The Finer Things
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Six of the best sculpture parks to visit around Britain
A landscape full of sculpture is always a great experience; Carla Passino picks out some of the most extraordinary sculpture parks in Britain.
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My favourite painting: Andrew Graham-Dixon
'Lesson Number One: it’s the pictures that baffle and tantalise you that stay in the mind forever .'
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The art and life of Pattie Boyd, the woman in the centre of the love triangle between Eric Clapton and a Beatle, has come up for auction
Pattie Boyd was the girlfriend of two of the great figures in rock music in the 1960s and 1970s — and Christie's are holding a sale of her memorabilia.
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What (not) to wear at the Cheltenham Festival
Tips from an expert stylist on what to wear at one of the highlights of the racing calendar: the Cheltenham Festival.
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My favourite painting: Sir Alistair Spalding
The artistic director of Sadler's Wells chooses a painting created 'purely to aid reflection and contemplation'.
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Trafalgar Square celebrates 25 years of Fourth Plinth art — but is it time for a permanent piece?
Seven shortlisted ideas for the next stint on the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square are currently on display — but some say it is now time for a more permanent fixture.
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Curious Questions: When — and why — did we stop wearing hats?
The hat was once as essential for leaving the house as a pair of trousers, but the sight of a dapper gent sporting one is now all too rare, laments John F. Mueller, while Toby Keel takes a look at the reasons we stopped wearing them.
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The art heist with a happy ending, 15 years later
In a heist with a happy ending, a stolen Lavery oil made its way back to Stonyhurst College, Lancashire, where it now inspires headmaster John Browne, as Carla Passino discovers.
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'The most wonderful painting in existence', once sold for £30 and considered less valuable than its frame, is back in London
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 charts its path.
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My Favourite Painting: Norman Foster
The great architect Norman Foster — aka Lord Foster of Thames Bank — chooses a Lowry given to him as a present by his wife.
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Bert Hardy: The photographer who chronicled mid-century Britain, from the Blitz to Blackpool
The work of photographer Bert Hardy is celebrated in a new show at The Photographers’ Gallery in London.
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My Favourite Painting: Sir Karl Jenkins
The composer Sir Karl Jenkins chooses an Italian painting which came to him in to his life in fascinating circumstances.
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The ancient mapmakers who shaped the world as we still see it centuries later
The desire to chart the world around us is an impulse as old as time and some map-makers’ efforts have an astonishing longevity, reveals Matthew Dennison.
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My Favourite Painting: Joanna Jensen
The Childs Farm founder on a 'bruiser' bull.
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Luscious red or gorgeous green? 12 Valentine gifts to keep them keen, from £45 to £22k
Country Life's Luxury Editor Hetty Lintell picks out some wonderful Valentine's gifts in red or green.
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Miniature heroes: The tiny portraits that delight, amuse, and have changed the course of English history
Over the centuries, miniatures sealed marriages, captured stolen glances and — in one unforgettable instance — tipped the balance power in Tudor England. Huon Mallalieu delves into the history of these often small and always perfectly formed portraits.
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Needlepoint: The craft of kings, queens and countesses
Far more than a fancy of old ladies, unoccupied hands and evenings are never a problem for enthusiasts of needlepoint. Matthew Dennison takes a look.
