Jonathan McAloon has written for the Spectator, the New Statesman, the TLS and the London magazine. He tweets at @jonniemcaloon

Michelangelo's David at the Galleria dell'Accademia in Florence. Still from Great Art (dir. David Bickerstaff)

ITV’s ‘Great Art’ brings art broadcasting back to basics

Episodes on Michelangelo, Canaletto and the Impressionists make the case for a simple approach to art on telly

23 Jan 2018

The power and personality of Prince

An exhibition at the O2 in London is as carefully stage managed as anything Prince put on during his lifetime

4 Dec 2017
Vincent (Robert Gulaczyk).

A moving picture of Vincent van Gogh

The new film ‘Loving Vincent’ has its mawkish moments, but its oil-painted imagery sets it apart

20 Oct 2017
Paula Rego in the studio with the Flying Mermaids. © Nick Willing

Paula Rego shares her secrets with her son

The artist discusses love, depression, abortion and infidelity in a new documentary directed by her son

28 Mar 2017
Taureau (2003), Alfred Basbous. Courtesy the artist and Sophia Contemporary Gallery

Celebrating Alfred Basbous, the artist who breathed life into Lebanese sculpture

Alfred Basbous was inspired by European modernists, but also tapped into an ancient and timeless sculptural tradition

7 Mar 2017
Andrew Graham-Dixon in front of ‘Napoleon 1 on his Imperial Throne’, by Ingres at the Musée de l’Armée, Paris. From the BBC's 'The Art of France'. © BBC

We need more TV shows like the BBC’s ‘Art of France’

Andrew Graham-Dixon’s new show ranges from Islamic influence on French architecture to narcissistic nationalism – and we haven’t even got to Napoleon yet

31 Jan 2017
1984 (1984), Cho Yong-Ik.

A strong showing of South Korean art in London

It’s high time Koo Jeong-A and Cho Yong-Ik were better known in the UK. Thankfully, both currently have exhibitions in the capital

11 Nov 2016
Gazing Ball (Tintoretto The Origin of the Milky Way) (2016), Jeff Koons.

Has Jeff Koons earned his place in art history?

With his Gazing Balls, Koons has created a body of work that appeals to the brain as well as the eyes

12 Oct 2016

Has Jeremy Paxman made the most sensational Van Gogh documentary ever?

The presenter’s hunt for Van Gogh’s missing ear has been packaged like a thriller

7 Aug 2016

Does Renoir really suck at painting?

The Impressionist has had a hard time of things recently. Will a new film win round the haters?

2 Mar 2016

Has the BBC made art boring?

If anything, the corporation should be taken to task for its desperate bid for accessibility

17 Feb 2016

The Missing Mona Lisa

Has Andrew Graham-Dixon uncovered the secrets of art history’s most enigmatic woman?

10 Dec 2015

‘Is Pottery Better than Sex?’ The Great Pottery Throw Down Begins

The BBC is sexing up ceramics in Stoke-On-Trent

4 Nov 2015

Powerful Storytelling: ‘The Face of Britain by Simon Schama’ on BBC2 Reviewed

Schama’s delivery saves the first episode from homely tackiness

1 Oct 2015

Bringing back ‘The Bolt’: designs for Shostakovich’s ballet on show at GRAD

Shostakovich’s 1931 ballet was pulled from Russian theatres after just one performance; now, a show in London tried to bring it back

7 Jan 2015

Art, or Play? Breaker’s Yard at Sutton House

Daniel Lobb’s installation for children is a nice idea, but what’s it actually for? And can you eat it?

11 Sep 2014

Review: ‘Veronese’ at the National Gallery, London

The really magnificent thing about Veronese is his eye for incidental detail

28 Apr 2014

What should replace the Church of Francesco Vezzoli at MoMA PS1?

Francesco Vezzoli’s plans to rebuild a 19th-century Calabrese church at New York’s MoMA PS1 have been abandoned

5 Apr 2014

Packing Up: MoMA’s plans for the Folk Museum’s façade

Looking at the two museums side by side – which one do you think looks more radical?

14 Feb 2014

Lost Gold

The exhibits at ‘Beyond El Dorado’ are compelling not only for the myths associated with them, but for their idiosyncratic human appeal

14 Nov 2013

So Much Munch

The Munch Museum and National Museum in Oslo recently joined forces to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Munch’s birth

22 Oct 2013