Reviews
Private eyes – the lives and loves of queer modern artists in New York
A new book of erotica and personal materials gives us an entrée to a circle of mid-century bohemians
That’s the spirit – how the Romans imagined the dead
The various ways in which the ancient Romans depicted figures from the afterlife tell us much about contemporary preoccupations
How do you solve a problem like Andy Warhol?
Blake Gopnik’s new biography sets out to solve the puzzle of a man who saw his life as an extension of his art
Border crossings – Vida Americana at the Whitney, reviewed
This important survey clearly shows how deeply modern art in the US was indebted to the Mexican muralists
Renaissance remixed – a surreal video game takes a sideways look at art history
Could a Pythonesque computer game set a good example for galleries trying to attract virtual visitors?
Terra nova – Renaissance terracottas in Padua, reviewed
This groundbreaking exhibition charts the flourishing of the medium in the Veneto – from Donatello to lesser-known masters
‘Philip Guston’s life traced that of modern art itself’
A new biography by Robert Storr offers a comprehensive yet personal account of the artist’s complex career
Grayson Perry becomes the nation’s art teacher
The artist’s encouraging approach shows a nation in lockdown that technique isn’t everything
Programme notes – Museums in Quarantine on BBC4, reviewed
Alistair Sooke and Simon Schama take on tour-guide duties in a series of new 30-minute films. But how satisfying can the Tate on the telly really be?
Call to attention – Glasgow International goes online
The festival has put together a digital programme that invites close and contemplative attention
A cut above – the singular style of Reynolds Stone
The designer may not be a household name, but his work is still instantly recognisable – from passports and magazines to banknotes and bookplates
Local colour – what the Renaissance looked like beyond Venice, Florence and Rome
A new study focuses on the painters working outside the main artistic centres of Italy
Dual purpose – passion and reason in the art of Nicolas Poussin
A new study emphasises the marriage of thought and feeling in the painter’s work
Spiders and soaring sculptures – Tomás Saraceno in Florence
An exhibition at Palazzo Strozzi positions the wildly ambitious artist as a Renaissance man for our times
Material benefits – ‘Picasso and Paper’, reviewed
The pleasure Picasso took in paper as a medium was palpable in the Royal Academy’s recent show
Minimal effort – ‘The Longing for Less’ by Kyle Chayka, reviewed
This hard-to-classify book brings together Donald Judd, Japanese aesthetics, and the aspirations of contemporary lifestyle bloggers
How artists in Kyoto made contemplative work in turbulent times
The Met’s display of 14 centuries of work from the longtime artistic centre of Japan gives plenty of pause for thought
Freedom of expression – Jerry Saltz’s ‘How to be an Artist’, reviewed
The critic’s guide to creative living is full of joy – but how far can you get by following someone else’s rules?
The forgotten landscapes of Edward Hopper
The great painter of urban solitude was also a dab hand at empty expanses – from dunes and forests to the open road
Sex and the city – William N. Copley in New York
The American artist fused Surrealism and Pop to create an eccentric – and highly erotic – style that was all his own
Russian spark – the palace builders of St Petersburg
A ritzy new book brings to life the eclectic tastes and unbridled opulence of aristocratic families in late imperial Russia
‘Thomas McKeller was singular among Sargent’s pantheon of models’
What did it mean for a wildly successful artist to paint a black elevator operator in stuffy Boston society?
Solitary refinement – the uncanny art of Léon Spilliaert
The Belgian Symbolist is at his spookiest and most original when he depicts reality
A visual journey through the Amazon rainforest
Displaced from his home in the Colombian Amazon, Abel Rodríguez draws on his memories to document its flora and fauna
The many faces of Mary Magdalene