Features
The monuments that made Mexico
The Museo Nacional de Antropologia presents a thrilling sequence of Mexican civilisations from the second millennium BC to the present day
The Catholic chapel that cost Eton one pound
An early 20th-century copy of a baroque chapel has been restored to its former glory
What national museums tell us about national identities
Museums of national history put the stories countries like to tell about themselves into physical form
Speaking up about art
Conversation can be a important and enjoyable way of paying attention to artworks
‘We can’t talk about the war because we are still in the middle of it’
What kind of art are Syrian artists making, if they are able to make art at all?
First class: the art of the Post Office
How Britain’s postal system has inspired artists, from its origins in the 16th century to today
The very Victorian nymphs of J.W. Waterhouse
How did the first viewers of ‘Hylas and the Nymphs’ interpret the painting?
‘Tell me who Kandinsky is’: T.S. Eliot among the artists
Can T.S. Eliot’s poetic experiments be read alongside parallel developments in the visual arts? And how much has he influenced artists?
Acquisitions of the month: January 2018
The finest additions to public collections this month include a crop of modern European artworks, from Munch to Mondrian
A new look for Kettle’s Yard
After a major refurbishment, Kettle’s Yard is reopening – but it remains true to the spirit of its founder, Jim Ede
Face to face with the Gurlitt hoard
The paintings that Cornelius Gurlitt, son of a Third Reich art dealer, kept hidden for decades are now out in the open – so what happens next?
The art and wisdom of Jack Whitten
He’ll be remembered for his restless abstract experiments, but Whitten also had a deep moral instinct
A mystical Korean mountain comes to the Met
The Diamond Mountains have inspired Korean artists for centuries – and some of its best depictions are coming to New York
The Jesuit masterpieces coming to Connecticut
The Society of Jesus commissioned extraordinary works for its mother church in Rome – and they’re about to go on display on the East Coast
A significant Alpine landscape at the British Museum
Joseph Anton Koch’s drawing of a waterfall is an outstanding early Romantic view of Switzerland
Mark Bradford confronts the myths of America’s past
The artist draws on 19th-century battle scenes to create a very different historical narrative at the Hirshhorn
Acquisitions of the month: December 2017
Last month’s acquisitions include a portrait of a hirsute lady, and a major purchase for the Frick
Eugene Thaw (1927–2018)
Eugene Thaw, the collector of drawings and celebrated art dealer, has died at the age of 90
The double lives of outsider artists
Vivian Maier took thousands of photographs, but showed them to no one. Why are some artists so determined to keep their work secret?
The reopening of the Hayward Gallery and a Tacita Dean trilogy
It’s a big year for museums in the UK, with reopenings, expansions, and collaborations in London and Cambridge
Fra Angelico in Boston, Scarpa’s glass, and Tintoretto at 500
The chief curator of the Frick Collection picks out his highlights for the year ahead
The major art anniversaries to look out for in 2018
Expect celebrations of Cubism, universal suffrage, architects and art collectors in the coming year
The Irish art galleries ringing the changes in 2018
Highlights in Dublin and Cork this year include exhibitions on Brian Maguire, Wolfgang Tillmans and Mary Swanzy
Myths, music, and medieval Celtic
Looking forward to a year of monographic exhibitions, from Joan Jonas in London to Danh Vō in New York
What happens when an artist wants to be anonymous?