Country Life's top 10 arts stories of 2024
From 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.

The tragic tale of the artist whose time at the Front Line lasted less than 24 hours
Rex Whistler's fate touched a chord, somehow saying everything about the senseless waste of life and potential of war.
'The most wonderful painting in existence', once sold for £30 and considered less valuable than its frame
Flaming June by Frederick, Lord Leighton, has seen its reputation rise, fall, and rise again in the 128 years since it first went on public display. Carla Passino charted its path.
My Favourite Painting: Jeremy Clarkson
The motoring writer and TV presenter chose a classic Turner image painted in the early years of steam trains.
A few of my favourite things: Matthew Goode
The Downton Abbey actor shared his guilty pleasures — including his true connoisseur's choice of golf clubs.
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Curious Questions: When — and why — did we stop wearing hats?
Curious Questions: Who created the 'Your Country Needs YOU' poster?
The story behind Lord Kitchener's imposing — and genuinely iconic — image.
150 years of the Impressionists, being celebrated in Paris and London
In 1874, a group of painters rejected by the official Paris Salon staged its own show and changed the course of art.
When Christian Dior came to Scotland: 'I was even more struck by the beauty of the country, the castles, and the moors, than I had expected'
‘I lingered a little in Scotland,’ wrote Christian Dior in his 1956 memoir, Dior by Dior. ‘I had heard so much about its beauty that I had feared to be disappointed — on the contrary, I was even more struck by the beauty of the country, the castles, and the moors, than I had expected.’
The grand master 'paintings' that are actually the most exquisite floral photographs you'll ever see
Exquisite.
Bert Hardy: The photographer who chronicled mid-century Britain, from the Blitz to Blackpool
‘The ideal picture tells something of the essence of life. It sums up emotion, it holds the feeling of movement thereby implying the continuity of life.’ The words — the philosophy, really — of renowned photojournalist Bert Hardy, who catalogued life at home and abroad in a career that spanned four decades.
Credit: Charlie Waite
'If you get 12 great photographs a year, you're doing well': Charlie Waite on the secrets of landscape photography
The world-renowned landscape photographer Charlie Waite joins the Country Life Podcast.
Clive Nichols: Secrets from the king of garden photography
Britain's top garden photographer Clive Nichols joins the Country Life podcast.
Toby Keel is Country Life's Digital Director, and has been running the website and social media channels since 2016. A former sports journalist, he writes about property, cars, lifestyle, travel, nature.
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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 birth
Cold 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.
By Carla Passino
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Boxy but foxy: How the humble Fiat Panda became motoring's least-likely design classic
Gianni Agnelli's Fiat Panda 4x4 Trekking is currently for sale with RM Sotheby's.
By Simon Mills
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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’s
There are only 200,000 Birkin bags in circulation which has helped push prices of second-hand ones up.
By Lotte Brundle
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Ford Focus ST: So long, and thanks for all the fun
From November, the Ford Focus will be no more. We say goodbye to the ultimate boy racer.
By Matthew MacConnell
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Splash! A Century of Swimming and Style: A whistle-stop history, from the Roman Baths to Hampstead Heath
Emma Hughes dives into swimming's hidden depths at the Design Museum's exhibit in London.
By Emma Hughes
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Diamonds are everyone's best friend: The enduring appeal of one of Nature's sparkliest treasures
Every diamond has a story to tell and each of us deserves to fall in love with one.
By Jonathan Self
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From Vinted to Velázquez: The younger generations' appetite for antiques and Old Masters
The younger generations’ appetite for everything vintage bodes well for the future, says Huon Mallalieu, at a time when an extraordinary Old Masters collection is about to go under the hammer.
By Huon Mallalieu
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The five minute guide to 'The Great Gatsby', a century on from its publication
'The Great Gatsby' sold poorly the year it was published, but, in the following century, it went on to become a cornerstone of world literature.
By Carla Passino