Reviews
‘This is a book about a man who painted, not about the paintings he made’
A new biography of Renoir emphasises the role the painter’s domestic life played in his work
A comparative approach to religious art
An ambitious, if limited, exhibition compares the early traditions of five faiths
The patient precision of Neville Gabie
The South African artist has made a virtue of taking his time to make slow but rewarding films and performance pieces
The art of advertising
A museum retrospective charts James Rosenquist’s journey from billboard painter to Pop art pioneer
A guide to urban living
In her mid-career survey, Jacqueline Donachie explores the hidden cruelties of the urban environment
The man who made Ireland’s favourite painting
Frederic William Burton’s sentimental watercolour scenes reflect the taste of a bygone era
The dividing lines of Otobong Nkanga
For her first solo exhibition in Ireland, Otobong Nkanga complicates easy distinctions between the natural and the industrial
The remarkable legacy of Johan Maelwael
This superbly curated exhibition transforms our understanding of medieval art history
The battle for Picasso’s mind
An exhibition in Berlin explores how both sides in the Cold War tried to turn artists into ideological weapons
The enduring appeal of ancient glass
Many of the methods invented by Roman glassmakers are still in use today
A potted guide to Luciano Fabro
The works of the Arte Povera artist playfully resist our expectations of what sculpture should be
The slippery charms of Sophie Jung
The artist’s weird, witty sculptures refuse to let us fix their meaning
Crossing borders at Turner Contemporary
The word-objects of Jean (Hans) Arp are a reminder of how powerful hybrid forms can be
Stepping out in style with the Scythians
These Siberian nomads were consummate survivors – and highly sophisticated craftsmen
The hidden bones of buildings
Monika Sosnowska’s sculptures reflect on the architecture of post-war Eastern Europe
The layered life of Leonard Rosoman
A fine, detailed biography convinces us to take another look at the oft-neglected British artist
‘My grand tour shall be one round the whole globe’
Joseph Banks’ plant specimens from Captain Cook’s first voyage are still of the greatest scientific importance
History lessons with Leonor Antunes
A new site-specific work at the Whitechapel reminds us of overlooked women artists
The myth of Basquiat threatens to eclipse his art
The Barbican survey’s biographical focus detracts from the fervent energy of the paintings themselves
The private collector who made the British Museum
A new biography of physician-collector Hans Sloane portrays a flawed yet fascinating man
The addictive art of Ragnar Kjartansson
How a seven-hour performance of only ten lyrical lines entranced its audience at the London Contemporary Music Festival
Medardo Rosso: the first modern sculptor
A convincing case is made for the Italian artist’s ambitions, and the need to bring a wider audience to his work
Reading the riddles of Giorgio de Chirico
Considering the artist’s writing gives us invaluable new ways in which to see his painting
The power and personality of Prince
An exhibition at the O2 in London is as carefully stage managed as anything Prince put on during his lifetime
Seeing London through Frank Auerbach’s eyes