Reviews
Brent’s borough-wide biennial offers welcome refreshment
A George Michael mural and a mountain rose-flavoured soda are among the contributions to the borough’s inaugural biennial
Master class – a fictional civilisation makes its mark at the Barbican
Toyin Ojih Odutola’s scenes of a race of women warriors are a tour de force in pastel, charcoal and chalk
Common ground – the elemental forms of Bill Brandt and Henry Moore
The first exhibition to bring the sculptor and photographer together reveals intriguing points of convergence between their work
The women who wanted to look like living statues
A study of neoclassical dress in the 1790s shows that fashion can be a serious business
What’s left of Thomas Becket? – ‘The Book in the Cathedral’, reviewed
Christopher de Hamel argues that a book of psalms in a Cambridge library is the only surviving relic of the murdered archbishop
‘Britain’s most visible artist’ – Barnett Freedman at Pallant House, reviewed
Freedman’s engaging designs were once impossible to avoid – and his lesser-known war paintings are a revelation
How the Riga Biennial adapted to a world changed by Covid-19
With a shortened run and reimagined artworks – plus, of course, social distancing – the exhibition has embraced the need to adapt
New York confidential – John Giorno’s memoir, reviewed
In his posthumously published memoir, the poet recollects his life as a lover of some of the greats of the New York art scene
Acquired taste – the fashion for French interiors in Britain
Dealers played a pivotal role in creating a demand for ancien–régime style across the Channel
A biography of Edmonia Lewis takes on a life of its own
A meticulously researched graphic novel about the sculptor Edmonia Lewis is a suitably original tribute to the enterprising artist
‘The Man Who Laughs’ is a cautionary tale about grinning and bearing it
The inspiration behind Batman’s Joker and many a monster movie, Paul Leni’s ‘The Man Who Laughs’ is a masterpiece of Expressionist cinema
How to own a Rembrandt
An engaging documentary profiles the collectors who possess – or would like to possess – paintings by the Dutch master
The Design Museum takes to the dance floor
An exhibition dedicated to the music of the future may be too respectful of its past
Sea change – a fresh perspective on the art of Oceania
A rehang of Christchurch Art Gallery’s permanent collections emphasises non-European patterns of influence
Morel compass – John Cage’s mania for mushrooms
For the avant-garde composer, mushroom-foraging was closely linked to his ideas about sound and spontaneity
Bible belters – in praise of Murillo’s Prodigal Son paintings
The six paintings have long languished in relative obscurity. Restored and on view in Dublin, they are finally getting their due
Celtic revival? Recording Ireland’s historic buildings
Would that the Buildings of Ireland series could be completed – the architectural riches of Central Leinster and Cork are well served by two new volumes
The space odyssey that went nowhere – ‘Spaceship Earth’, reviewed
Before ‘Big Brother’, there was Biosphere 2 – an experiment in utopian living that left its participants low on food and short of breath
Keeping it casual – Stephen Shore’s encounters with the everyday
Taken on his road trips across America, the photographer’s images from the 1970s are in a class of their own
World views – revisiting an 18th-century survey of global style
Joseph Friedrich zu Racknitz’s four-volume treatise, newly translated and edited, deserves to be more widely read
The restlessness of Gerhard Richter
A short-lived retrospective at the Met Breuer revelled in the German artist’s formal inventiveness – and his long engagement with history
Boxing clever – the playful sculptures of Charlotte Posenenske
The German artist is closely linked with conceptual and minimalist art, but her DIY approach was quite singular
Learned behaviour – the successful career of Sofonisba Anguissola
Should we see the painter as a Renaissance feminist or as a product of her upbringing?
Stolen glances – The Painter and the Thief, reviewed
A documentary about the unlikely friendship between an artist and the man who stole her work raises tantalising questions about image-making and ownership
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Crafting value in Venice