The mystery of the ‘Barbus Müller’ sculptures
The origin of the ‘Barbus Müller’ figures has puzzled many since these distinctive sculptures surfaced in the 1930s
Was Raphael as saintly as they say?
The ‘Prince of Painters’ has been much mythologised by art historians in the 500 years since his death
Acquisitions of the Month: July 2020
More than 300 photographs at MoMA and an Aboriginal shield in Adelaide are among this month’s highlights
‘I was storing crates in my dining room’ – on launching a gallery during lockdown
Setting a brave example wasn’t what Niru Ratnam had in mind when he forged ahead with plans to open his new business during the pandemic
Morel compass – John Cage’s mania for mushrooms
For the avant-garde composer, mushroom-foraging was closely linked to his ideas about sound and spontaneity
Bible belters – in praise of Murillo’s Prodigal Son paintings
The six paintings have long languished in relative obscurity. Restored and on view in Dublin, they are finally getting their due
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Private enterprise – the individuals who are taking restitution into their own hands
While museums deliberate about returning objects that were taken from their places of origin without consent, it is easier for individuals to act
Dressing for a pandemic, Picasso-style
The future of fashion may not be the most pressing concern but it’s hard not to fear the worst
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July/August 2020
• An interview with Eric Fischl
• The rakish side of Raphael
• Andrea Palladio and the plague
• John Cage’s passion for mushrooms
Plus: the art of window dressing, a preview of Parcours des Mondes, the monumental achievements of the Olmecs – and the private individuals who are returning looted art
‘For more than a thousand years this area has been the burial place of the great and the good of Cairo’
A short-sighted view of what counts as cultural heritage has led to the bulldozing of family tombs in the city’s oldest burial site
Status anxiety – the battle over culture in Bolivia
The sacking of two museum directors and the axing of the ministry for culture is part of a wider struggle about who and what culture is for
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Celtic revival? Recording Ireland’s historic buildings
Would that the Buildings of Ireland series could be completed – the architectural riches of Central Leinster and Cork are well served by two new volumes
Losing face – iconoclasm in ancient Rome
The importance of public statuary and portraiture for the Romans is no better demonstrated than in the way images of personae non gratae were destroyed, disfigured or re-carved
Photo realism – an interview with Alfredo Jaar
The Chilean-born artist talks about his ambivalent attitude towards photography and his utopian feelings about art
Goya for gastronomes – and Donald Trump
The Trumps have a soft spot for Goya Foods, it seems – which sets Rakewell wondering whether the brand could make more of its painterly associations
Touching distance – the fine art of keeping apart
The encounter between Mary Magdalene and the risen Christ has challenged the artists who have chosen to represent it
Renaissance remixed – a surreal video game takes a sideways look at art history
Could a Pythonesque computer game set a good example for galleries trying to attract virtual visitors?
Minimal effort – ‘The Longing for Less’ by Kyle Chayka, reviewed
This hard-to-classify book brings together Donald Judd, Japanese aesthetics, and the aspirations of contemporary lifestyle bloggers
An alternative history of American Civil War monuments
Monuments to the American Civil War have locked in place partial versions of the past – but other stories will emerge when we know more about how and why they were erected
Toyin Ojih Odutola: A Countervailing Theory
At the Barbican, a new series of large-scale drawings tell the story of an imaginary prehistoric society ruled by women
Ernst Barlach
An exhibition marking the 150th anniversary of the German Expressionist artist’s birth, at the Albertinum in Dresden
Hope Wanted: New York City Under Quarantine
An outdoor exhibition at the New-York Historical Society looks at life under lockdown in the city
Young Rembrandt
Retracing the Dutch master’s tentative first steps at the reopened Ashmolean Museum
‘An unparalleled talent’ – a tribute to Delphine Levy (1969–2020)
The founding director of Paris Musées worked indefatigably to serve her ideal of culture as a public good