In praise of Grinling Gibbons, the wizard of woodcarving
The sculptor took Restoration England by storm with his virtuosic woodwork
In the studio with… Shezad Dawood
The London-based artist increasingly works with VR technology – but his studio still smells of textiles, which remind him of his childhood
Damien Hirst, new kid on the blockchain
Damien Hirst has joined the NFT funfair – and he’s even brought former Bank of England governor Mark Carney along for the ride
Capital gains: how Gainsborough took London by storm
When the painter finally moved to the capital, he was quick to make the most of the opportunities on offer
In the studio with… Shahzia Sikander
The artist’s miniature paintings aren’t as diminutive as they may sound, but the magnifying glass attached to her worktable is still absolutely essential
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Bellotto’s views of Dresden tell a tale of two cities
Through the Italian painter’s eyes, the German city became both an idealised version of itself and a surrogate for his native Venice
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The wit and wisdom of Yinka Shonibare
The artist discusses his plans for a new residency in Lagos, and delves into the serious mischief of his sculptures
Behind the mask? An interview with Gillian Wearing
Gillian Wearing is in an unusually candid mode in her lockdown paintings, writes Martin Herbert – if you take them at face value, that is
July/August 2021
• The photographers who put West Africa in the frame
• The genius of Grinling Gibbons, 300 years on
• An interview with Mamma Andersson
• Flights of fancy: the Spanish Steps in Rome
Plus: the treasures of Lambeth Palace Library, a new model for restitution, a preview of Parcours des Mondes, five thousand years of Iranian art, and a century of baroque Italian set design
The man who designed modern Britain
Tom Eckersley’s posters are rightfully regarded as masterpieces – partly because he worked with clients who were also first-rate
Lewd Louvre, porno Prado – Pornhub makes a foray into fine art
The adult streaming site Pornhub has roused some of the world’s most revered nude paintings to life in a series of graphic videos
The week in art news – Christian Boltanski (1944–2021)
Plus: Kunsthaus Zürich appoints Ann Demeester as its new director and Charlottesville takes down statue of Robert E. Lee
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The late, great landscapes of Rubens, reunited at last
A pair of monumental landscapes painted in his later years offer an unusually personal glimpse of the artist himself
The cultural lives of the Neanderthals
The discovery of an engraved bone in Germany offers yet more evidence that our distant cousins were creatively minded
Talking heads: the prattling paintings of Renaissance England
Why do paintings and objects from the Tudor and Stuart periods have so much to say for themselves?
Why are painters getting pushed out of public spaces?
The privatisation of public space in UK cities means that artists are being made to feel increasingly unwelcome
Do artists dress to impress?
In ‘What Artists Wear’, Charlie Porter casts an eye over the wardrobe choices of everyone from Barbara Hepworth to Jean-Michel Basquiat
After playing Turner and Lowry, now Timothy Spall has taken up painting for real
Having picked up the paintbrush for film roles, the actor found that he couldn’t stop painting – and he now has a solo show of his own
Book keeping: the bookplates that are artworks in their own right
With their miniature artistry and enigmatic personal histories, these striking prints are often more enticing than the volumes they’re found in
Made You Look – a true crime doc that should terrify art collectors
The knavery and folly of the rarefied art world are writ large in a documentary that picks over the Knoedler forgery scandal
Bellotto: The Königstein Views Reunited
A chance to see all five of the Venetian’s dramatic depictions of a fortress outside Dresden – for the first time in more than 250 years
Leiko Ikemura: Usagi in Wonderland
In Norwich, a first solo show in the UK for the contemplative Japanese-Swiss artist with a playful streak
Paper Stories, Layered Dreams: The Art of Ekua Holmes
The MFA Boston presents the artist’s vivid book illustrations and colourful collages
Folkestone Triennial
The celebrated seaside sculpture trail returns to the coastal town in Kent
Remembering Sir Nicholas Goodison (1934–2021), the City grandee with a scholar’s eye for the decorative arts
Nicholas Goodison had a distinguished career in the City – but he will also be remembered for his scholarly and philanthropic contributions to the arts