artists
Francis Bacon’s visceral language
Pain and pleasure are never far away in these portraits
Merchants of the Venice Biennale
For all its pretentiousness, the Venice Biennale still hints towards higher truths
No second coming for the arts
Labour will finish the Tories’ work of destroying the arts – only “better”
A movement to where?
What, if anything, is “right-wing” art?
Most Read
Tame Impala fails to impress
unconquered by a
taste of Crusader food
Gary Stevenson is wrong about wealth taxes
The popular economist is irritating, but more importantly he is mistaken
Why they hated Ann Widdecombe
Fair-minded people could agree or disagree with her opinions. Left-wing bigots hated her for not abandoning them
What is wrong now was wrong before
Julia Gillard should not pretend that the “unintended consequences” of the gender debate were unknowable
Ethnic minorities are abandoning Labour
It is not just Muslim voters who have been abandoning the Labour Party
Losing control of the narrative
The British establishment no longer sets the terms of public debate over migration
The ephemeral Farage
Nigel Farage’s appearance in Parliament was as rare as it was undistinguished
The Islamopopulist march continues
Overshadowed by the Reform and Green surges, the Muslim vote continues a long march through the corridors of power
A love-hate affair
Finger-lingering over hideous fluffy lilac footwear
Will Andy Burnham be a literary leader?
Burnham is a rare politician who reads books — but how will they affect his premiership?
Ice and fire
Ben Stokes has had a truly exceptional career
Unholy war
The Kremlin’s actions contradict its image of itself
Hector Savage
How to account for this sudden access of celebrity?
Critical briefing: EU-Taliban talks
As European governments harden their approach to migration, Brussels has taken the extraordinary step of negotiating directly with Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers
The promises of politicians
We are surrounded by lies, euphemisms and deceit
Keeping the faith
Brexit triumphalists can’t understand how other people living in the UK in 2026 do not share their enthusiasm