Michael Prodger
Crises of Identity
Two European artists, Annette Messager and Gerhard Richter, explore the sense of self
Baroque’s Time to Roll
A new exhibition at the V&A seeks to rehabilitate a style that sought to inspire wonder and awe
Faces that Don’t Quite Fit
When it came to painting portraits, Constable struggled to emulate his mastery of landscape
A Blind Eye to Stalin
Soviet Constructivism is coming to town in the (emotionless) shape of an exhibition at Tate Britain
Who Are the Masters Now?
Two Paris exhibitions leave Mantegna’s reputation enhanced but Picasso’s diminished
From Baubles to Babel
The year the contemporary art juggernaut ground to a halt
In Search of Babylon
A British Museum exhibition will mix ancient artefacts with work inspired by the city of legend
An Array of Ageless Visages
The faces on show at the National Gallery and the Queen’s Gallery are of their times, yet timeless
Primal Emotion – in Abstract or Concrete Form
Two exhibitions show how much Francis Bacon and Mark Rothko had in common, despite their different approaches
Hadrian: Man, Hero, Husband, Lover, Emperor
The British Museum’s exhibition reassesses the great Roman, a complex figure who left a legacy of unique glory
Why Remoaners should back Boris
“Boris, ironically, now offers Remoaners the best chance of a soft Brexit, or at least a sensible one. And to those who want a second referendum—’the people’s vote’—there may even be a chance of that too.”
On the road
“In the summer of 1980, in the grip of some Kerouac-ish fantasy, I opted to hitch-hike from Laredo to New York”
Discovering the Great War of China
A third of a million Chinese labourers helped the Allies defeat the Kaiser, but their huge unsung contribution ended in betrayal