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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Vertigo at Victoria Falls, a sunset surrounded by lions and swimming in the Nile: A journey from Cape Town to CairoWhy do we travel and who inspires us to do so? Chris Wallace went in search of answers on his own epic journey the length of Africa.
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A gorgeous Scottish cottage with contemporary interiors on the bonny banks of the River TayCarnliath on the edge of Strathtay is a delightful family home set in sensational scenery.
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Athena: We need to get serious about saving our museumsThe government announced that museums ‘can now apply for £20 million of funding to invest in their future’ last week. But will this be enough?
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Materials, textures, construction, expression: A Brutalist watch on your wristLuxury watchmakers are seeking to bridge the gap between two contrasting styles, with exciting results.
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Folio, Folio, wherefore art thou Folio? Shakespeare set to be auctioned by Sotheby'sFour Folios will be auctioned in London on May 23, with an estimate of £3.5–£4.5 million for 'the most significant publication in the history of English literature'.
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Curators, art historians and other creative minds share their pick of J. M. W Turner's best works, on the 250th anniversary of his birthCold moonlight, golden sunset and shimmering waters are only three reasons to love Turner. On the 250th anniversary of his birth, curators, art historians and other creative minds reveal which of his paintings they’d hang on their walls and why.
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Boxy but foxy: How the humble Fiat Panda became motoring's least-likely design classicGianni Agnelli's Fiat Panda 4x4 Trekking is currently for sale with RM Sotheby's.
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The coveted Hermès Birkin bag is a safer investment than gold — and several rare editions are being auctioned off by Christie’sThere are only 200,000 Birkin bags in circulation which has helped push prices of second-hand ones up.
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Ford Focus ST: So long, and thanks for all the funFrom November, the Ford Focus will be no more. We say goodbye to the ultimate boy racer.
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Splash! A Century of Swimming and Style: A whistle-stop history, from the Roman Baths to Hampstead HeathEmma Hughes dives into swimming's hidden depths at the Design Museum's exhibit in London.
