Features
Chiharu Shiota weaves her magic for Mouton Rothschild
The Japanese artist is the latest to take on the prestigious commission to design the vineyard’s label, it was announced today
The rise of the Renaissance woman
The flurry of exhibitions focusing on women artists is very welcome – as long as they avoid reinforcing tired old narratives
The best wines of 2023
Apollo’s wine columnist tasted many excellent wines this year, but half a dozen were outstanding
The arrested adolescence of Mike Kelley
The artist found freedom in a form of DIY making that teeters on the edge of self-indulgence
The city of Nantes has really pushed out the boat for culture
Ambitious arts programming has transformed the fortunes of the French city since it experienced tough times in the 1980s
The London museum that is putting on its war paint
The new art, film and photography galleries at the Imperial War Museum contain many welcome surprises
Acquisitions of the Month: October 2023
A conversation portrait by Johann Zoffany and a marble sculpture by Giovanni Bandini are among the most significant works to enter public collections
Extended reality may still be in its infancy – but it’s certainly growing up fast
The use of virtual, augmented and mixed technology in film-making hasn’t produced a masterpiece yet, but it’s only a matter of time
Around the galleries – ambitions are high at Asian Art in London
The return of the event shows that the capital remains a global hub for the market
Taking Philip Guston on his own terms
Hettie Judah stops her ears to the endless chatter to find a painter whose work is full of flaws and self-doubt – and all the better for it
The Venetian family that brought glass-making into the modern age
The founders of the firm Nason Moretti revolutionised the making of glass without compromising on its quality
‘Ideas about nation, territory and identity are thrown into disarray’
At the Steirischer Herbst festival in Graz, the spectre of nationalism and anxiety about borders haunted this year’s programme
Is Uzbekistan poised to become a major cultural player?
The country is keen to rebrand by promoting its art and architecture – and the modernist buildings of its capital Tashkent are part of the plan
Unscrolling China’s historic urban fabric
A 30m-long painting presents the Kiangxi Emperor touring southern China, says Clarissa von Spee of the Cleveland Museum of Art
Grapes of froth – making the thinking man’s ‘champagne’
A vineyard-meets-sculpture park in Franciacorta makes wine truly a multisensory affair
Money matters – the problem museums have with philanthropy
As museums face rising costs and lower grants, fundraising is more important than ever – but they have to be very careful where the money comes from
Is Denmark Street really London’s Tin Pan Alley?
Once famous as the home of music publishers and recording studios, Denmark Street has adapted to a changing city but never lost its soul
Crowning glories – a new home for the Spanish royal collection
After 17 years of construction, the Gallery of the Royal Collections in Madrid is open at last – and ready to tell a triumphalist tale
How Frans Hals made up for his slow start
The painter was no prodigy but, as Bart Cornelis of the National Gallery in London tells Apollo, he was soon making up for lost time with his bold brushwork
Acquisitions of the Month: September 2023
A Regency torchère and a recently rediscovered work by Francisco de Zurbarán are among the most remarkable works to enter public collections
In Edinburgh, the National Gallery now gives Scottish art the space it deserves
The opening of a whole new suite of galleries means that Scottish artists now have the same status as the museum’s Old Masters
Studying abroad: what Mark Rothko learned in Europe
The painter was often forthright in his rejection of the old world – but it’s time to reconsider his European influences
Soul mates – the story of Yusuf and Zuleikha
Sameer Rahim is impressed by a 16th-century Iranian manuscript illustrating a Sufi poem of seduction and spiritualism
Brave new world – how Glenn Spiro breathes new life into old materials
The London-based jewellery artist uses antique forms to challenge received notions of preciousness
How artists respond to disaster