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.
Sign up for the Country Life Newsletter
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.
-
A quaint village hall in County Durham has been turned in to a truly extraordinary contemporary home
The Village Hall in Shotley Bridge is a masterful conversion of a much-loved village amenity.
By James Fisher Published
-
Dawn Chorus: The perfect job for incurable romantics, Britain's rudest roads, woodland workshops and spring in Cornwall
Living on a near-deserted island, and getting paid for the privilege? No wonder tens of thousands of people were keen.
By Toby Keel Published
-
Polestar 4: Function, form and a sprinkle of stardust
Polestar's latest offering builds off a steady and reliable platform and finally adds the missing ingredient — a little bit of flair.
By James Fisher Published
-
Horology with horsepower: Girard-Perregaux unveils new watch in collaboration with Aston Martin
The Girard-Perregaux Laureato Chronograph Aston Martin Edition is covered in 15 ultra-fine layers of automotive paint.
By Richard MacKichan Published
-
Playing the fool: The rich history of tarot and how it satisfies our desire for transcendence
Once an elaborate art form that entertained 15th-century Italian nobility, tarot cards have evolved into a tool of divination. A new exhibition shines a light on their history.
By Deborah Nicholls-Lee Published
-
If the future of Ferrari is electric vehicles, then it is our future too
It's widely believed that Ferrari will unveil its first electric car this year. It's the signal that the internal combustion era is coming to an end.
By James Fisher Published
-
The Airlander wants to save our skies
A new hybrid aircraft promises eco-friendly aviation. Designed and built in the UK, can it be the future of air travel?
By Charles Harris Published
-
Dawn Chorus: How to bag a Vacheron Constantin watch like Brad Pitt’s 222 and why London’s Sloane Street is looking better than ever
Everything you need to know today, including a new version of the watch Brad Pitt made headlines with at Wimbledon, the Harvey Nichols pasta pop-up and Sloane Street’s £40million face lift.
By Rosie Paterson Published
-
When London was beginning to establish itself as modern cultural powerhouse: The 1980s according to David Bailey
In his new book ‘Eighties Bailey’, ‘era-defining’ photographer David Bailey explores a time when London and the UK were at the centre of the fashion, art and publishing worlds.
By Richard MacKichan Published
-
The Everrati Pagoda: An electric wolf in classic combustion clothing
What do John Lennon, Audrey Hepburn, Charlton Heston, Kate Moss and Harry Styles have in common? They all owned an SL Pagoda. But they won't have owned one as nice as this.
By Adam Hay-Nicholls Published