Joseph Banks’ plant specimens from Captain Cook's first voyage are still of the greatest scientific importance
A new site-specific work at the Whitechapel reminds us of overlooked women artists
The Barbican survey's biographical focus detracts from the fervent energy of the paintings themselves
A new biography of physician-collector Hans Sloane portrays a flawed yet fascinating man
How a seven-hour performance of only ten lyrical lines entranced its audience at the London Contemporary Music Festival
A convincing case is made for the Italian artist's ambitions, and the need to bring a wider audience to his work
Considering the artist’s writing gives us invaluable new ways in which to see his painting
An exhibition at the O2 in London is as carefully stage managed as anything Prince put on during his lifetime
The stylish New York salonnière makes her Canadian debut in this enjoyable survey of her paintings
On its 700th anniversary, Sufi treatise 'The Garden of Mystery' continues to inspire today's Iranian artists
An exhibition in Glasgow turns our attention towards the ways in which we interact with objects
The artist continues to confound expectations in this display of wit at the Whitney
Jenny Uglow’s biography brings the writer and artist’s love of contradictions to the fore
The Royal Academy's Jasper Johns show captures the complexities of his deceptively simple art
Monet's hidden art collection goes public in an ambitious exhibition at the Musée Marmottan
The Polish artist's powerful work is finally being accorded the attention it deserves. Don't miss the chance to see it in the UK
The Imperial War Museum's 'Age of Terror' exhibition is important, but fails to ask some key questions
Wilhelm Hansen amassed his impressive collection, now showing at the Musée Jacquemart-André, in only two years
The Palazzo Strozzi makes the most of the tensions that fuelled the cinquecento’s creative energy
A century after it was left to the city of Philadelphia, John G. Johnson’s art collection continues to surprise
Julian Rosefeldt’s new film looks again at the emotionally charged, political, performative texts that have shaped the course of culture
Among the treasures of St Cuthbert in Durham are several of the most remarkable medieval objects to be seen anywhere
Bartolomé Esteban Murillo's rare and inventive portraits are on display in New York after a major research and conservation project
Artists throughout the ages have painted in black and white or monochrome. What is the appeal of art without colour?