Reviews

Postcard advertising the Garden City Pantomime, written by residents C.B. Purdom and Charles Lee, (c. 1910)

An alternative vision of life in Letchworth, the world’s first Garden City

The radicalism of Ebenezer Howard’s Garden City is often overlooked, but Letchworth is an utopian success

3 Jan 2017

Beyond the myth of 1970s New York

Douglas Crimp’s memoir-cum-cultural history reveals the reality behind the myth of New York’s thriving art scene in the 70s

24 Dec 2016
Rama kills the demon warrior Makaraksha in combat. From a manuscript of the Ramayana (c. 1790), India; Himachal Pradesh state, former kingdom of Guler. Photo © Asian Art Museum of San Francisco

An epic exhibition for an epic subject

Clever staging, excellent exhibits and a timeless story combine to make the Asian Art Museum’s Ramayana exhibition a great success

23 Dec 2016
Easter Monday (c. 1950), Winifred Nicholson.

Winifred Nicholson and the pleasures of colour

An exhibition on Winifred Nicholson shows why her painting had such an impact on the work of her peers

21 Dec 2016
Venus of the Rags (1964–2016), Michelangelo Pistoletti. Photo: Tom Lindboe. Courtesy of the Blenheim Art Foundation

Michelangelo Pistoletto goes from rags to riches at Blenheim Palace

The Italian artist uses humble materials to promote a high-minded utopian message. How does his work fare in such opulent surroundings?

20 Dec 2016

Reinventing Impressionism for a new Australia

A show at the National Gallery considers how four artists used international Impressionism to forge a new national identity

20 Dec 2016
Rene Magritte: Selected Writings

‘Humans hide their secrets too well…’ Magritte according to Magritte

A rich selection of essays, interviews and memoirs offer a unique glimpse into the life and works of René Magritte

16 Dec 2016
Cambodian Dancer in Profile (1906/07), Auguste Rodin. Musée Rodin, Paris, France

How Rodin channelled the spirit of dance into his drawings and sculptures

A perfectly realised exhibition at the Courtauld Gallery in London explores Rodin’s obsession with dance and its expressive power

14 Dec 2016
Aline Renoir Nursing her Baby (1915), Pierre-Auguste Renoir. Kunstmuseum Bern

Why was Renoir so fascinated by flesh?

Renoir’s late paintings, particularly his nudes, provoke extreme reactions but these paintings are among his most interesting work

12 Dec 2016

Medieval Jerusalem comes to life in this mesmerising show

Expansive, near encyclopaedic within its limits, and very beautiful, this exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum is not to be missed

10 Dec 2016
The Gilbert Collection is back on display at the Victoria and Albert Museum. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

The Gilbert Collection is one of the most exquisite collections ever given to Britain

The Gilberts wanted these astonishing treasures to be shared and enjoyed. Now, the V&A has given them the showcase they deserve

6 Dec 2016
Private collection

Introducing the family behind Verona’s great bronzes

A new book by Charles Avery looks at the history and maerial legacy of a family of cheesemakers turned bronze-founders

29 Nov 2016
Breathing Light (2013), James Turrell © James Turrell. Photo © Florian Holzherr

The James Turrell cure for election day blues

‘Hopefully some nice, trippy light installations will take my mind off the madness’

25 Nov 2016
screestage (2013), Phyllida Barlow. Photo: Danny Lawson/PA Wire

The Hepworth sculpture prize exhibition is completely baffling – in a good way

Materials range from concrete to soap bubbles; subjects include mass extinction and internet cats. This is a bizarre mix of work, but a fascinating one

23 Nov 2016

Irishness is not the most interesting thing about Irish art

This new book on Irish art in the early modern period includes excellent texts by non-national authors that finally place Irish artists in a European context

22 Nov 2016
Looking at Matisse Today: A Symposium, 2016. © The Barnes Foundation. Photo by Keristin Gaber

Baltimore and Philadelphia’s colourful tribute to Matisse

Between them the Barnes Foundation and the Baltimore Museum of Art have an enviable set of works by Matisse – and their exhibitions and events reflect this

21 Nov 2016

Philippe Parreno’s perfect response to the Turbine Hall

The French artist’s Turbine Hall commission continues his interest in the exhibition as a living organism

18 Nov 2016
Mont Blanc Seen from La Faucille, Storm Effect (begun 1834), Théodore Rousseau. Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Copenhagen

Théodore Rousseau’s winning formula? ‘Diabolical cunning’ and lashings of sauce

‘A method matters little,’ Rousseau maintained, ‘one tries everything’. See the full span of his dizzyingly diverse practice in Copenhagen this winter

16 Nov 2016
A Rabbit seen in profile (c. 1560–90), artist unknown, Netherlandish. British Museum, London; Courtesy The Trustees of the British Museum

A groundbreaking survey of the European print trade

‘The Print before Photography’ has riches to offer any reader, in any field and at any level of study of European prints

15 Nov 2016
Installation View: ‘Calder and Picasso’, Almine Rech Gallery, New York, 2016

Picasso and Calder’s grandsons team up for a sparkling joint show

Almine Rech gallery makes an impressive New York debut with this combined exhibition of works by Pablo Picasso and Alexander Calder

11 Nov 2016
1984 (1984), Cho Yong-Ik.

A strong showing of South Korean art in London

It’s high time Koo Jeong-A and Cho Yong-Ik were better known in the UK. Thankfully, both currently have exhibitions in the capital

11 Nov 2016

When English embroidery took Europe by storm

The V&A provides a timely reminder of an era when England led the western world in the manufacture and export of luxury embroidery

10 Nov 2016

Picasso satirised his sitters – and art itself

The satirical intent behind many of Picasso’s portraits is striking in this exhibition

8 Nov 2016
Jaguar (n.d.), Frans Post. Noord-Hollands Archief, Haarlem. Apollo magazine

‘Tastes like chicken.’ Brazilian animals in an Amsterdam art museum

The Rijksmuseum is exhibiting a newly discovered group of animal studies by Frans Post

7 Nov 2016