Renaissance
Studio: Donatello at the Palazzo Strozzi
A magnificent celebration of the artist who was midwife to the birth of humanism
Sex and Sanctity
There are wonders great and small in the Raphael exhibition at the National Gallery
Seductive, scholarly life of the poet-priest
This new biography of John Donne brings the centuries-dead poet to life
Masterly study of sacred masterpieces
Embodied divinity
A classic work of unbridled joy
This is the best popular edition ever produced of one of the most amusing books in our language
Whatever happened to the polymath?
Professor Jeremy Black talks to The Critic’s political editor, Graham Stewart, about the idea of the Renaissance Man
Commoner with the divine touch
Raphael, as dedicated a lover as he was a painter, died at 37 at the height of his powers and fame, illustrates Michael Prodger
Canals go national
Canals gave Britain a single national economy, one that connected resources, factories, population centres and ports
Kilkenny’s golden age
A fascinating exploration of Irish history could have been better and more comprehensively illustrated
Godfather of British geopolitics
The revolutionary global thinking of an Edwardian academic continues to shape attitudes today
Eyes on the prizes
On a dispiriting start to racing’s “Premierisation” era
A great conductor leaves the stage
No conductor from China or Japan ever commanded world orchestras before Seiji Ozawa, and none has since matched his impact
London’s lamps live on
Thanks to the dedication of the Gasketeers, a beautiful tradition has been saved
Great Lives — great, The Essay — awful
Radio 3 maintains its course towards self-destruction
The Midas touch
The kind of skill that makes the breath catch in thousands of throats at once
Scary cute
CUTE, a new exhibition at Somerset House is a deliciously unsettling stroll down the uncanny valley
Very naughty boys
Progressive parenting is all very well but sometimes misbehaviour needs a firmer approach
February letters
Questioning Cameron, cautioning Houellebecq and disputing the image of God
