-
Eileen Soper: The 'schoolgirl among the masters' with paintings in millions of homes, even yours
Renowned for illustrating the ‘Famous Five’ series, the mercurial, motorcar-obsessed Eileen Soper lived a bucolic and eccentric life.
-
A mesmerising portrait in the eerie country house that inspired Charlotte Brontë to write 'Jane Eyre'
A dark episode in the family history of Norton Conyers inspired a young Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre — but the hidden attic is just one of many treasures in this grand Yorkshire house.
-
Wealthy Boomers collected blue-chip paintings. Gen Z is opting for collectibles. Who will come up trumps?
Handbags, jewellery and luxury vehicles are the aesthetic investments of choice for today’s high-net-worth youth, says a report by Art Basel.
-
Sin, deceit, art, education: The secret history of playing cards explained
From China, through Persia, India, Europe and now in most of our homes. The humble hearts, clubs, spades and jacks have quite the story to tell.
-
The 'micro mosaic' at Holkham Hall that uses a fascinating, unusual technique pioneered by the Vatican
John Goodall speaks to the Earl of Leicester about one of the most unusual and beautiful objects at Holkham Hall in Norfolk.
-
Tate-à-tête: The National Gallery’s promise to grow its modern-art collection risks reopening old wounds
The National Gallery's announcement of a new wing and more modern art promises to reignite a historic rivalry with Tate.
-
Forget Bond, the understated George Smiley is fiction's greatest spy
As a new exhibition in Oxford charts John le Carré’s legacy, Emma Hughes takes a closer look at his most enduring creation, George Smiley.
-
‘I wasn’t really sure that I wanted to be a ballet dancer’: The English National Ballet's prima ballerina on playing Clara in The Nutcracker and her consuming passions
Lotte Brundle meets Ivana Bueno, who is dancing the role of Clara in The Nutcracker this year at the London Coliseum.
-
How the spirit of Andy Warhol lives on through Christmas
Andy Warhol found Christmas a tricky time, yet threw himself into the festivities and, when he decided to illustrate his series on American myths, he had no doubt he should include the jolly old man in the bright red suit.
-
The exquisite Christmas decorations that spark childhood joy, and the decoration-maker who creates them
Elizabeth Harbour's irresistibly pretty Christmas decorations earn her a place as one of our heroes of Christmas.
-
A gift for every interest — and every deadline: The best coffee-table books to give at Christmas
Amie Elizabeth White rounds up some of the best coffee-table books of 2025.
-
Has the secret of Vermeer’s most enigmatic masterpiece finally been revealed? A British art historian’s controversial claim to have uncovered the true identity of 'Girl with a Pearl Earring'
Andrew Graham-Dixon talks to Carla Passino about Vermeer's 'Girl with a Pearl Earring' — an iconic example of Dutch Golden Age art and one of the most famous paintings in the world.
-
'Real children like it… I think it frightens some adults, but very few children': 75 years of The Chronicles of Narnia
As C. S. Lewis’s enchanting children’s classic 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe' turns 75, Matthew Dennison pulls back the coats to explore its evergreen spell.
-
Power, prestige and passion: Where to see more than 100 of the world’s best dynastic jewels
Many of the world’s most astonishing jewels are on display together in Paris — and they once belonged to Europe’s most powerful families.
-
Dragonflies, flowers, dogs and lobsters: The 17th century nature brought back to life by the paintings of Alexander Marshal
Alexander Marshal — this country’s first major botanical painter — deserves to be better known, writes Tiffany Daneff, after seeing his luminous originals in the Royal Collection.
-
The accidental Impressionist who captures country life on canvas
Painting a local cricket match, Sherree Valentine-Daines received an invitation that changed her career and led her to become artist-in-residence at Goodwood
-
The greatest flowers make the greatest art
A search for still-life subjects led Kate Friend to some of the greatest gardens and gardeners in the country
-
‘Each one is different depending on what mood I’m in, how I'm feeling and how my energy is’ — meet the carver behind Westminster Hall's angel statues
Bespoke woodcarver William Barsley makes unique scale replicas of the angels that gaze over Westminster Hall, the oldest part of the palace of Westminster.
-
'Gems of enflamed transparencies, of bottomless blues, of congealed opals': Why glass was perfect for the elemental experimentalism of Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau masters such as Louis Comfort Tiffany and Émile Gallé turned the most fragile of materials into iridescent masterpieces that shimmered like seashells or glittered like Byzantine mosaics.
-
Who won the rivalry between Turner and Constable? It was us, the public
A forthcoming exhibition at Tate Britain that revives the rivalry between these two 19th century painters sheds new light on their relationship.
-
'Love, desire, faith, passion, intimacy, God, spiritual consciousness, curiosity and adventure': The world of Stanley Spencer, a very English visionary
Stanley Spencer’s talent for seeing the spiritual in the everyday, his stirring sense for the wonder of Nature and his love for the landscapes of Berkshire and Suffolk shaped his art, as Matthew Dennison reveals.
