Features
Touching distance – the fine art of keeping apart
The encounter between Mary Magdalene and the risen Christ has challenged the artists who have chosen to represent it
Acquisitions of the Month: June 2020
Five decades of drawings by Giuseppe Penone and a dazzling drunkard by Joaquin Sorolla are among this month’s highlights
The Jewish collectors who gave important early gifts to the V&A
The role of leading Anglo-Jewish figures in the development of the fledgling museum deserves to be better known
The Hagia Sophia takes centre stage in the battle over Turkey’s past
The contested building was recently, for the first time, the site of the annual celebration of the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople
Boozing, bear-baiting and treading the boards – the history of London’s first playhouse
The remains of the Red Lion, recently unearthed in Whitechapel, show us a dress rehearsal for the great Elizabethan theatres
Best of fiends – the monsters of Léopold Chauveau
These modern monsters may look lonely, but they’re familiar figures – descendants of the Parisian beasts of Viollet-le-Duc and Charles Meryon
The destruction of Indigenous Australian sites cannot be allowed to continue
Recent mining blasts at a sacred site in Western Australia have fired up protestors
Peruvian artists address the Covid crisis in the Amazon
A project to raise funds for Amazonian communities also raises questions about the status of indigenous people in Peru
In memory of Michael Hall, a committed connoisseur and an unforgettable character
The collector, dealer and erstwhile actor had a remarkable eye for discovering works of art, often in the unlikeliest of places
Absentee party – the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston turns 150
As the museum passes an important milestone with its doors shut, Glenn Adamson considers what its collection has meant to him over the years
Flies, flowers and trompe l’œil – the art of trickery
A small painting by Carlo Crivelli prompts reflection on artworks that set out to tease the viewer
Points of contact – a short history of door handles
Door handles can be the first and only part of a building we touch, but their design is all too often an afterthought
Acquisitions of the Month: May 2020
A masterful pastel by Liotard and more than 100 scenes of New York are among this month’s highlights
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
‘Boccaccio and the Black Death have been doing the rounds’
The Decameron is but one of the historical touchstones that commentators have turned to during the health crisis. But do they really help us orientate ourselves?
Keeping it real – neorealism in the Netherlands
Museum MORE has done a great deal to invigorate a genre once seen as hopelessly old-fashioned
The sophisticated still lifes of Giovanna Garzoni
The painter’s painstakingly precise botanical illustrations were highly sought after in the 17th century
Flights of fancy – the artists who captured Barnard Castle
The 12th-century castle and surrounding town, located some 250 miles from London, have long attracted visually attentive visitors
‘For her, painting was the holy grail’ – on Susan Rothenberg (1945–2020)
A tribute to the American artist, whose haunting canvases ushered in a new wave of expressionism in painting
Texas star – at the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston
The museum, which boasts one of the leading encyclopaedic collections in the US, has reopened – months ahead of unveiling a major expansion
How will museums bring us close to art in an era of social distancing?
As museums around the world prepare to reopen, many do so with a renewed sense of purpose
Show time – Art UK launches its new ‘Curations’ tool
The online platform is inviting anyone, anywhere, to create their own digital exhibitions
Pride of place – the Musée Ingres Bourdelle honours Montauban’s two most famous artistic sons
The museum in the south of France has spruced up its galleries dedicated to Ingres and now has an entire floor of sculptures by Bourdelle
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?
The many faces of Mary Magdalene