Royal Academy’s Spain and the Hispanic World – an expert in Spanish art reviews the exhibition
The Royal Academy’s first big show of 2023 is unusual. As well as presenting an impressive collection from Spain and the Hispanic world (around 150 items covering over 4,000 years, including paintings, sculptures, maps, books and manuscripts), it also tells…
Why David Hockney’s Bigger and Closer is an important step forward for immersive art shows
Artist David Hockney has ridden many technological waves. While his mark-making has remained resolutely painterly, he has challenged the practice of painting. He was an early adopter of computer-assisted drawing, using the iPad and iPhone. His latest work, Bigger and…
Marina Abramović retrospective celebrates the grand dame of performance art – but questions the genre’s future
In 1974, Marina Abramović performed a career-defining work at a small experimental gallery in Naples, Italy. The Serbian artist stood naked next to a table on which she had arranged 72 objects associated with pleasure and pain. They included a…
Yevonde: Life and Colour exhibition reopens the National Portrait Gallery in style
A long-overdue exhibition of the work of photographer Yevonde Middleton (1893-1975) has opened at the National Portrait Gallery (NPG), London. Yevonde: Life and Colour is the first major exhibition since the gallery reopened its doors, following a three-year refurbishment. Throughout…
Manipulating light can induce psychedelic experiences – and scientists aren’t quite sure why
For millennia, people have used mind-altering techniques to achieve different states of consciousness, envision spiritual figures, connect with nature, or simply for the fun of it. Psychedelic substances, in particular, have a long and controversial history. But for just as…
