Painstakingly perfect and utterly peculiar – the drawings of Jean-Jacques Lequeu
The French draughtsman’s fantasies seem as bizarre today as they did 200 years ago
Have printed auction catalogues had their day?
As auction houses and galleries branch out into magazines and videos and other media, is the traditional catalogue becoming obsolete?
Pontormo pays a visit to the Getty
The Florentine painter’s Visitation is at the centre of this small but spellbinding display
This majestic mosque stands out in the city of a thousand minarets
The ancient mosque of Ahmad ibn Tulun deserves to be much better known
The art of rocks, ruins and ruptured landscapes
John Ruskin, Paul Nash and a host of more recent artists have found geology a rich seam to mine
Edward Allington’s classically inspired approach to modern sculpture
The British sculptor was a great talent in his own right and a dedicated teacher
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February 2019
• The Ruskin bicentenary
• Monumental statues in India
• The Musée de la Romanité in Nîmes
• An interview with Elizabeth Price
Plus: Alan Hollinghurst on Lucian Freud, the portraits of Lorenzo Lotto, and a preview of Asia Week New York
A new era at the National Museum of Scotland
The last phase of the museum’s makeover gives its Egyptian, East Asian and ceramic collections a chance to shine
Julie Mehretu makes her mark at Kettle’s Yard
A series of pared-back monotypes and drawings signals a new phase in the artist’s work
Meet the mummies – cultural ambassadors from beyond the grave
There’s more to these sets of human remains than bandages, amulets and curses
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In his shiny surfaces, Jeff Koons reflects the vanity of our age
From ancient art to Old Masters, Koons’ engagement with history is only skin deep – and that’s the point
A window on the world in watercolour
A new online database reveals how before photography, watercolours were used as visual records
The art and craft of American pottery
American art ceramics haven’t received as much attention as they deserve, but a major gift to the Met is changing this
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Where next for virtual reality art?
Some seem beguiled by VR technology but others are using it to confront our faith in digital progress
Pots, pans and pondering in Chardin’s domestic scenes
The 18th-century painter’s depictions of servants paused at work raise questions about the nature of attention
The pyramids at Giza looked very different when they were first built
The Egyptian pyramids were originally covered in smooth white limestone – as a casing stone now in Scotland shows
Moroni: The Riches of Renaissance Portraiture
Frick Collection, New York
The Italian painter had an uncanny gift for naturalism – but he was also highly imaginative
21 Feb - 2 Jun 2019
Bernard Van Orley: Brussels and the Renaissance
BOZAR, Brussels
Courtly paintings, portraits and tapestries from the workshop of this Netherlandish master
20 Feb - 26 May 2019
Elizabethan Treasures: Miniatures by Hilliard and Oliver
National Portrait Gallery, London
Exploring the world of portrait miniatures, the pinnacle of English painting in their time
21 Feb - 19 May 2019
Joan Miró: Birth of the World
Museum of Modern Art, New York
How the Catalan artist created a new visual language for Surrealism
24 Feb - 15 Jun 2019
Is the US trustee system good for museums?
Are volunteer board members a useful source of good will and money, or do they tie museums to the whims of the wealthy?