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The 12 most iconic paintings in The National Gallery, by gallery curator Dr Francesca Whitlum-CooperDr Francesca Whitlum-Cooper joins the Country Life Podcast to share how she and the team at the National Gallery picked the 12 most iconic pieces from the collection to celebrate the gallery's 200th anniversary.
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Curious Questions: What happened to saucy seaside postcards?Saucy seaside postcards were once a mainstay of British life over the summer, but these days they're rarely seen. Martin Fone asks why, and discovers the history of artists such as Donald McGill who turned wry, naughty humour into a huge industry.
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How a 20-year-old Leonora Carrington told off one of Surrealism's leading lights, and embarked on a career which has just seen her masterpiece go for $22 millionA densely-packed masterpiece by the brilliant Surrealist artist Leonora Carrington has just set a record at auction. We take a look at the life and emergence of the feisty young Lancastrian behind the $22 million sale of 'Les Distractions de Dagobert.
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The English climate destroyed almost all our medieval church paintings — but not these onesWinged creatures, robed figures and celestial bodies are under threat in a rural church. Jo Caird speaks to the conservators working to save northern Europe’s most complete Romanesque wall paintings.
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From the 'gatekeeper' to the 'Scotch argus', where did butterflies and moths get their strange names?Members of the Society of Aurelians were artists, designers, silk traders and men-of-letters. So what inspired them to coin the many names of butterflies and moths we use today? The answer, reveals Peter Marren is beauty.
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Michael Prodger: How Britain’s landscapes have inspired painters across the centuriesConstable 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 LeibovitzThe 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 handwritingA 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 chair of the National Gallery names his favourite from among the 2,300 masterpieces — and it will come as a bit of a shockAs 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 saintsAlthough 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 disappearingChristopher 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 2024Country Life 17 April 2024 tells the story of illustrator Archibald Thorburn, ancient musical instruments, Wassily Kandinsky and much more.
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150 years of the Impressionists, being celebrated in Paris and LondonIn 1874, a group of painters rejected by the official Paris Salon staged its own show and changed the course of art. It was France’s convulsed lurch into the modern era that helped spark the Impressionist revolution.
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Paper houses: The Somerset artists turning books into model country homesEach 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 wayAccording 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 millionsA 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 BritainA 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: Sir Alistair SpaldingThe 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 laterIn 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.
