Art in the United Kingdom

We admit it, we are anglophiles. From Lincoln Cathedral to Sir Christopher Wren to the Young British Artists.

videos + essays

Joshua ibn Gaon, a decorated Hebrew Bible (MS. Kennicott 2)
Joshua ibn Gaon, a decorated Hebrew Bible (MS. Kennicott 2)

A ritualized, mindful engagement between reader and Hebrew Bible is supported by this manuscript’s lavish decorative program.

<em>Standard of Ur</em> and other objects from the Royal Graves
Standard of Ur and other objects from the Royal Graves

Intentionally buried as part of an elaborate ritual, this ornate object tells us so much, but also too little.

Gothic architecture explained
Gothic architecture explained

Just how did Gothic architects support heavy stone ceilings and create the effect of heaven on earth?

Step inside Magdalena Abakanowicz’s forest of woven sculptures
Step inside Magdalena Abakanowicz’s forest of woven sculptures

Magdalena Abakanowicz's sculptures defied categorization, seeming like coats or cocoons that tempted you to crawl inside, or hairy living creatures suspended from the gallery ceiling.

Ford Madox Brown, <em>Work</em>
Ford Madox Brown, Work

Muscles, morals, and mongrels help to illustrate the stratification of social class in Victorian England.

Daniel Libeskind, Imperial War Museum North, Manchester, UK
Daniel Libeskind, Imperial War Museum North, Manchester, UK

The museum's architectural design brings the personal tragic stories of the wars of the 20th century to visitors

Sir Edward Burne-Jones, stained glass windows at Birmingham Cathedral
Sir Edward Burne-Jones, stained glass windows at Birmingham Cathedral

Stained glass was an important medium for Burne-Jones, and William Morris was his ideal partner.

The Black Atlantic: Toppled Monuments and Hidden Histories
The Black Atlantic: Toppled Monuments and Hidden Histories

Culture writer and curator Ekow Eshun explores monuments and hidden histories through the work of Donald Locke and Hew Locke.

The Black Atlantic: Identity and Nationhood
The Black Atlantic: Identity and Nationhood

culture writer and curator Ekow Eshun considers identity and nationhood through the work of Ellen Gallagher, Lubaina Himid, John Akomfrah, Chris Ofili and Fred Wilson.

The Black Atlantic: Afterlives of Slavery in Contemporary Art
The Black Atlantic: Afterlives of Slavery in Contemporary Art

Culture writer and curator Ekow Eshun looks at the afterlives of slavery in contemporary artistic practice through the work of Kara Walker, Alberta Whittle, and Hew Locke.

The Black Atlantic: What is the Black Atlantic?
The Black Atlantic: What is the Black Atlantic?

Culture writer and curator Ekow Eshun searches for a definition of the Black Atlantic, drawing on the works of JMW Turner, Ingrid Pollard, Isaac Julien and Yinka Shonibare.

Ellen Galagher, <em>DeLuxe</em>
Ellen Galagher, DeLuxe

Based on magazines dating from the 1930s to the 1970s aimed at African-American audiences, Gallagher's witty and sophisticated interventions emphasize the complex construction of identity.