Art & Exhibitions
Extensive coverage of leading artists, and the visual and decorative arts, from Old Masters and antiques to contemporary painting, sculpture and crafts.
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A handy five minute guide to Frieze — and the things you really don’t want to miss
The London art fair returns this week.
By Rosie Paterson Published
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Nine of Britain's most beautiful and awe-inspiring painted ceilings from the Country Life archive
Our round-up of some of the Britain's prettiest painted ceilings is a good reminder to always look up.
By Melanie Bryan Published
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Tim Knox, director of the Royal Collection, charts a century of regal taste
Edward VII swept away the cobwebs of mid-Victorian style, Queen Mary had passion for all things small and the Queen Mother bought rather avant-garde art.
By Tim Knox Published
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‘One of the most amazing spaces in London’: Two Hogarth murals, inside an 18th century London hospital, are to go on public display for the first time
St Bartholomew's Hospital’s north wing is to open as a visitor attraction and events space — while the rest of the hospital will continue to operate as normal.
By Lotte Brundle Published
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The art fairs and exhibitions bringing colour to this autumn
Country Life details the museums and galleries that are putting on a show this season.
By Country Life Published
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Diversity in style and diversity in location: London's best art is all around us
London's hotels, pubs and restaurants show the great depth of the capital's artistic tastes.
By Will Hosie Published
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‘A stone pounding artist — who exclaims in his sleep, “Think of me standing upon a pinnacle of the Andes — or sketching a Fuegian Glacier!!!”’
When fate handed artist Conrad Martens the chance to join HMS Beagle, he captured the Patagonian flatlands, the shores of Tierra del Fuego and the peaks of the Andes with aplomb.
By Carla Passino Published
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(Space) oddities: New David Bowie centre opens at V&A East Storehouse
The museum will house and display the largest collection of the artist's costumes, musical instruments, set models, props and more.
By Carla Passino Published
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A feat of clay: How ceramics have taken on the fine art world
'Not a Pot’, a sculptural pottery exhibition open at York Art Gallery, throws light onto the art form's evolution.
By Corinne Julius Last updated
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The Manot bed that made it from a Herefordshire attic to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, courtesy of Country Life
When Henry Avray Tipping spotted a 17th-century four poster languishing in a Herefordshire attic in 1911, he set off a chain of events that saw the bed leave its ancestral home and land at The Met in New York
By Carla Passino Published
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Athena: In the eyes of Government, will the Arts always be last?
After a year of Labour rule, life doesn't seem to be getting any better for Britain's cultural institutions.
By Athena Published
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A five minute guide to the Loch Ness monster
The legend of the Loch Ness monster has endured for more than a thousand years, inspiring countless works of art along the way.
By Carla Passino Published
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'You have to work hand in hand with the author — like a dancer has to work with the music': Illustrating Homer's epic poems
Artist Clive Hicks-Jenkins, faced with the colossal challenge of illustrating Homer's 'The Iliad' and 'The Odyssey', eschewed grandstand views of monumental battles, looking instead for what he calls the little cracks in the paving stones.
By Carla Passino Published
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Louis Wain: The Edwardian artist who was 'perhaps the best PR cats have ever had'
The artist's fascination with cats is the subject of a show at Chris Beetles Gallery which will feature 25 previously unseen works by Wain.
By Lotte Brundle Published
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Maria de la Orden’s consuming passions: Dark chocolate, Hockney and the diamond accessories that remind her of her family
The Paris-based designer of sophisticated clothing gives Country Life a peek into the things she loves the most.
By Lotte Brundle Published
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Princess, patron and purveyor of the arts: The Princess of Wales unveils her own ‘mini display’ at V&A East Storehouse
The Princess of Wales has curated a wide-ranging display of objects, now on display at the newly opened V&A East Storehouse.
By Rosie Paterson Published
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Fancy a date at the Tate? London galleries are staying open later to fuel surging Gen Z interest
Tate Modern, the home of contemporary art in London, has announced that they will open until 9pm on Friday and Saturday nights — after a recent surge in younger visitors.
By Lotte Brundle Published
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Hope blooms eternal: Tom Young paints Lebanon's beauty, without shying away from the scars of conflict
'In situations where there is conflict or displacement, or trauma, art can help in some sort of healing process. When there are barriers, it can transcend them'
By Octavia Pollock Published
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The never-before-seen photographs of The House at Pooh Corner that were taken by Country Life when A. A. Milne and his son Christopher Robin called it home
Every Monday, Melanie Bryan, delves into the hidden depths of Country Life's extraordinary archive to bring you a long-forgotten story, photograph or advert.
By Melanie Bryan Published
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Christian Bolt won't stop until he can revive the Renaissance sculpture technique of terra secca
At his studio fringed by the mountains of Klosters, Swiss sculptor Christian Bolt is feverishly cooking up recipes to re-create terra secca, a material used in Renaissance Italy, not only to expand his own artistic horizons, but to help save the planet.
By Carla Passino Published
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101 gold rats, a 'self portrait as a horse' and a tribute to motherhood take home top prizes at this year's Royal Academy Summer Exhibition
The Royal Academy has announced its 2025 prize winners, spanning talented sculptors, painters and print-makers, with works on display in London until August 19.
By Lotte Brundle Published


