Visual Arts Features

Christo (1935-2020) - 'Beauty, science and art will always triumph'

Florence Hallett Wednesday, 03 June 2020

The death of Christo, aged 84, was announced on Sunday, marking the end of a visionary and flamboyant artistic career.

Visual Arts Lockdown Special 2: read, search, listen, create

Katherine Waters Tuesday, 05 May 2020

Arguably one of the most poignant effects of the lockdown has been to simultaneously draw attention to the connections between the arts and the distinct ways they have evolved into their own forms.

Visual Arts Lockdown Special 1: DIY art, Russell Tovey's chat show, and guided tours online

Florence Hallett Tuesday, 21 April 2020

As the art world adjusts to our new reality, social media has allowed galleries and museums to remain open in spirit at least.

Foragers of the Foreshore - London's mudlarks on show

Adrian Evans Sunday, 01 September 2019

Over the weekend, exhibitions and installations have started to bubble-up on the riverside walkway in London. Still-life photography of mudlark finds and a "scented history" of Barking Creek outside the National Theatre. Artwork from a dozen national and international river cities at the Royal Docks. An installation of 550 jerry cans at the Oxo Tower.

theartsdesk in Treviso - cultural patronage, Italian style

David Nice Friday, 05 July 2019

Fortunate those Italian towns and cities whose Renaissance rulers looked to the arts to enrich their domain. Now neglect of cultural heritage can be laid at the doors of successive governments, but regional enlightenment can make a difference even in the era of Salvini.

First Person: Robert Hollingworth on I Fagiolini's 'Leonardo - Shaping the Invisible'

Robert Hollingworth Friday, 26 April 2019

Leonardo da Vinci died 500 years ago on 2 May this year. We all know he was a painter, sculptor, architect, engineer, pioneer of flight and anatomist – yet according to Vasari, Leonardo’s first job outside Florence was as a result of his musical talents.

h 100 Awards: Art, Design and Craft - making art public

Florence Hallett Wednesday, 29 August 2018

This year’s nominees represent the wealth of innovative activity that makes British art, craft and design fresh and exciting. Artists and makers dominate the shortlist, and rightly so, but curators, an educator, and a journalist reflect the importance of public engagement with the visual arts, and the many ways in which this is achieved.

theartsdesk in Riga - 43,290 Latvians sing and dance for their country

David Nice Tuesday, 24 July 2018

"They incessantly break down, destroy and fragment the mistrust that exists among people," wrote a Latvian journalist of a folklore group during the start of the Baltic countries' "singing revolution" against Soviet rule in 1988.

'That brick red frock with flowers everywhere': painting Katherine Mansfield

Roger Neill Friday, 15 June 2018

The well-known portrait of New Zealand’s greatest writer, Katherine Mansfield, is exactly 100 years old on 17 June 2018 (main picture). It was painted by the American artist Anne Estelle Rice.

Comment

Helaine Blumenfeld: Britain’s most successful sculptor you’ve never heard of

Rupert Edwards Tuesday, 17 April 2018

Sexy is an overused word in the arts but it’s an adjective you can’t help applying to some of Helaine Blumenfeld’s voluptuous marble sculptures as you run your fingers over their surfaces. These abstract bodily forms, often in the purest icing-white crystalline stone, are so tempting that you almost want to lick them.