Reviews
Terra nova – Renaissance terracottas in Padua, reviewed
This groundbreaking exhibition charts the flourishing of the medium in the Veneto – from Donatello to lesser-known masters
‘Philip Guston’s life traced that of modern art itself’
A new biography by Robert Storr offers a comprehensive yet personal account of the artist’s complex career
Grayson Perry becomes the nation’s art teacher
The artist’s encouraging approach shows a nation in lockdown that technique isn’t everything
Programme notes – Museums in Quarantine on BBC4, reviewed
Alistair Sooke and Simon Schama take on tour-guide duties in a series of new 30-minute films. But how satisfying can the Tate on the telly really be?
Call to attention – Glasgow International goes online
The festival has put together a digital programme that invites close and contemplative attention
A cut above – the singular style of Reynolds Stone
The designer may not be a household name, but his work is still instantly recognisable – from passports and magazines to banknotes and bookplates
Local colour – what the Renaissance looked like beyond Venice, Florence and Rome
A new study focuses on the painters working outside the main artistic centres of Italy
Dual purpose – passion and reason in the art of Nicolas Poussin
A new study emphasises the marriage of thought and feeling in the painter’s work
Spiders and soaring sculptures – Tomás Saraceno in Florence
An exhibition at Palazzo Strozzi positions the wildly ambitious artist as a Renaissance man for our times
Material benefits – ‘Picasso and Paper’, reviewed
The pleasure Picasso took in paper as a medium was palpable in the Royal Academy’s recent show
Minimal effort – ‘The Longing for Less’ by Kyle Chayka, reviewed
This hard-to-classify book brings together Donald Judd, Japanese aesthetics, and the aspirations of contemporary lifestyle bloggers
How artists in Kyoto made contemplative work in turbulent times
The Met’s display of 14 centuries of work from the longtime artistic centre of Japan gives plenty of pause for thought
Freedom of expression – Jerry Saltz’s ‘How to be an Artist’, reviewed
The critic’s guide to creative living is full of joy – but how far can you get by following someone else’s rules?
The forgotten landscapes of Edward Hopper
The great painter of urban solitude was also a dab hand at empty expanses – from dunes and forests to the open road
Sex and the city – William N. Copley in New York
The American artist fused Surrealism and Pop to create an eccentric – and highly erotic – style that was all his own
Russian spark – the palace builders of St Petersburg
A ritzy new book brings to life the eclectic tastes and unbridled opulence of aristocratic families in late imperial Russia
‘Thomas McKeller was singular among Sargent’s pantheon of models’
What did it mean for a wildly successful artist to paint a black elevator operator in stuffy Boston society?
Solitary refinement – the uncanny art of Léon Spilliaert
The Belgian Symbolist is at his spookiest and most original when he depicts reality
A visual journey through the Amazon rainforest
Displaced from his home in the Colombian Amazon, Abel Rodríguez draws on his memories to document its flora and fauna
Show business – the artists who realised a house could be more than just a home
Artists who had studios and homes specially built for them often wanted to create spaces that would boost their careers
Close encounters – Van Eyck in Ghent, reviewed
How Van Eyck achieved his effects is still very hard to explain, but there’s no denying their power
Henry Wallis – the Pre-Raphaelite painter who fell out of fashion
The artist’s ‘The Death of Chatterton’ was one of the most popular paintings of the 19th century, but what else did he do?
Plastic, pastries and pastel tones – Ree Morton at the ICA LA, reviewed
In a career that lasted barely a decade, the American artist forged a distinctive – and highly personal – voice
‘A real hit parade of work from almost every country in the Arab world’
An important survey of abstract Arab art throws up questions about the influences swirling around in the post-war period
Are the art market’s problems being blown out of proportion?