How a taped banana questioned the meaning of art
Credit: PA
No, it's not quite what we expected either, but Carla Passino's piece at the very end of last year kept people musing throughout 2020.
The story of the cottage featured in Constable’s The Hay Wain
Credit: Alamy
Kate Green took a look at the village of Flatford, which provided the inspiration for the classic depiction of rural life.
The incomparable photography of Helmut Newton
Toby Keel looked at a glittering career that blurred the lines between fashion, photography and art.
The forgotten masterpieces of Fabergé
Credit: Tessa Hallmann / Brighton and Hove Museum
A chance glimpse of purple and gold in a crowded cabinet led to an extraordinary discovery by Geoffrey Munn.
How the belt of a goddess revealed the true colours of the Parthenon marbles
Credit: Getty
A mixture of research, original thought and a few gambles completely changed the academic community's perception of some of the world's greatest treasures, as Alexandra Fraser explained.
David Hockney's years-long mission to ‘photograph the unphotographable'
Lilias Wigan looked at an exhibition of the artist's mission to create art that captures the natural wonder that is the Grand Canyon.
How Spode went from local ceramics manufacturer to global fame and household name
Credit: Spode Museum Trust, Spode Society and Transferware Collectors Club
This year, Spode celebrated its 250th anniversary. Matthew Dennison told the story of how this English ceramics manufacturer, still based in the Potteries.
The scandalous child of Empire, the murderous photographer and the woman who fatally brought them together
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Eadweard Muybridge was not only the pioneering photographer of motion, but also a murderer. Jason Goodwin told the tale of the dashing rogue and adventurer who became his victim.
Piranesi, the architect, artist and engraver whose fantasy buildings won him 300 years of fame
In the 300th anniversary year of Piranesi’s birth, Huon Mallalieu celebrated the architectural fantasies of one of the most widely recognised names in 18th-century Italian art: Giovanni Battista Piranesi.
My Favourite Painting: Jenni Murray
Credit: Alamy
The journalist and broadcaster Jenni Murray talked about a painting that she described as 'the first illustration of #MeToo'.
In Focus: The wartime masterpieces of Alfred Munnings
Huon Mallalieu welcomes the opportunity to see a significant body of wartime paintings alongside other works by Munnings in his
The Tamar Valley AONB: Mines, otters and the ghost of a 'black widow' who roams the moors in a carriage of bones
Kate Green focuses on the Tamar Valley AONB.
In Focus: The Spanish painter whose visceral depictions of martyrdom still have the power to shock
The unflinching representations of brutality in Jusepe de Ribera's images of martyrdom is the focus of a new exhibition, the
In Focus: How the violin virtuoso Nicola Benedetti is changing the way we teach music
The violinist Nicola Benedetti speaks to Claire Jackson about virtual teaching, playing Elgar and lobbying the government.
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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.
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A castle that's 'a masterpiece of the baronial revival' with 17 bedrooms, breathtaking gardens and its own miniature railwayMajestic, imposing, graceful, romantic... Ayton Castle is the very picture of
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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.
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A five minute guide to the Loch Ness monsterThe legend of the Loch Ness monster has endured for more than a thousand years, inspiring countless works of art along the way.
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The Glovebox: Phantom in a pool, Porsches in the snow and a new world record for PolestarRolls-Royce celebrates one of Rock and Roll's greatest myths, and Polestar drives for almost 23 hours on a single charge.
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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 poemsArtist 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.
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Audi RS3: The devil in a green dressAudi's iconic hot hatch has had a 2025 facelift. It might be the best one they've ever made.
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Time to join the fan club: the history of this summer's must-have accessoryAs summer temperatures continue to soar, fans — long considered a fashion anachronism — are back in the style spotlight.
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The watch maketh the man: What your watch says about youWe hate to stereotype, but it has become apparent that certain timepieces ally with certain traits. Nick Foulkes delves into what else ‘turns the dial’ for each of these watch-loving gents.
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Jeep Avenger 4xe North Face Edition: You've got the clothes. Now get the carJeep's collaboration with North Face has yielded more than a branding exercise. It's a compact off-roader with real capability and a sprinkling of adrenaline-fuelled joy.
