Budding prospects – a botanist’s guide to Elizabethan England
Jacques Le Moyne’s intricate depictions of flowers and herbs were a pioneering contribution to the field of botanical illustration
Dark material – the Pitt Rivers Museum in fiction
A cameo in the BBC’s His Dark Materials adaptation leads Rakewell to reflect on other fictional appearances of the museum over the years
Fruitful pastels – the colourful career of Rosalba Carriera
A new study examines the 18th-century artist’s pioneering use of pastel and her capacity for self-promotion
Pulpit masters – the best of Arts and Crafts churches
Two welcome volumes survey how the movement made its mark on religious buildings across the UK
A sale in Cologne turns the spotlight on Georges de La Tour
Only one of the artist’s celebrated night scenes remains in private hands – and it comes to auction at Lempertz in Cologne next month
Ship shapes – the nautical art of Alfred Wallis
Kettle’s Yard shows off its unrivalled collection of work by the mariner-turned-painter, for whom every boat had ‘a beautiful soul shaped like a fish’
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From street parties to state visits – around the world with Ed van der Elsken
The globe-trotting Dutch photographer was always on the lookout for a good picture – and took some 100,000 of them
Visual feasts – a collection of recipes by video artists
A new cookbook may inspire you to make Cullen skink with Douglas Gordon or Ming Wong’s congee with canned fish
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December 2020
• The Apollo Awards 2020
• David Garrick and the cult of Shakespeare
• A museum of wax models in Bologna
• Who protects heritage in space?
Plus: faking the Russian avant-garde in Cologne, reviews of Bruce Nauman at Tate Modern, a history of European porcelain and the works of Isidore Isou – and are the Old Masters more indispensable than ever?
Who is responsible for heritage in outer space?
A new international agreement outlines what counts as cultural property in space, how it should be protected and who should do the protecting
Chain reaction – the art of bicycle racing
The invention of the modern bicycle in 1885 led to a whirl of enthusiasm for racing these new machines – and artists were swept up in the craze
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Build your own Colosseum!
A 9,000-piece Lego model of the Colosseum has Rakewell pondering other models of the great amphitheatre – made out of cork, clay and cheese
‘The future is certainly in Africa’ – an interview with Simon Njami
The writer and curator discusses his latest project at Art Abu Dhabi and how the contemporary art scene in Africa has changed in recent years
Literary heroes are big business in Dublin – so why won’t the city protect its Joyce heritage?
The streets may be paved with commemorative plaques, but plans to convert 15 Usher’s Island into a hostel betray the city’s misplaced priorities
Stereo sound – echoes of the Pergamon Altar return to Turkey
A sound installation by the Istanbul-based artist Cevdet Erek draws on the complex history of the ancient monument
Showing his metal – the ingenious art of Robert Kobayashi
The artist made paintings and sculptures out of nailed-together strips of metal – and they’re transfixing
What’s left of Thomas Becket? – ‘The Book in the Cathedral’, reviewed
Christopher de Hamel argues that a book of psalms in a Cambridge library is the only surviving relic of the murdered archbishop
‘The Man Who Laughs’ is a cautionary tale about grinning and bearing it
The inspiration behind Batman’s Joker and many a monster movie, Paul Leni’s ‘The Man Who Laughs’ is a masterpiece of Expressionist cinema
The joyful art of Julio Le Parc
The Argentinian-born artist, now in his tenth decade, reflects on a life devoted to trying new things
Rosalind Nashashibi: An Overflow of Passion and Sentiment
The National Gallery’s first artist in residence presents works responding to the museum’s Spanish Golden Age paintings
Tracey Emin/Edvard Munch: The Loneliness of the Soul
Themes of loss and longing unite the Norwegian painter and the erstwhile YBA in this show at the Royal Academy
Lynette Yiadom-Boakye: Fly in League with the Night
Tate Britain hosts the first UK museum survey of the London-born artist’s jewel-hued paintings
Richard Hamilton: Respective
This exhibition at Pallant House considers the influence of international modernism upon the British Pop artist
Are the Old Masters more indispensable than ever?
Caroline Campbell and Michael Prodger consider the particular forms of escape that historic paintings can offer in uncertain times