-
The life and times of P. G. Wodehouse, 50 years on from his deathBertie Wooster, Jeeves, Lord Emsworth and the Blandings Castle set: P. G. Wodehouse’s creations made him one of the most widely read humorists of the 20th century, but he was denounced as a traitor and a Nazi.
-
‘Seeing all these pictures at the same time is a rare privilege’: ‘Goya to Impressionism’ opens at The CourtauldThe Courtauld’s new exhibition marks the first time that a significant portion of one of Switzerland’s most important art collections has been shown in one go, outside of the country.
-
In full bloom: 'Flowers: Flora in art and culture' opens at the Saatchi GalleryFrom 100,000 dried flowers to a contemporary interpretation of Van Gogh’s 'Sunflowers', the Saatchi Gallery's new 'Flowers' exhibition is the perfect spring antidote to long winter days.
-
This rare Picasso lithograph could be yours for £60,000Picasso's 'David and Bathsheba' — printed on rare Chinese silk paper and intertwined with the artist's infamous and complicated love life — has come up for sale.
-
Five of the National Trust's most outstanding paintings, as chosen by the curators who care for the charity’s world-class collectionAs The National Trust celebrates its 130th anniversary, we asked five of their curators to choose a key artwork from the charity's huge collection.
-
Curious questions: Where did the Snakes and Ladders board game come from?Games of Snakes and Ladder punctuated most of our childhoods, but how many of us know about its Ancient Indian origins and the fact that it was designed to teach us about liberation from the transmutations of karma?
-
The £40 car boot painting that might just be a long-lost Van Gogh worth more than £10 millionIt's the things dreams are made of: you pick up an innocuous painting at a car boot sale only to discover that it might be a previously unknown piece by one of the most influential figures in art worth millions. This time round though the dream is a reality because experts believe they've just verified a long-lost Van Gogh masterpiece. So, how does the evidence stack up, asks Rosie Paterson?
-
Country Life's top 10 arts stories of 2024From the artist killed on his first day in the war to a masterpiece once sold for £30, these were our most popular arts stories of 2024.
-
Eyes wide shut: The art of sleepingSleep takes many shapes in art, whether sensual or drunken, deathly or full of nightmares, but it is rarely peaceful. Even slumbering babies can convey anxiety, discovers Claudia Pritchard.
-
Dawn Chorus: The photographer-florist creating modern Grand Masters, plus Ashdown Forest and our Quiz of the DayA look at the work of Harald Altmaier, an unusual solution to an imaginary problem, and much more besides in today's Dawn Chorus.
-
The Legacy: Hans Sloane and the creation of the British MuseumA curious child who grew into a man of voracious intellectual curiosity, his life of collecting gave birth to one of the nation's great institutions.
-
Lost and then found: A missing painting by Lord Leighton returns to LondonSomeone, somewhere, knows something about where it went.
-
Masterpieces in miniature: Where art and elegance meets the precision of timekeepingRare metiers d’art timepieces are more than mere conversation starters. They are a joy to behold and the craftspeople at the top are as sought after as the highest-paid rock stars, explains Nicholas Foulkes.
-
The genius inventors who created the world's most important clocksEarly clocks had variable hours, but even in the golden age of British horology, when Thomas Tompion made his masterpieces, a man relying on public timepieces could end his walk earlier than he had started. Huon Mallalieu traces the evolution of British clock-making.
-
'As a child I wanted to snuggle up with the dogs and be part of it': Alexia Robinson chooses her favourite paintingAlexia Robinson, founder of Love British Food, chooses an Edwin Landseer classic.
-
Legacy of loos seeks new custodianEver wanted to own more than 1,200 antique loos, washbasins, baths, taps and bathroomalia? Well, now is your chance, as the Thomas Crapper Museum is up for sale.
-
The great Blue Plaque mystery in LondonDozens of blue plaques have gone missing down the years, and English Heritage is determined to try and find them.
-
George Stubbs (1724–1806): Hero of the turfGeorge Stubbs, born 300 years ago, found Nature superior to art and approached his pictures with the eye of an anatomy scholar, yet no contemporary could rival him in capturing the elegance and character of racehorses, dogs and even zebras, as Jack Watkins discovers.
-
The Leonardo da Vinci masterpiece that never was, thanks to an assassination, a war, an abduction and an invasionThe great master Leonardo da Vinci was on course to create an equine statue that could have rivalled his greatest pieces — until fate intervened. Carla Passino tells the tale of the da Vinci sculpture that never was.
-
'But for a few twists of fate, she might well have been Queen of England': Who was the mystery woman in the Hilliard miniature?A chance encounter with a cabinet miniature sent two art historians down a rabbit hole of Elizabethan intrigue, spycraft and courtship.
-
One of the largest banknotes ever printed to be offered for auctionThe note, printed in 1998 to celebrate 100 years of Philippine independence, is legal tender and larger than a piece of A4 paper.
