EDITORIAL

Doomed – we're all doomed

The climate change conference in Copenhagen was accompanied by exhibitions of contemporary art about global warming. Did they suceed in making us think deeply?

ARCHITECTURE

City under siege

Despite local opposition and criticism, St Petersburg is being spoiled by developlers in the name of modernisation.

Market Review

Modern British art as well as a remarkable silver discovery made noteworthy prices.

Art Business

Dubai’s rapid expansion has abruptly stopped. What effect will this have on the region’s ambitious cultural plans?

Collectors' Focus

Prices for even the leading American Impressionists have dipped in the past few years, making these appealing artists especially attractive to collectors, writes Annie Blinkhorn.

Around the Galleries

Old Master drawings in New York and the Miami Beach Antique Show are the highlights of January.

Market Preview

The year starts with an erotic masterpiece, sculpture from Arthur M. Sackler’s collection and an extraordinary piece of art-nouveau furniture.

Lucian Freud's Rite of Passage

In 1941 the 18-year-old Lucian Freud joined the Merchant Navy and crossed the Atlantic on SS Baltrover. The full story of his voyage is told here for the first time by Sandra Boselli, who argues that it helps to explain two of Freud’s most significant early paintings.

Archive Endeavour

Founded in 1910 as the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities, Historic New England is pioneering the conservation and interpretation of the region’s 20th-century heritage, writes Brian Pfeiffer.

Collectors & Collecting

Charles Ryskamp, a former director of the Morgan Library & Museum and the Frick Collection, talks to Louise Nicholson about a lifetime of collecting drawings, a selection of which goes on show next month at the Yale Center for British Art. Portrait by Lanola Stone.

Through a Lens Brightly

In 2001 David Hockney published his book Secret Knowledge, arguing that many Old Master painters used optical devices. The idea has been hotly debated, but most art historians remain unconvinced. Yet, as Hockney tells Martin Gayford, he is sure this will change. Portrait by Derry Moore.

Wellington Booty

The outstanding collection of modern British art at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa was for many years sidelined, partly for reasons of cultural nationalism. Mark Stocker tells the story of its creation and selects the highlights of a new display at Te Papa.

Banking on Sunshine

Isabel Andrews previews the American International Fine Art Fair in Palm Beach – which this year aims to confirm its status as one of the world’s best art fairs.

Bowled Over by Boulle

The first exhibition on one of the world’s greatest cabinetmakers is a triumph, writes Christopher Rowell.

Weeping Glass Tears

Spanish baroque sculpture and painting are fused in a gripping exhibition, writes Gauvin Alexander Bailey.

Patriot Games

A celebration of Colombia’s first major art collector includes some remarkable discoveries amid a presentation of national heroes, writes Gauvin Alexander Bailey.

Blues at the Wallace

Susan Jenkins questions the rationale of showing Damien Hirst’s recent paintings alongside Old Masters.

Chisel in Hand

Peyton Skipwith applauds a celebration of the creative dynamism of three great modern sculptors: Eric Gill, Jacob Epstein and Henri Gaudier-Brzeska.

Dressing the Home

Richard Bebb’s definitive and magnificently illustrated history of Welsh furniture is full of vivid detail, writes Claudia Kinmonth.

Pugin and the Parsons

Timothy Brittain-Catlin’s survey of parsonages is a significant contribution to our knowledge of Victorian architecture, writes Stefan Muthesius.

Art on an Axis

This biography of John Piper and his wife is an important addition to our understanding of mid-20th century English culture, writes Alan Powers.