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Michael Prodger: How Britain’s landscapes have inspired painters across the centuries
Constable thought of his beloved Stour valley as his mistress, Samuel Palmer saw the Darent valley as a soft, pillowy realm where corn is always ripe. Michael Prodger reveals how Britain’s landscapes have inspired painters across the centuries.
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A century of Royal Photography is going on show at Buckingham Palace, from Cecil Beaton to Annie Leibovitz
The Royal Collection Trust's summer exhibition at Buckingham Palace brings together some of the most wonderful royal portraits ever taken. Jack Watkins takes a look.
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The secret life of one of England's greatest authors, lost behind bad handwriting
A recently acquired memoir by Jane Austen's brother might reveal more about the famous author, but there's a problem — his handwriting is very difficult to read
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The mystery of the hedge: How an exhibition on these living walls seeks to explain our fascination with their place in the landscape
Gareth Gardner wondered if he was the only photographer interested in hedges. Now he has the answer.
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The chair of the National Gallery names his favourite from among the 2,300 masterpieces — and it will come as a bit of a shock
As the National Gallery turns 200, the chair of its board of trustees, John Booth, chooses his favourite painting.
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Caravaggio: The brutal life and early death of the sinner who painted saints
Although named after an angel, Caravaggio needed no stronger reason to brawl than having his artichokes dressed with butter instead of olive oil. Maev Kennedy delves into his short and brutal life.
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'A wonderful reminder of what the countryside could and should be': The 200-year-old watercolour of a world fast disappearing
Christopher Price of the Rare Breed Survival Trust on the bucolic beauty of The Magic Apple Tree by Samuel Palmer, which he nominates as his favourite painting.
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Country Life 17 April 2024
Country Life 17 April 2024 tells the story of illustrator Archibald Thorburn, ancient musical instruments, Wassily Kandinsky and much more.
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Paper houses: The Somerset artists turning books into model country homes
Each of us has treasured memories of our home, past or present. Catriona Gray meets artist Ele Grafton, who captures these individual stories using vintage books and documents.
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Leading museums and attractions slowly returning to pre-Pandemic levels, with London leading the way
According to the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions, visitor numbers were up by 19% last year.
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The art dealer who bet £500,000 on a hunch, and ended up with a long-lost Old Master worth millions
A seemingly insignificant painting sold in 2022 turned out to be a lost masterpiece — and it's now on display in Britain. Carla Passino tells the tale.
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Six of the best sculpture parks to visit around Britain
A landscape full of sculpture is always a great experience; Carla Passino picks out some of the most extraordinary sculpture parks in Britain.
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My favourite painting: Andrew Graham-Dixon
'Lesson Number One: it’s the pictures that baffle and tantalise you that stay in the mind forever .'
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My favourite painting: Sir Alistair Spalding
The artistic director of Sadler's Wells chooses a painting created 'purely to aid reflection and contemplation'.
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Trafalgar Square celebrates 25 years of Fourth Plinth art — but is it time for a permanent piece?
Seven shortlisted ideas for the next stint on the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square are currently on display — but some say it is now time for a more permanent fixture.
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Handbags, Ferraris and priceless paintings — these are a few of our favourite things (to invest in)
Knight Frank's Luxury Investment Index for 2023 reveals what the rich and famous have been buying and selling, and whether their investments are going up or down.
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The art heist with a happy ending, 15 years later
In a heist with a happy ending, a stolen Lavery oil made its way back to Stonyhurst College, Lancashire, where it now inspires headmaster John Browne, as Carla Passino discovers.
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My Favourite Painting: Norman Foster
The great architect Norman Foster — aka Lord Foster of Thames Bank — chooses a Lowry given to him as a present by his wife.
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Bert Hardy: The photographer who chronicled mid-century Britain, from the Blitz to Blackpool
The work of photographer Bert Hardy is celebrated in a new show at The Photographers’ Gallery in London.
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Country Life 21 February 2024
Country Life 21 February 2024 looks at fine art, handsome hedges, and how to grow a wildflower meadow.
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The re-making of Notre Dame: An extraordinary achievement by any measure
Country Life's cultural columnist Athena on the astonishing progress being made in the rebuilding of Notre-Dame de Paris — and how an exhibition in London shows what is being done.
