Thomas Marks is an associate fellow of the Warburg Institute, London.

The Virgin and Child with the Infant St John , known as the Taddei Tondo (c. 1504–05), Michelangelo Buonarroti. Royal Academy of Arts, London.

‘Setting people against objects makes for a grim discussion’

Museums face difficult financial choices, but there has to be a better way forward than the pitting of staff against permanent collections

5 Oct 2020
The east wall of the Salone dei Mesi in Palazzo Schifanoia, Ferrara, showing March, April and May, painted by Francesco del Cossa in 1469–70.

A farewell to boredom – at Palazzo Schifanoia in Ferrara

The 14th-century pleasure palace has reopened after a two-year renovation – and its mysteries are as diverting as ever

25 Sep 2020
THE END (2020) by Heather Phillipson, installed on the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square, London. Photo: Tolga Akmen/AFP via Getty Images

Sugar high – the fine art of fast food

A super-sized dollop of whipped cream now tops the Fourth Plinth – and there’s plenty more where that came from

1 Sep 2020
Self-Portrait: An Unfinished Work (detail; 2011), Eric Fischl

Uncertainty principle – an interview with Eric Fischl

The American artist looks back at a career firmly dedicated to painting and the possibilities of figurative art

16 Aug 2020
Gabriele Finaldi, director of the National Gallery, London.

‘Art is important to the recovery of our country’ – an interview with Gabriele Finaldi

The director of the National Gallery on what visitors can expect when the museum reopens – and how, while it’s been closed, it has been rethinking its relationship with its audience

4 Jul 2020
Emilie Gordenker outside the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam on 1 June, when the museum reopened.

‘This is the moment to reach out to our Dutch public’ – Emilie Gordenker on the reopening of the Van Gogh Museum

The museum’s director talks about how the institution can best serve its audience in challenging times

8 Jun 2020
Lee Miller, photographed in Egypt in 1939 by Roland Penrose (detail).

Guests and gadgets – in the kitchen with Lee Miller

Lee Miller’s last great reinvention is also her least well known – as an accomplished and authoritative cook at her East Sussex farmhouse

1 Jun 2020
The fireplace in the Farleys Dining Room at Farleys House, Muddles Green, Sussex.

Homes from home – on house museums in lockdown

Transporting yourself to house museums is a consolation during lockdown – but they face a precarious future

29 May 2020
F.T. Marinetti (1876–1944).

Anti-pasta movement – on the Futurist Cookbook

F.T. Marinetti regarded macaroni-lovers as yesterday’s men. But are any of his radical recipes worth sampling?

14 May 2020
St Augustine's Church, Highbury.

In search of art during lockdown

We’ve all been visiting museums of the mind – but can also take in the art on our doorsteps

4 May 2020
Uffizi director Eike Schmidt in front of Botticelli’s Birth of Venus, at the reopening of the gallery’s room dedicated to the artist in 2016. Photo: Alberto Pizzoli/AFP/Getty Images

‘We are ready to open’ – the Uffizi Galleries prepare for life after lockdown

Uffizi director Eike Schmidt discusses plans to reopen the galleries as the Italian government eases lockdown regulations

30 Apr 2020

Free advertising for initiatives to support artists and arts organisations during the Covid-19 pandemic

Apollo is offering free digital advertising for campaigns to support artists or arts organisations during the Covid-19 pandemic

31 Mar 2020
A Lady Writing (detail; c. 1665), Johannes Vermeer. National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

Staying the distance – on museums and the art world in a time of crisis

We’ll need to find ways to be together while alone during the coming weeks and months

19 Mar 2020
The Grill Room (1876–81), John R.E. Watkins.

Food for thought – the art of the museum restaurant

From casual cafes to fine dining – the eating options at a museum can tell us a great deal about how it sees itself

27 Jan 2020
The Gamble Room at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

The ace caff that now leaves a bad taste – at the V&A Café

Henry Cole had the art of the museum cafe down to a tee. Oh for his veal cutlets!

27 Jan 2020
No.18 (1993/2019), Keith Coventry.

‘My work often has an element of humour – but it’s not particularly funny’ – an interview with Keith Coventry

The artist explains how his new lollipop-stick collages connect Pop art, Bauhaus, and ancient Athenian comedy

18 Nov 2019

A tour of Titania’s Palace

The fairy-tale doll’s house, now at Egeskov Castle in Denmark, still has the power to beguile with its miniature marvels and deceptions

13 Sep 2019

‘The boxer is the closest I can get to a superhero’ – an interview with Godfried Donkor

The British-Ghanaian artist discusses his fascination with historical images of boxers – and how he works them into contemporary paintings and collages

6 Sep 2019
Uffizi director Eike Schmidt in front of Botticelli’s Birth of Venus, at the reopening of the gallery’s room dedicated to the artist in 2016.

How have the Italian museum reforms fared?

In 2015, Dario Franceschini’s modernising project heralded a newly international outlook for the Italian museum system. Is it sustainable?

27 Aug 2019
Enrico David (b. 1966), photographed in his studio in Hackney, London, in January 2019.

‘I think of my sculptures as toys’ – an interview with Enrico David

The London-based artist discusses the darker side of play – and offers insight into his enigmatic sculptures

25 May 2019
Photo: © The Fitzwilliam Museum

In defence of the university museum

Headlines attacking UK universities for spending money on art are deeply misguided

23 Apr 2019
Portraits by Velázquez flanking Las Meninas (1656) in Room 12 of the museum, rehung in 2010

The Prado pulls out the stops for its 200th birthday

With its exceptional collection of Old Masters and rich history, the museum has plenty to celebrate

22 Apr 2019
The Venice Installation: The Last Room , showing texts from several series (detail; 1990), Jenny Holzer.

Adios to the monoglot museum

For all the limitations of translation, it’s good to see artists and museums trying to cross language barriers

2 Apr 2019
Self Portrait as the Apostle Paul (detail; 1661), Rembrandt van Rijn. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

The Year of Rembrandt at the Rijksmuseum

The museum’s director, Taco Dibbits, is making the most of the most comprehensive collection of Rembrandts in the world

25 Feb 2019