Features
The long and bloody history of Smithfield Market
The recent decision to close the meat market for good marks the end of a certain idea of the City of London and perhaps even Britain’s sense of itself
‘Somehow they seem more naked than if they were disrobed’ – John Banville on a late work by Rubens
Rubens’s technical skill and attention to detail give The Garden of Love its heightened sense of erotic potential
A fitting tribute to Dior
An imaginative exhibition in The Hague stresses how much the fashion house still owes to its founder
The wild imagination of Maurice Sendak
The true gift of the author of ‘Where the Wild Things Are’ was to see the world like a child and blur the line between dreams and reality
Heralding Mouton Rothschild’s entry into the modern age
As the chateau unveils its latest wine label, Gérarde Garouste is inspired by a key figure in its recent past
In Turin, the world’s oldest Egyptian museum turns 200
Museums devoted solely to Egyptian antiquities are rare and Turin’s also tells the story of Italy’s long and complex relationship with the land of the pharaohs
Plate expectations – a brief history of artist-designed crockery
Picasso, Lichtenstein, Emin and others have all designed plates, but treating them only as art objects ruins the fun
Tirzah Garwood in her own words
As a large exhibition of her work opens in London, this modern British artist’s autobiography makes for a colourful companion piece
The ancient art of winemaking in Tunisia
From ancient Roman mosaics to modern vineyards, the country has a rich history of winemaking
What do museums really think about climate protests?
The targeting of well-known artworks for shock value puts institutions in a bind. Should they engage with the protestors, or are they turning away from the issues being raised?
Rachel Ruysch says it with flowers
The Dutch artist’s floral paintings might look merely decorative but, as curator Bernd Ebert explains, they encapsulate a world of economic and scientific change in the early modern Netherlands
The wizard of a painter who created the world of Oz
As the creator of the backdrops for some of the most beloved Hollywood films, George Gibson has a claim to being one of the most influential artists of his time
The man with the fantastic light machines
In designing his eccentric inventions, the mid-century artist Thomas Wilfred created a whole new genre of art, the influence of which can still be felt today
Acquisitions of the month: October 2024
A massive bequest of Old Masters and a huge painting of a procession of giants are among the most important works to have entered museum collections recently
At the world’s northernmost medieval cathedral, religious art takes an agnostic turn
A collage series by Håkon Bleken in Nidaros Cathedral meditates on Christian imagery as well as the traumas of Norwegian history
‘As an image of victimhood, Cat in a Crate beats many a crucifixion’
Lucy Ellmann is troubled by an eerily realistic 19th-century painting of a cat behind bars
A new look for Japanese art at the MFA Boston
The museum holds the world’s largest collection of Japanese art outside Japan itself – and now has suitably meditative spaces to match
How Oxford became a pale shade of its former self
The replacement of Boswell’s department store with a luxury hotel is part of a beautification process that has gathered pace in recent years
When it comes to pudding or dessert, what’s in a name?
The language we use to describe the sweet course at the end of a meal is more revealing than we think
The plane crash that made it into a museum
Christian Boltanski’s installation at the Museo per la Memoria di Ustica is a stark tribute to the victims of an unsolved tragedy
The city of Linz is all about the future – but that wasn’t always the case
Given Hitler’s unrealised plans for a museum of looted art in Linz, the futuristic Ars Electronica festival is a triumph for the city, but there’s no room for complacence
How to be buried in style in ancient China
Ching-Ling Wang of the Rijkmuseum explains what we do and don’t know about a bronze Han-dynasty horse and its rider made as a burial offering
Inside the mysteries of Van Cleef and Arpels
The jeweller generally reveals precious little about its process, but Apollo gains access to the site in Paris where the magic happens
The French vineyard turning winemaking into a cottage industry
Château Smith Haut Lafitte is a vineyard sprinkled with the sensibility of an English country garden
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Pilgrims’ progress? The Vatican Jubilee has frustrated Romans and tourists alike