The freedom Gainsborough found in painting his family
The artist’s portraits of his household are more spontaneous than his commercial work
What not to miss at London Art Fair 2019
This year’s edition of the fair presents modern British works inspired by the Sussex countryside alongside global contemporary art
Piecing together the untold story of Ida O’Keeffe
An exhibition in Dallas places the spotlight on the life and art of Georgia O’Keeffe’s younger sister
Acquisitions of the month: December 2018
A Midwestern epic painting and minimalist marvels were among the top works to enter museum collections last month
Beyond the blockbusters – five more shows to catch in 2019
Highlights include a celebration of Cosimo de’ Medici at the Uffizi and ceramics from Africa at the Design Museum in Munich
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January 2019
• The Africa Museum reopens in Belgium
• An interview with Judy Chicago
• The most beautiful swimming pool in France
• Can Venice still be saved?
Plus: The Museum of Fruit in Turin, mummies in Mannheim, the cartoons of Saul Steinberg, a preview of BRAFA, and much more
Poetry and pessimism at the 12th Shanghai Biennale
Grand narratives of progress are undermined in a surprisingly understated edition of the Chinese biennial
The Apollo 40 under 40 podcast: Erika Balsom
Gabrielle Schwarz talks to the critic and scholar Erika Balsom about her experience working between the worlds of art and cinema
The modern painters who were mad about Frans Hals
Van Gogh, Whistler, Sargent and Manet were just some of the major artists who made pilgrimages to Haarlem to see Hals’s work
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Close encounters with the gods in court paintings from north India
Painters at the Pahari courts found new ways to represent the Hindu gods in the 17th and 18th centuries
The cosmopolitan art of Anglo-Saxon England
The British Library demonstrates that Anglo-Saxon culture looked to Europe and beyond
The endless inventions of Bruce Nauman
Drawing, video, sculpture and performance – no medium is out of bounds for the titan of American art
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The good, the bad and the ugly – neoclassical architecture in modern times
It was the favoured architectural style of Stalin and the Nazis. What forms does classical revivalism take today?
How political is political art?
Many artists take themes such as migration, climate change, and human rights as their subjects, but what are they actually doing with them?
This film inspired by Gerhard Richter won’t tell you much about his art
Never Look Away is based on the life of the great German artist – but it doesn’t do justice to his work
Should paintings be conserved in public?
Rembrandt’s Night Watch is set to be restored in front of visitors. Should we welcome the growing prevalence of public conservation?
Fausto Melotti: Counterpoint
Estorick Collection, London
The Italian artist once spoke of being ‘ensnared’ by the ‘laws, distractions and digressions’ of music
16 Jan - 7 Apr 2019
Graciele Iturbide’s Mexico
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Five decades of photographs by the Mexican artist depict a society in flux
19 Jan - 12 May 2019
Dea Trier Mørch: Into the World
Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Humlebæk
Some 90 works on paper by the acclaimed author, depicting scenes of pregnancy, childbirth and protest
17 Jan - 28 Apr 2019
Sophia Al-Maria: BCE
Whitechapel Gallery, London
The Qatari-American artist’s latest project explores feminism, science fiction and myths of creation
15 Jan - 28 Apr 2019
What can museums do to ensure collectors follow through on promised gifts?
With no contracts or value exchanges, announced gifts can easily be revoked. But there are ways to firm up loose agreements