Rakewell

American Red Cross workers hollowing out pumpkins in preparation for a Halloween Dance at Cheltenham Town Hall in 1944.

A bumper crop of arty pumpkins for Halloween

From ancient carvings to contemporary sculpture – a festive harvest of pumpkins in art

30 Oct 2019
Debbie Harry in 1978.

Art of glass – the many faces of Debbie Harry

The Blondie singer made her mark on the New York art scene, as her memoir reveals

25 Oct 2019
Detail of the portrait unveiled at Birmingham Oratory in 2019.

The saintly sight of Cardinal Newman

Rakewell digs out some portraits of John Henry Newman, the first British person to be canonised for nearly 50 years

18 Oct 2019

Cumberbatch the cat artist brings London to a standstill (sort of)

You’ve heard about the Extinction Rebellion protests… but a 19th-century cat artist is also doing his bit to bring London to a standstill

9 Oct 2019
Congo with Desmond Morris in 1957.

Your chance to own a painting by Congo the chimpanzee

Picasso and Miró were fans – now the gifted simian is getting a solo show in London. Plus other arty animals

7 Oct 2019
The museum formerly named the Gemeentemuseum Den Haag. Photo: GAPS

How the museum changed its name

What’s in a new name? For museums it can mean an expensive rebrand that doesn’t stop anyone using the old moniker

4 Oct 2019

‘X discovered under X’ – the archaeologist’s dream?

A Roman fort has been discovered under a bus station in Exeter… and it’s the stuff that headlines are made of, says Rakewell

27 Sep 2019

Travels with Thomas Cook – in 1855

The first overseas tour organised by Thomas Cook took in the International Exhibition in Paris

26 Sep 2019

The quiz wizards of the Courtauld

At last – a Courtauld University Challenge team to be reckoned with

18 Sep 2019

Make your own Smithsonian at home

The all-American interior, of sorts, courtesy of the Smithsonian and a 3D printer

13 Sep 2019

Baby Graysons are taking over Britain (sort of)

For the first time, Grayson is one of the 100 most popular names for baby boys in England and Wales…

2 Sep 2019

A portrait of the artist as Ben Stokes

The Ashes hero bears an uncanny resemblance to Vincent van Gogh – long live the art of cricket!

27 Aug 2019

Donald Trump, the statesman as artist?

Trump-trumpeting painter Jon McNaughton has unveiled his latest masterpiece, and Twitter hasn’t held back

21 Aug 2019

Succession – TV tyranny with a few choice paintings

The Roy family have filched some top pictures from French museums. Or perhaps HBO just gave them some high-quality reproductions

21 Aug 2019
Mushroom installation at V&A

Fungal culture – from Borough Market to ancient Egypt

Museum-grown mushrooms come to market in London – while in Boston, Egyptian artefacts have been harvested for ancient yeast

12 Aug 2019
The Dust That Turns in Sunbeams (2019), John Squire.

Second coming – a Stone Roses guitarist turns to painting

John Squire has had a second coming, of sorts – his oil paintings will go on show next month at Newport Street Gallery

9 Aug 2019

The titanic Tina Turner that’s heading for Margate

A vast inflatable sculpture of Tina Turner’s head is about to be installed in Margate. Want to know why?

2 Aug 2019

Mick Jagger heads up an art heist

The Rolling Stones frontman is returning to cinema screens as a crooked collector – and he has the art-world credentials for the role

25 Jul 2019

Bart Simpson in the museum

The Simpsons has often embraced the visual arts – and now a museum in Washington State is repaying the favour

25 Jul 2019
Great White Pelican (Pelecanus onocrotalus), by Edward Lear, from 'The Birds of Europe', by John Gould.

In praise of pelicans

From Renaissance sundials to Edward Lear’s nonsense verse, the pelican can hold its own in art

20 Jul 2019
The Mona Lisa in its temporary home in the Galerie Médicis (Room 801).

The Mona Lisa takes a summer holiday – and puts Rubens in the shade

The Leonardo has a new temporary home in the Louvre – and now has its tanks on Rubens’ lawn

19 Jul 2019

A new pedigree of curators hits London

A dog show with a difference has opened in London – this one is curated by the dogs

12 Jul 2019

Sell me more, sell me more… Olivia Newton-John memorabilia heads to auction

The lots that she’s supplying… are electrifying!

5 Jul 2019
Footage of a man claiming to be Banksy from a news report in 2003; © ITN

A long-lost Banksy statement?

Is the man in a short TV report from 2003 the graffiti artist? You have 35 seconds to help you decide

5 Jul 2019