Acquisitions of the month: April 2018
Chris Ofili’s notorious ‘The Holy Virgin Mary’ goes to MoMA and the Baltimore Museum of Art updates its contemporary art collection
The British artists going back to the land
How artists over the past century have tried to preserve, renew and reinvent the English countryside
The kingdom built on frankincense and myrrh
A $20 billion project to transform Saudi Arabia’s al-Ula region has brought attention to a little-known ancient site
‘In the age of print, art became European’
What Renaissance ceramics tell us about the European print culture of the time
Celebrating Romani art and culture at the first Roma Biennale
The first Roma Biennale offered a riot of contemporary Romani art and performance
A tribute to Gillian Ayres (1930–2018)
Ayres has died at the age of 88 after a long, vibrant career as one of Britain’s leading abstract painters
Ancient civilisations get a modern makeover at the Penn Museum
The museum’s collection of more than a million artefacts is being redisplayed in a major refurbishment
Acquisitions of the month: March 2018
A major work of land art by Nancy Holt and Liotard’s largest extant work on pastel are among this month’s top acquisitions
How contemporary initiatives are reviving historic sites in Rajasthan
A sculpture park in a hill fort and a mansion showing Indian crafts are just two signs of the region’s cultural renaissance
Epistolary exchanges with Edward Bawden
Peyton Skipwith remembers two decades of friendship and correspondence with the British artist
The quiet transformation of the Worcester Art Museum
The Massachusetts institution is a small museum with a world-class collection – and it may even have a Leonardo
Pilgrims and parrots in Jordan’s city of mosaics
Madaba preserves traces of the ancient Greek-Christian culture of the Middle East
Hubert de Givenchy (1927–2018)
Hubert de Givenchy, the celebrated couturier and collector of fine and decorative art, has died at at the age of 91
Sylvia Pankhurst and the art of suffrage
How Sylvia Pankhurst designed the movement that won women the vote
Beyond TEFAF – more to see in Maastricht and the region
A look at some of the impressive satellite shows being staged alongside TEFAF
Acquisitions of the month: February 2018
A Duchamp readymade owned by Robert Rauschenberg and an Etruscan bronze are among this month’s top acquisitions
What happens when an artist wants to be anonymous?