Trespassing in the name of art history
Our intrepid diarist goes in search of the site where Joseph Wright of Derby painted a late—sublime—landscape, on the shores of Ullswater
An author’s waking nightmares: Van Dyck dreaming and colour proofs of a shadowy masterwork
Finishing his new book—an exploration of the untold origins of British art—took our diarist into a universe that only an author can inhabit
An open letter to Chris Bryant, the tenth UK arts minister in ten years
Labour’s pre-election arts manifesto, Creating Growth, included policies to put the arts back into education and bring museums into line with universities on open data
Connoisseurship has gone out of fashion—to diversify the canon, it's time for a revival
With the Royal Academy the only UK institution now teaching connoisseurship, too many students of art history are missing out on learning an important skill
Ruins revived: when do overlooked buildings become valued again?
"In England, we still like to talk about the 'dissolution' of the monasteries as if it was a gentle process. Really, it was an annihilation," says Bendor Grosvenor
The Tudor blockbuster: why Holbein still mesmerises 500 years on
"There is evidently something about Holbein that resonates strongly with modern audiences"
'Why destroying art in protest achieves nothing'
Activists’ attacks on artworks do not further their causes—if they did, I would throw the soup myself
Who will rule Rembrandtland? Behind the search for an authority on the Old Master
Following the death of universally acclaimed Rembrandt scholar Ernst van de Wetering, attribution of the artist is in flux
Court of Appeal ruling will prevent UK museums from charging reproduction fees—at last
Those © symbols on UK museum websites and catalogues are now redundant if the original work of art is out of copyright
How Italy’s Renaissance lives on today
Like their 15th-century counterparts, contemporary artists continue to enjoy the patronage of the church
As London's National Portrait Gallery reopens, we must rethink dusty prejudices
Reviews of the revamped institution insist on calling its former building 'dusty', but that label should really be applied to the website, which is badly in need of an update
Should he take after Charles I or Charles II? It is time for the new king to set his artistic agenda
The coronation is a good moment to assess the direction of travel of Charles III, the most accomplished artist yet to take the throne
'Westminster Abbey charges £27 per ticket—even God might baulk at that price'
If ever a ticket price reflected British history it is for this royal church, where the nation’s great and good are commemorated in profusion
'Why I can't get excited about AI art'
Only humans can make proper sense of the world, Bendor Grosvenor argues
What's up at the National Gallery? The London institution is half of what it used to be
The closure of the Sainsbury Wing ahead of a £35m refurbishment has meant that much of the museum is off limits in 2023. I hope it's worth it
Badly preserved Salvator Mundi copy—which sold for staggering €1m—could be more valuable than once thought
Painting might be older than catalogued thanks to one particular detail
Was a Vienna auction's €6,000 'copy' of the Sistine Chapel's ceiling actually by Michelangelo?
My heart-stopping research saga to find out if Dorotheum’s part-painted cartoon by a "follower" was in fact a sleeper
Protestors took too much risk throwing soup on the Sunflowers—and missed an opportunity
Had they thought about it more deeply, the activists who attacked the Van Gogh work could have gained something more than attention
Some (impertinent) art advice for King Charles III on how to manage the Royal Collection
Opening it up through more generous loans and by easing copyright restrictions would be good for both HM and the country
Top tips for the culture secretary, as the UK is about to get a new prime minister (and yes, you will have to return the Parthenon Marbles)
Here are three big challenges they will face—and what to do about them
The conservation studio is the coalface of art history—but not all 'restorations' can be solved with acetone
While my past purchases are lined up for a professional clean, it is the current damage of international cultural relations that seem most in need of a fix
British Museum presses on minting NFTs despite crypto crash—when will UK museums stop seeing artworks as assets?
This Diary's predictions about NFTs, Brexit and Boris Johnson have all come true. But Britain removing image restrictions on art would be the ultimate victory
Why take binoculars on your next museum visit? You might solve an art history mystery
An unattributed painting in Lincolnshire's Burghley House bears a striking resemblance to the work of Hans Eworth
The British Museum's NFT project has sent its carbon footprint soaring
Since the London museum began selling digital versions of works from its collection last September, it has emitted enough carbon to power an average US home for at least 57 years
In a world of digital innovation, what if art becomes… boring?
A virtual reality visit to the Sistine Chapel made me realise that museums are going to have to up their game in order to maintain visitors' interest
The British Museum demeans itself by selling its works as NFTs—and will probably live to regret it
In giving cultural validity to meaningless reproductions of Turner and Hokusai pieces, The British Museum blurs the lines between real and fake at its peril
Omicron won't thwart my Old Master mission
My trip to Munich's Alte Pinakothek was worth the multiple levels of Covid-related admin
And the award goes to… my wholly personal choices of the best of the art world in 2021
Bendor Grosvenor selects his favourite exhibition, discovery, book and auction consignment of the year
UK heritage charity the National Trust is ending the year richer than ever—so why all the staff cuts?
The more than 1,700 workers who lost their jobs last year have every right to feel aggrieved as Trust weathers storm regardless of staff savings
Mourning the loss of a fine Rembrandt scholar
Ernst van der Wetering's death this summer leaves a vacancy for an appointed representative of the Dutch master on earth