An Enlightenment project to classify all the colours in the natural world is an extraordinary feat of ingenuity
The dairy at Rambouillet was a masterpiece of neoclassical design
For more than a century, the Bibiena family created spectacular sets that delighted and deceived audiences
Typewriters may be museum pieces now, but they created office jobs for women and by doing so changed the 20th century
Peter Fischli has curated a show about the demise of painting – but his take is that it’s still very much alive
When the painter finally moved to the capital, he was quick to make the most of the opportunities on offer
Tom Eckersley’s posters are rightfully regarded as masterpieces – partly because he worked with clients who were also first-rate
A pair of monumental landscapes painted in his later years offer an unusually personal glimpse of the artist himself
The British artist looked to nature to provide material for her surreal creations
The founder of Lettrism wasn’t the only avant-garde artist with a god complex, but he may have been the most messianic
A whirlwind journey through 5,000 years of Iranian civilisation charts change and continuity in a culture that has absorbed all manner of influences
Is it enough for Western museums to say how they came by their colonial-era artefacts – or should they just give them back?
François-Xavier and Claude Lalanne’s fantastical creations are making mischief at the Trianon estate this summer
The painter had a keen eye for crockery – and the best pieces from his collection got to star in his art
Recipes from the table of John Pawson are as pared-back as his architecture – which is all a little too perfect
These great tapestries have a turbulent history that has seen them held by Russia and in Canada – but now they’re back in the rooms where they first hung
Clive Bell is now best known as Vanessa’s husband – but a new biography replenishes his role in promoting modernism in Britain
Collectors, curators and artists have been debating the category of American folk art since the early 20th century – as a display at the MFA Boston makes clear
The ‘Rethinking Guernica’ website allows us to scrutinise Picasso’s anti-war masterpiece in greater detail than ever
2 Tone began as a ska-inspired record label, but swiftly became a look and a political stance – and a defining moment in British cultural history
Paul Greenhalgh’s ambitious survey takes us from the ancient Greeks to Picasso and beyond
A survey of new Australian art presents a planet in crisis – but it’s more uplifting than it sounds
A retrospective at the Pera Museum in Istanbul demonstrates the vast geographic sweep of the Lebanese-American artist's work and biography – including her Ottoman roots
The TV competition series is billed as a ‘masterclass’ – and none of the contestants will be booted off until the finale. Where’s the fun in that?
