Had Hollywood not lured him away, Dennis Hopper could have made his name as a photographer
In an age when photographs have swollen out of all proportion to their significance, and are mounted on wall-sized light…
Painted, sculpted and stuffed: a history of the bird in art
These days, as the sparrows and starlings so common in my youth are growing scarce, there’s less need for a…
Charles Hadcock – taking on the age of speculation with sculpture in the City
As the boundary between auction house and art dealer blurs yet further, with auctioneers acting increasingly by private treaty as…
Oceans and forests in kaleidoscopic flow – discovering Keith Grant
For decades I’ve been aware of the work of Keith Grant (born 1930), but it is only in recent years…
The painter who channelled the forces of gravity
Tragically, Ian Welsh (1944–2014) did not live to see this exhibition of his latest work. Diagnosed with terminal cancer on…
The Royal Academy Summer Exhibition offers up the good, the bad and the ugly – and a sore neck
One of the great traditions of the RA’s Summer Exhibition has always been that each work submitted was seen in…
Kenneth Clark wasn’t happy simply popularising art, he liked to collect it and shape it too
Earlier this year, I sat down and watched Kenneth Clark’s groundbreaking TV series Civilisation. I vaguely remember when it was…
Can Lynn Chadwick finally escape the 1950?
Lynn Chadwick was born 100 years ago in London, and died in 2003 at his Gloucestershire home, Lypiatt Park, where…
Josef Albers: roaring diagonals and paradisiacal squares
Josef Albers (1888–1976) is best known for his long engagement with the square, which he painted in exquisite variation more…
A photographer sheds new light on Constable Country
Andrew Lambirth talks to Justin Partyka, whose photographs show Constable Country in an unexpected light
The hidden, overlooked and undervalued: Andrew Lambirth’s spring roundup
Jankel Adler (1895–1949), a Polish Jew who arrived in Glasgow in 1941, was invalided out of the Polish army, and…
A fresh perspective on reassuringly familiar artists
This exhibition examines a loosely knit community of artists and their interaction over a decade at the beginning of the…
The Matisse Cut-Outs is a show of true magnificence
Artists who live long enough to enjoy a late period of working will often produce art that is radically different…
The National Gallery's Veronese is the exhibition of a lifetime
The National Gallery’s exhibition succeeds triumphantly, says Andrew Lambirth
William Kent was an ideas man - the Damien Hirst of the 18th century
How important is William Kent (1685–1748)? He’s not exactly a household name and yet this English painter and architect, apprenticed…
It’s the whisper you’ve got to listen for in Arturo Di Stefano’s paintings
One of the paintings in Arturo Di Stefano’s impressive new show at Purdy Hicks Gallery is called ‘Santa Croce’ and…
The great and the good and the gassed and the dead
Last week, three exhibitions celebrating the art of Germany; this week, a show commemorating the first world war fought against…
Upside down and right on top: the power of George Baselitz
It’s German Season in London, and revealingly the best of three new shows is the one dealing with the most…
Richard Deacon – from Meccano into art
When I visited the Richard Deacon exhibition at Tate Millbank, there were quite a lot of single men of a…
The British Museum's Vikings: part provincial exhibit, part gripping drama
Exhibitions are made for two main reasons: education and entertainment. Although I recognise the importance of education I am, by…
'At last I wasn't worried about making pictures': an interview with Mark Shields
Andrew Lambirth talks to Mark Shields, an artist whose work transcends the specific
Four artists you ought to know — and a famous one you can know better
In this round-up of exhibitions in London’s commercial galleries, I feature three shows of little-known but mature contemporary British artists.…
'Castiglione: Lost Genius' loses his genius in a sea of brown
Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione (1609–64) was, I must admit, unknown to me until I visited this show, the only Castiglione I…
'Uproar!' The Ben Uri gallery punches above its weight
Last year saw the centenary of the London Group, a broad-based exhibiting body set up in a time of stylistic…
John Craxton was more gifted than the Fitzwilliam show suggests
It is often said of John Craxton (1922–2009) that he knew how to live well and considered this more important…
