Reviews

Review

Europe’s century of catastrophe need not have happened

Rajiv Joseph's 'Archduke' at London's Royal Court reminds us that the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, and the continent's cascade into war, were not inevitable.

Brendan Simms July 23, 2026

Review

Was Hilma af Klint really an abstract artist?

The Swedish mystic's paintings may be representational after all, giving form to phenomena beyond our comprehension.

Cath Pound July 23, 2026

Review

Elsa Schiaparelli’s baroque fantasy

A new V&A exhibition makes the case for Schiaparelli as an artist, but its muted staging doesn't quite capture her enchanting oddness.

Muriel Zagha July 21, 2026

Review

Nolan’s Odyssey, not Homer’s

Nolan's Odyssey was always going to be a spectacle, but it has little that is Homeric, and nothing at all Hellenic in spirit.

Armand D'Angour July 20, 2026

Review

The women of the Bauhaus

A superlative Berlin exhibition gathers over 300 photographs by the overlooked women of the Bauhaus.

Malcolm Forbes July 16, 2026

Review

Hurvin Anderson’s luminous palette

After decades of accomplished painting, a retrospective provides overdue recognition of Hurvin Anderson's place among Britain’s greatest living artists.

Duncan Wheeler July 10, 2026

Review

Lessons from the Cold War’s disinformation front

Britain's Cold War propagandists fought Moscow with lies and forgeries. The adversaries and the technology have changed; the same threats remain.

Gill Bennett July 8, 2026

Review

The woman who invented George Sand

Fiona Sampson reclaims one of the 19th century's most influential French novelists 150 years after her death.

Katherine Pangonis July 8, 2026

Review

The afterlife of the Soviet spy

The spy fiction written by Soviet intelligence officers was far more than propaganda.

Martin D. Brown July 7, 2026