Features

Why do paintings and objects from the Tudor and Stuart periods have so much to say for themselves?

An art trail at Wembley Park won’t change the behaviour of football fans – but the best works here are at least sensitive to their surroundings

One of the world’s greatest collections of medieval manuscripts now has state-of-the-art accommodation, writes Michael Prodger

At the Palazzo Grimani, more classical sculptures can now be seen in the splendid rooms in which they were once displayed

Sitting on the steps is now forbidden – but for centuries, the monumental staircase has been one of Rome’s most theatrical attractions

A troupe of nimble-footed technicians has been drafted in to restore monuments up and down the country – without a scaffold in sight

The early Olympic games of the modern era set out to celebrate both ‘muscle and mind’ – which meant that artists were in the mix for medals

The former stock exchange building in Paris has been filled with blue-chip art from the French billionaire’s collection

Sport nowhere for most of last year – and now sport everywhere. But there is some passable sport art out there, we promise…

It’s the aquatic cousin to metal detecting – and an increasing number of devotees are casting off into rivers and canals in search of trash and treasure

Every 18 year old in France has been given €300 to spend on culture

Museums might be better at bringing the contents of grand historic piles to life than the houses themselves

The British artist’s scope and influence have long been neglected – but at the centenary of his birth, will a pair of exhibitions turn the tide?

Works produced in prison by the artist Fatos Irwen speak to the increasingly repressive climate for Kurds in Turkey

The visual arts have often toyed with odours and smells, however challenging they are to represent

The much-loved author cut his teeth on illustrations for medical ad campaigns – which proved ideal training for the world of children’s books

Modern masters from Joseph Cornell to Paul Klee have produced works expressly for children, writes Ben Street – but perhaps all great art is a type of child’s play?

The Palazzo Vendramin Grimani has opened with a display that reunites some of the paintings it was once home to – plus a helping of contemporary art

An early commission by the painter for a public theatre in Rijeka is the subject of a major display in the city this summer

Toys aren’t just for children, at least if a 250-year-old musical elephant at the grandest house in Buckinghamshire is anything to go by