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.
Exquisite houses, the beauty of Nature, and how to get the most from your life, straight to your inbox.
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.
-
Who you gonna call to tell them about Country Life's Quiz of the Day, August 27, 2025
Wednesday's quiz is out of this world, but also of this world.
-
‘The closest that screenwriting has ever got to Shakespearean’: In an era of television slop, what should you be watching?
Members of the Country Life team reveal what they’re watching — and rewatching — this autumn.
-
A five minute guide to the Loch Ness monster
The legend of the Loch Ness monster has endured for more than a thousand years, inspiring countless works of art along the way.
-
The Glovebox: Phantom in a pool, Porsches in the snow and a new world record for Polestar
Rolls-Royce celebrates one of Rock and Roll's greatest myths, and Polestar drives for almost 23 hours on a single charge.
-
'You have to work hand in hand with the author — like a dancer has to work with the music': Illustrating Homer's epic poems
Artist 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.
-
Audi RS3: The devil in a green dress
Audi's iconic hot hatch has had a 2025 facelift. It might be the best one they've ever made.
-
Time to join the fan club: the history of this summer's must-have accessory
As summer temperatures continue to soar, fans — long considered a fashion anachronism — are back in the style spotlight.
-
The watch maketh the man: What your watch says about you
We 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.
-
Jeep Avenger 4xe North Face Edition: You've got the clothes. Now get the car
Jeep'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.
-
Art saved for the nation? Not enough, it would seem
The recent publication of a report on export control of art from the UK makes depressing reading.