Sunday, March 9, 2025

Visual Art

Doubts on Banksy

What is so enticing – and infuriating – about this mystery man’s slapdash approach to political commentary?

From the Chrysler to the Weston: 100 years of Art Deco

Florence Wolter explores the impact left by Art Deco on Oxford and European Culture. A century on, should we be looking forward, not back?

‘The Pink City’: Ten generations of Jaipur gems

Cherwell visited the Choudhary family's prestigious jewellery collection, now almost 300 years old.

Leonardo da Vinci and his devilish… boyfriend?

When we think of Leonardo da Vinci, the first things that come to mind...

Conceptual art is a bubble

Art critic Julian Spalding talks to Barney Pite about how art dealers have a stranglehold on popularity

The Pitt Rivers must face its dark past

Museum director Dr. Van Broekhoven agrees that a future must be found for the Pitt Rivers' colonial history

Charmed Lives British Museum review – “you can almost feel the sea breeze darting across your face”

Place is the essence of this exhibition, which celebrates the beauty of Greece and its impact on the life and work of three famous bon vivants

Oxford International Art Fair Review – Open to all

Oxford international arts fair offers a accessible approach to curation for better or worse

‘Artivism’ review – avoidance and awkward silence

The first half had the art but the second lacked the activism.

The changing face of the Virgin

Chris Ofili's new depiction of the Virgin Mary is shocking and enticing in equal measure

Impressionists Tate review – ‘impressive and surprising’

Jonathan Egid is underwhelmed by parts of this exhibition, but impressed by its final three rooms.

The Scythians British Museum review – ‘a vivid and intriguing exhibition’

A vivid depiction of an ancient culture excites at the British Museum

Rachel Whiteread Tate review: ‘her pieces are embodiments of domestic memories’

William Hosie's mind is changed as he appreciates the ways that Whiteread's sculptures speak to our shared domestic reality.

Reimagining the Ordinary

  This week, Amber Sidney- Woollett explores the work environment by restructuring dark space, whilst Georgia Heneage uses expressive brush strokes and texture to add...

Kabakov Tate Review- ‘an exercise in alternative perspectives’

Ilya and Emilia Kabakov's 'Not Everyone Will Be Taken into the Future' illustrates the horrors of the Soviet Union through a series of juxtaposing perceptions

Modigliani Tate review – ‘a delight to walk through’

Tate Modern's Modigliani show is tame, but beautiful

Evidence of magic at the British Library

Harry Potter: a History of Magic wonderfully illuminates the inspirations behind a cultural icon, writes Raffaella Sero

A woman weaving herself into history

Hypnotising acidic colours scream out for Anoushka Kavanagh’s attention

The strange death of Constable’s rural idyll

Daniel Villar explores how the English countryside has changed since John Constable painted The Cornfield

Those Who Follow review – “an appreciation of some too often ignored parts of this city we all call home”

Matthew Roberts explores the different faiths of modern Oxford, as presented in the exhibition Those Who Follow

The insincerity of the female nude

Women should not be afraid to reclaim their naked bodies, writes Priya Vempali

Sowing the seeds for the Eastern bloc’s sexual revolution

Chantal Marauta explores the life of Russian Revolutionary feminist Alexandra Kollontai and her fight for gender equality

Revolutionary artists: from creatives to criminals

Catherine Cibulskis reflects on the dramatic evolution of Russian art in the immediate aftermath of the revolution

“A Mythical Future”: Katya Rogatchevskaia on the Russian Revolution

The British Librarian curator discusses her exhibition Russian Revolution: Hope, Tragedy, Myths

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