Gallery Review
Sean Scully in France
He’s been showered with honours and awards — yet plenty of people can’t stand his work
Splashing the cash
On the complex relationship between art and money
The Venice Art Biennale
The overall tone is rather bloodless, smug and muted where one might hope for exhilaration
The art of Caspar David Friedrich
In our brave new world of modern art, there’s a growing appetite for celebrating the mystery of the natural world
The imagination of Ensor
The great Belgian painter could enliven the most mundane scenes
The decline of beauty
Why has the concept been rejected by the art world?
Thoughtful delicacy and austere introspection
An exhibition of the art of Gwen John secures her legacy
Women’s anger and women’s ambiguities
A new exhibition offers interesting, if sometimes confusing, perspectives on women in revolt
The second life of Pauline Boty
Critics should not drown this much-needed revival in emotive clichés
Resurrecting Lavery
The decline of Sir John Lavery’s reputation was undeserved
Out of power for half a century
As the Conservatives face the prospect of a long spell in opposition, they must heed the lessons of their predecessors
The opportunism of anti-police activists
Continued agitation around the death of Chris Kaba is inexcusable
Good, mostly clean, fun
The Boys from Syracuse, Upstairs at the Gatehouse
The predictability of subverting expectations
What to expect when you’re expecting your expectations to be subverted
Love, death and drink
Does inspiration really come out of a bottle?
Are Jewish students really afraid of the Freedom of Speech Act?
Some of have raised concerns, yes, but generalisations are wrong and unhelpful
Free speech is fascist
Words must be controlled to ensure that Starmer’s subjects behave themselves
Bonfire of the verities
Plotting a path through the new politics
Less than the sum of its parts
Eugene Onegin, Royal Opera
A wealth of glorious objects and images
A new book about the discovery of classical sculptures and frescoes is itself a real treasure
Cultural appropriation is here to stay
So-called cultural appropriation is an American obsession, cheerfully ignored by a fast globalising world
