The Critics
A fresh face for an old friend
The National Portrait Galley’s renovation doesn’t disappoint, bringing light and space to tell the story of the nation
What survives of love
A splendid exhibition explores the history of romance
Declining figures
British museums and galleries have yet to recover from Covid.
Two essays in excellence
The BBC at its best on Shakespeare, and remembering Barry Humphries.
TV crime spree
From Washington to Belfast via a conspiracy thriller, Adam LeBor reviews the latest television drama.
The dark side of Constable
His paintings have greater depth than fashion has supposed
Diva and the Dane
The Motive and the Cue at the National Theatre delves into the relationship of an acting power couple.
Stravinsky’s reputation is in freefall
Norman Lebrecht re-examines the life and legacy of Stravinsky.
Rap’s dilemma
Sarah Ditum unwraps the rap culture war.
Most Read
Why they hated Ann Widdecombe
Fair-minded people could agree or disagree with her opinions. Left-wing bigots hated her for not abandoning them
Amnesty irrational
Gender identity ideologues cannot get away with baseless smears any more
A chaplain’s vindication
The case of Dr Bernard Randall has exposed the rot in our institutions
The myth of banned books
If transgression is fun and easy, it is probably not transgressive
The case against recognising Somaliland
The Somaliland lobby is being dangerously naive about the realities of the region
I’m so over Exposed
Exposed: The Rise of Extreme Porn and How We Fight Back by Clare McGlynn
The summer chill
Cool soups for hot days
Questionably loyal opposition
A “rainbow coalition” between Conservatives and the Greens raises questions about the state of the Tories
Unionists should unite
It’s time to build alliances to ensure that unionists are not let down again
In partial defence of Steve Bray
You can’t blame the pro-EU irritant for making British politics undignified
In defence of Gary Stevenson
If economists were only those with doctorates, we would have to ignore both the market’s wisdom and many of its most perceptive critics
After the abdication
Springwood is a skillful and intelligent examination of presidential-monarchical relations
Russia’s useful internet addicts
No, Russia is not a beleaguered outpost of European values
Good news for the rule of law
Activists who break the law should not be able to appeal to their high-minded motives
The EU’s immigration asymmetry
Ten years on, the EU still hasn’t learned Brexit’s hard lesson on migration
Like a homecoming
A haunted house