Rakewell
Can the British Museum learn from The Lord of the Rings?
Given J.R.R. Tolkien’s apparent attitude to cultural property, the British Museum made an interesting venue for ‘The Rings of Power’ launch party
Why are climate activists in an Old Masters frame of mind?
It is impossible not to be glued to the ongoing protests of environmental activists in the world’s leading museums
Is Keanu Reeves about to become the architect of his own destiny?
May the actor’s upcoming role as the successful Chicago architect Daniel H. Burnham be more promising than his previous skirmishes with the profession
Will the Groucho Club become the art world’s watering hole?
Does Hauser & Wirth’s purchase of a favourite haunt of the YBAs spell the end of an altogether more riotous era?
Who will stand up for Antony Gormley’s art?
The students at Imperial College London are objecting to the sculptor’s ‘phallic’ new sculpture, proving that an outsize reputation isn’t everything
Beyoncé remixes the Renaissance
The pop star’s latest album contains fewer treats for art-history buffs than its title promises – but Rakewell is too busy dancing to care
Welcome to Britain, where the wild bison now roam
Bringing the European bison to Kent is intended to do wonders for the woodland, but Rakewell can’t help wondering if art needs rewilding too
A summer of madness on the Spanish Steps
First a man in a Maserati, then the hurling of a scooter – and now a spat between fashion houses. What on earth has got into everyone?
What really went on inside Number 10
In the light of Boris Johnson’s resignation, Rakewell examines a leaked invoice supposedly detailing the exquisite interiors of Number 10
NATO’s night out at the Prado
Leaders of the alliance’s member countries have a lot on their minds at the moment, but there was still time to look pensive in front of Old Master paintings at this week’s summit
Striking resemblances – the puppets with a surprisingly political side
Recent industrial action by railworkers in the United Kingdom has got Rakewell thinking about the difference between men and marionettes
How will the art world cope without BTS?
Rakewell despairs at the recent announcement that K-pop sensation BTS are taking a hiatus. Is this really the end?
Trash talk – the antagonising antics of Antony Gormley
Rakewell wonders whether Apollo readers can corroborate the recent and rather bewildering claim that the British sculptor has been stealing his neighbour’s bins
Fit for a queen? The quirkiest Jubilee tributes
As the country prepares for a blowout, Rakewell takes a look at some of the more peculiar ways in which people are marking the occasion
The crème de la crème of bungled art attacks
The Mona Lisa has been smeared with cream cake in an inscrutable act of climate protest
Has Bob Dylan got a bit too close to the Bone?
Rakewell raises an eyebrow at the musician’s latest three-way collaboration with producer T Bone Burnett and Christie’s
Are all the V&A’s chickens coming home to roost?
Rakewell laments what has been a rather dismal week for the Grande Dame of South Kensington, involving the UK government and a Russian-owned Fabergé egg
Immaterial girl – Madonna enters the metaverse
Madonna was once NSFW. Now, thanks to Beeple, she has turned herself into an NFT
Roy Keane’s long road to respectability
The winning entry in the inaugural Football Art Prize depicts Roy Keane in sombre mood, but Rakewell still treasures the player-turned-pundit’s more devilish side
A question for Viola Davis: what is the world without critics?
Following Viola Davis’ recent claim that critics serve no purpose, Rakewell asks the actor to reconsider their role as champions of the overlooked
Peacockery – the male artists vying for attention at the Venice Biennale
Rakewell finds that Cecilia Alemani’s focus on women artists at the Venice Biennale is ruffling a few feathers among the males of the species
The long shadow of the long sword
After recent revelations about the inspirations behind ‘The Northman’, Rakewell regards its director Robert Eggers as a man of refined sensibilities
The most important art collector on TV
Rakewell marvels at HBO’s surprisingly true-to-life portrayal of the obsessive art collector in pursuit of a Jean Royère pepper shaker
The art historian who became a Viking
Rakewell applauds Ghislaine Wood, deputy of director of the Sainsbury Centre and now the proud Godmother of a Viking longship
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It’s time for the government of London to return to its rightful home