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The sad, shameful demise of the Whitechapel Bell Foundry
The appeal to save Britain’s oldest place of manufacture has been rejected and the foundry will become a boutique hotel. How could Historic England have let this happen?
No, you probably can’t sell your Basquiat as an NFT
If the cancelled sale of a Basquiat NFT is anything to go by, disputes about intellectual property will affect the course of the big NFT adventure
The disappearance of Joseph Beuys
The German artist’s greatest work was himself – so marking his centenary makes for a curatorial conundrum
Will a gladiator’s-eye view make visiting the Colosseum more spectacular?
Installing a floor in the Colosseum will make the ruin less familiar – but may help us understand the original experience of the building
How to cope with Stendhal syndrome when it strikes
The mysterious affliction usually only assails art buffs in Florence – but with many museums finally set to reopen, will visitors start dropping like flies?
The celebrity horse that’s putting Napoleon in the shade
Hanging a plastic skeleton of Napoleon’s favourite horse above his tomb may not be as wildly inappropriate as it seems
If Fleet Street isn’t safe from demolition, where in London is?
The City of London has approved its own plans to demolish eight historic buildings in the Fleet Street conservation area – so what real protection exists for the city’s heritage?
Is Modi out to destroy New Delhi?
The former imperial capital is due for another reinvention – but in shaking up the urban plan, the Indian government faces accusations that it is merely rebuilding the city in its own image
Can the London art market bounce back?
Are virtual viewings and diminished sales here to stay, or will the city’s galleries and auction houses see high footfall return?
How to behave in a commercial gallery, if you’ve never dared set foot in one
They may have intimidated you in the past – but you’ll have to wise up to the ways of commercial galleries if you want to see any art in the UK this month
In Egypt, a motorcade of mummies says more about the modern nation than the ancient past
The recent move of the royal mummies in Cairo was a made-for-TV extravaganza
Will the ‘festival of Brexit’ prove a tonic for the nation, after all?
The government’s plan for a grand national jolly has been widely lampooned – but perhaps it’s just what we need
MacKenzie Scott has given away billions with no strings attached – and it’s time arts donors followed suit
Too often arts patrons hinder the organisations they set out to help by imposing conditions on their gifts
It’s time museum leaders stopped talking to themselves – and started listening instead
They’re eager to express their support for social justice – but without listening more attentively, museum directors will never make good on their rhetoric
Is this what Shakespeare really looked like?
A dumpy effigy in a church in Stratford-upon-Avon has been mocked for centuries, but new research claims it’s the most accurate likeness of the playwright there is
Why was Mexico so determined to stop a sale of ancient artefacts in Paris?
Laying claim to its archaeological heritage is central to Mexico’s identity as a modern nation
Art really does work on the radio – especially if it’s cast as true crime
A new series on BBC Radio 3 delves into the notorious life of Benvenuto Cellini – and it’s a binge-worthy Renaissance thriller, Christina Faraday writes
For the future of scholarship, the National Art Library must be protected
The V&A says it’s protecting the jobs of librarians (for now), but the fate of the greatest art library in the UK remains uncertain
Remembering Christopher Monkhouse (1947–2021), a renowned curator for whom collecting was a way of life
Christopher Monkhouse transformed the decorative arts holdings at major museums in Providence, Minneapolis and Chicago, and built his own remarkable collections of books and drawings – and friends
Anti-vaxxers have been around for centuries – and artists have always been on hand to debunk their claims
There’s a healthy tradition of art to challenge vaccine sceptics – from satirical cartoons to contemporary sculptures
In defence of the Stonehenge road tunnel
Plans to sink a dual carriageway beneath Stonehenge have been heavily criticised – but the tunnel will improve our experience of the site, writes Timothy Darvill
Has the UK government abandoned the arts?
Former arts minister Ed Vaizey and leading culture writer Charlotte Higgins on whether the government should be doing more for the hard-hit arts sector
Bye, Robot: a farewell to Daft Punk
Daft Punk weren’t always robots – but it’s how they’ll be remembered
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Would medieval Christians have blushed at a giant chalk erection?
Even if the Cerne Abbas giant is Anglo-Saxon, that doesn’t make it pagan – after all, Christians were no prudes in those days