Features
Weft dreams – the utopian tapestries of Archie Brennan
Archie Brennan was a committed craftsman with a fondness for optical illusions and a strong idealistic streak
The Iranian kings who thought the world revolved around them
As the last rulers of pre-Islamic Iran, the Sasanians crafted a grand courtly culture that would go on to influence kings from the Balkans to Bengal
‘Here are the contradictions of Glasgow laid bare, with love’ – in the footsteps of Joan Eardley
The painter’s tender portraits of slum life are being celebrated across Scotland in her centenary year
The eccentric English socialite who embraced Surrealism
Heir to a railway fortune and an 8,000-acre estate in West Sussex, Edward James transformed his homes into total works of art – with a little help from Dalí and friends
The lost paintings of Marietta Robusti are a maddening Renaissance mystery
Tintoretto’s daughter was a highly acclaimed artist in her own right, but there is frustratingly little to go on when it comes to identifying her paintings
Book keeping: the bookplates that are artworks in their own right
With their miniature artistry and enigmatic personal histories, these striking prints are often more enticing than the volumes they’re found in
Are digital artists waiting for the NFT bubble to burst?
Most of the fuss about NFTs has focused on what, if anything, buyers are getting – but how do digital artists feel about minting their art?
The jobbing artist who became Georgia’s national painter – thanks to his eye for a feast
Niko Pirosmani’s paintings are a testament to Georgian conviviality – although he didn’t always have a place at the table
The magazines that made America
The pages of US periodicals trumpet a country making it up as it went along, covering everything from prohibition to pulp fiction
What did city living look like in ancient Egypt?
The discovery of a 3,000-year old city at the West Bank of Luxor creates a more nuanced picture of ancient Egyptian life
With its return to Chelsea, Dia is having a New York moment
Dia Art Foundation’s support for ambitious experimental artists is as resolute as ever, its director Jessica Morgan tells Apollo
For the gondola builders of Venice, choppy waters lie ahead
Traditional boatyards and boat-building techniques have long been in decline – but the pandemic has only worsened the situation
The cantankerous criticism of Charles Baudelaire
On the bicentenary of the poet’s birth, his art criticism still hums with outrage
Wild things: the beasts of Francis Bacon
Francis Bacon’s work reveals an endless fascination with animals – and the bestial side of human nature
As a portrait sitter, Prince Philip was also a spirited sparring partner
In 2006, Jonathan Yeo painted Prince Philip’s portrait – an invigorating if at times nerve-wracking experience
Parks and recreation: how London grew its green spaces
The pandemic has highlighted the need for urban projects such as the Camden Highline – and London has a long history of transforming unloved sites into havens for city dwellers
Thoroughly modern murder: how Poirot came to personify art deco
Agatha Christie’s sleuth has been nowhere more at home than in ITV’s interwar locations – their clean lines the perfect match for the punctilious Poirot
Alice Neel, our contemporary
The painter’s urgent, sympathetic portraits of her fellow New Yorkers are exactly what we need in these troubled times
How Britain’s first prime minister became a sitting target for satirists
Robert Walpole was a supreme political operator – but his power and personal wealth made him a splendid butt of satire, too
In lockdown Paris, the photographs of Eugène Atget suddenly feel eerily familiar
Walking around the city can feel like following in the footsteps of the famous photographer – but today’s empty streets are altogether more depressing
By royal arrangement: Queen Mary’s compulsive collecting
Many British royals have been keen on acquiring works of art, but few have been as diligent about looking after them as Queen Mary
Seven cultural escapes if you’re stuck in the UK all summer
You’re not going abroad this summer – but you can still have a holiday with an artistic twist
The tomb of Rome’s first emperor at last reveals its secrets
The restored tomb of Augustus reopened this month – and an extensive new website gives a good sense of what has happened to it over the last two thousand years
Surface tension: the glamorous world of Noël Coward
The glittering displays of Noël Coward and chums masked an altogether less divine reality – but anxiety and fear were always part of the act
The many faces of Mary Magdalene