Reviews
From the ridiculous to the sublime – Bruce Nauman at Tate Modern, reviewed
This career-spanning survey presents an artist whose work consistently teeters between the absurd and the poetic
Fruitful pastels – the colourful career of Rosalba Carriera
A new study examines the 18th-century artist’s pioneering use of pastel and her capacity for self-promotion
Pulpit masters – the best of Arts and Crafts churches
Two welcome volumes survey how the movement made its mark on religious buildings across the UK
Ship shapes – the nautical art of Alfred Wallis
Kettle’s Yard shows off its unrivalled collection of work by the mariner-turned-painter, for whom every boat had ‘a beautiful soul shaped like a fish’
From street parties to state visits – around the world with Ed van der Elsken
The globe-trotting Dutch photographer was always on the lookout for a good picture – and took some 100,000 of them
Stereo sound – echoes of the Pergamon Altar return to Turkey
A sound installation by the Istanbul-based artist Cevdet Erek draws on the complex history of the ancient monument
Model buildings – when European architects looked to the Middle East
Diana Darke’s new book makes the case for the widespread influence of Islamic architecture on European buildings. But how convincing are her claims?
How Agnes Gund became an art-world hero
A documentary directed by her daughter sets out just why the collector and philanthropist is beloved by so many
Ottolenghi’s French fancies at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
A film about the Versailles-inspired desserts the chef makes for an event at the museum is a visual treat – albeit one with a bitter aftertaste
Lines of continuity – learning from Bridget Riley’s prints
An expanded catalogue raisonné of the artist’s prints sheds new light on her pioneering approach to colour and composition
‘They show where the bodies are buried’ – Langlands & Bell at the Soane, reviewed
The duo’s wry installations uncover the realities architecture often hides – and examine how buildings can manipulate people
A voyage along the Mekong River with Thao Nguyen Phan
A film and a series of watercolour-on-silk paintings at Chisenhale Gallery reflect on the ‘beauty and suffering’ of the Mekong River
The mischievous and mysterious art of J.B. Blunk
After a lifechanging encounter with Isamu Noguchi, J.B. Blunk dedicated himself to carving out his own path
Exposure time – David Bailey’s autobiography, reviewed
A memoir as raw and unfiltered as the photographs that made Bailey’s name at Vogue, this curious book offers up some brilliant anecdotes but ultimately lacks focus
Role model – ‘Artemisia’ at the National Gallery, reviewed
This much-anticipated exhibition does justice to the restless creativity of Artemisia Gentileschi in her many guises
The photographers who wanted their subjects to be heard as well as seen
Radical collectives in the 1970s were keen to make documentary photography more democratic
From rural India to Greenwich Village – life through the lens of Sunil Gupta
The photographer’s first UK retrospective explores his abiding interest in the experience of outsiders in society
À la mode – Man Ray’s forays into fashion photography
The artist was a reluctant photographer – yet from the 1920s to ’40s, the Surrealist vision he brought to fashion photography helped elevate it to an art form in its own right
Recollected works – ‘Howard Hodgkin: Memories’, reviewed
In these paintings from the 1980s and ’90s, Hodgkin found a way to depict that ‘almost impossibly nebulous subject’ – his own past experiences
What did Impressionism mean for sculpture?
A survey of artists inspired by the movement considers how successfully sculpture can convey a sense of transience
The Black sailors who served in the British navy come out of retirement
An exhibition at the Old Royal Naval College tells the stories of the Black pensioners who lived there in the 18th and 19th centuries
The bound and fragmented bodies of Christina Ramberg
The artist’s strange, Surrealist-inspired paintings have in turn inspired more recent explorations of gender and body image
‘Her canvases breed uncertainty from certainty’ – the art of Carmen Herrera
Still working at the age of 105, the Cuban-born artist has had an unusually long career – and the results repay close attention
Murky waters – Armando and the art of moral ambiguity
An opaque installation by the Dutch artist raises difficult questions about ethics and interpretation
What happens when an artist wants to be anonymous?