Reviews
Top drawers – a brief history of sketching through the ages
Spanning several continents and 13,000 years of graphic art, Susan Owens’s new book outlines the many reasons why artists have always been drawn to drawing
The society painter who wanted to reshape Irish art
Sarah Purser’s reputation faded after her death, but an exhibition at the Hugh Lane in Dublin is putting her back in the frame
Were the Impressionists really so shocking?
Sculptures and their natural surroundings can shape each other in subtle and sometimes visually stunning ways, as these four artworks demonstrate
The bohemians who trained a generation of British artists
The BT Tower floats above the city, a reminder of 1960s optimism and a faith in technology that is in short supply today
Mark Bradford keeps on testing the limits of painting
Born 100 years ago this month, the critic exerted an outsize influence on artists and tastemakers alike – and he still has much to teach us
When the Cold War gave Scotland the chills
Despite what is widely regarded as a lucky escape in July’s elections, further challenges may well lie on the horizon
The unconventional wisdom of Eileen Agar
The British Surrealist’s colourful account of a long and eventful career is back in print, and her deep commitment to her work couldn’t be clearer
When London’s sleepy art trade suddenly woke up
These versatile makers – one of the most influential couples of the 20th-century art world – are the subject of a major retrospective in Brussels
How printmaking made a lasting impression
The importance of colour to Mesoamerican art and society is the subject of this show, which includes ancient objects as well as work by contemporary Indigenous colourists
Lina Iris Viktor strikes gold at the Soane Museum
The artist has made a series of works that stand up to the space – and are attention-grabbing in their own right
Paula Modersohn-Becker’s quest to become her own person
The German painter died tragically young, but in the course of her short life she became the artist she always wanted to be
The intensely felt art of Elisabeth Frink
From her early associations with the ‘Geometry of Fear’ school of sculpture, Frink went on to evoke any number of emotions
The fragile business of French art
In 18th-century France, an emerging consumer society created a new kind of buyer and encouraged artists to look to the short-term
The shape-shifting art of Adam Bruce Thomson
The Scottish painter’s openness to developments in modern art led him to adopt a remarkable number of styles in the course of a long career
When Francis Bacon made furniture
The artist did his best to destroy any traces of his work as a designer, but the little that survives offers new perspectives on his art
How to live life on thin ice
From pastime to political posturing, ice hockey has always brought out the risk-taking spirit of the Czechs
The private press that wrote a new chapter in book design
By combining Gothic typefaces with avant-garde illustrations, the little-known Rampant Lions Press broke new ground for publishing in the 20th century
Julie Rrap reckons with the passage of time
The Australian artist who has questioned the representation of women for decades now takes a playful and pointed look at her younger and older selves
A potted history of English eccentricity
From satirical chamber pots to cat-shaped jugs, Henry Willett’s collection of popular ceramics display wit, horror and anti-French sentiment – sometimes all at once
Statues with limitations – the monumental art of Tavares Strachan
The Bahamian-born artist works in many different media, but his larger-than-life monuments to historic figures can feel oddly one-dimensional at times
The architects who have dreamt of impossible buildings
Aaron Betsky’s account of the wildest visions architecture has to offer is full of buildings that haunt the structures of the real world
Gardening with the Bloomsbury Group
Outdoor activities offered Bloomsbury’s women welcome respite from their indoor pursuits
‘Burningly cerebral and slightly mad’ – André Masson at the Pompidou-Metz, reviewed
As a rare exhibition of his work demonstrates, the French Surrealist’s art took a series of very intense twists and turns
How Turner made heavy weather of a changing world
An exhibition of the artist’s depictions of fires, floods and natural disasters draws parallels between the extremities of an earlier age and the current climate crisis
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The many faces of Mary Magdalene