The Aesthetes: When Kitsch Was Avant-Garde
We may sneer at the Victorian aesthetes, but is the sloppier, more cynical art of today any healthier?
Politics, Ideas and the Arts
Faded Master Of Experimentation
A new exhibition tries to resurrect the reputation of Sir Joshua Reynolds
An English Enthusiast
Reflections on the passing of beloved music critic Michael Kennedy
Carol Robertson
The British abstract artist Carol Robertson has been making paintings based on geometric forms for many years but consistently returns to the circle.
How the Nazis Lost the War on the West
Three refugees saw the Third Reich as the enemy of civilisation. Today we can learn from their example
Monarchy Without Kings
For anyone interested in the founding of the American Republic this work is indispensable reading
A Very Modern Preservationist
In the last year there has been a great Nairn revival - I would have loved to buy him a pint and hear him speak unpretentiously about his love of architecture
The Real Life of Nabokov
The book is beautifully done, but it is long and feels uneven
Better than a Grand Slam
Clive James: whether the culture is low or high, he is in it for the thrills
Last post of a post-war poet
Although at times the tone can seem ill-judged, Jon Stallworthy's poems are full of sincere thought about war
Eccentrics Hiding in the Crowds
When the big shows are overrun by the holiday hordes, seize the moment to savour minority tastes
Father and son: the Herbert Read I knew
A filial memoir of Britain’s apostle of modernism in art