Instant Expert
22 Jul 2022
This year marks 30 years since Angkor in Cambodia became a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Our expert, Denise Heywood, takes us on a tour of its extraordinary temples, which collectively make up one of the wonders of the world
22 Jun 2022
How did artists such as Signac, Seurat and Monet harness colour so powerfully? By studying expert theories on its use, says Caroline Levisse. Here are the things to know about those theories, from how colours ‘behave’ to the ‘friendship’ of certain hues
17 May 2022
Portable, practical, timeless and durable: the importance of the role of jewellery in tracking the progress of civilisation cannot be overestimated, says our expert John Benjamin. Mirroring changes in social and economic custom and behaviour, its sheer indestructibility has meant that, whether a simple gold ring or opulent tiara, jewellery has long acted as a lightning conductor to the past
19 Apr 2022
His life was short but prolific – and such were his artistic skills that Picasso once said, ‘Leonardo da Vinci promises us heaven, Raphael gives it to us.’ Now, as the National Gallery has opened its long-awaited show of his works, Siân Walters reveals the things we should know about Raphael’s life and art
18 Jan 2022
On a frosty January morning in 1649, Charles I stepped from the Banqueting House at Whitehall to his execution. The building, a masterpiece of revolutionary architecture, was central to the Stuart dynasty – a space that denoted power. Our expert, Siobhan Clarke, relates its story and the tale of why Parliament dared to kill a king
13 Dec 2021
From the earliest painters to William Blake and on to Antony Gormley, artists have always been fascinated by angels – but are these celestial beings messengers or missiles? Our expert, Caroline Holmes, examines the evidence
22 Nov 2021
There is universal delight in being deceived by magic, with magicians upending our assumptions about the way the world works. Our expert, magician Bertie Pearce, guides us through this world of smoke and mirrors
9 Nov 2021
World War II curators were prepared to go to extraordinary lengths to hide (in unlikely sites) the UK’s dazzling art collection. Our expert, Caroline Shenton, takes up the tale
8 Nov 2021
The term ‘icon’ comes from the Greek ‘eikon’, meaning ‘image’. These objects of veneration come with a rich history, with the earliest surviving examples dating to the 6th or 7th century. Our expert, Helen McIldowie-Jenkins, unpicks the tale of the origins and making of this particularly singular art form