Highlights
Art
How the world finally caught up with Beatriz González
The subversive artist was told her work would never travel beyond Colombia – now it tours the planet
The secrets of the painter who made cloth come alive
Francisco de Zurbarán’s family earned their fortune from textiles – and he earned his reputation on painting the robes of saints and martyrs
The state should subsidise creatives – it works in Ireland, and kept me going in lockdown
The Irish gave 2,000 artists £283 a week, and more than recouped the cost of the scheme. Why not try it here?
Konrad Mägi, the controversial painter who though Paris was full of ‘sloppy rubbish’
The Estonian artist thought the French masters were ‘hideous’ and ‘boring’. How does his own work measure up?
These unseen Basquiats show why he broke big – and broke down
A mesmerising set of drawings never exhibited during the artist’s life show his genius in its rawest form
The woman who put a lobster on the Duchess of Windsor’s groin
A new exhibition celebrates the absurd brilliance of designer Elsa Schiaparelli, creator of the shoe hat and the skeleton dress
Books
What if Thatcher had been assassinated?
A stage adaptation of Hilary Mantel’s book about an killer and the Tory PM questions both violent rhetoric and violence itself
Living with the ghost of Paul Auster
A beautiful new memoir by novelist Siri Hustvedt, the writer’s widow, is full of philosophical insights
The book that’s causing havoc in Italy
A new book suggesting Jesus and Christ were separate entities has scandalised the nation – even few will ever read it
The day David Attenborough changed my life
A signed book as a schoolboy started my nature obsession. I’ve been learning from him ever since
Britain isn’t the country you think it is
Paul Johnson, the former head of Britain’s most important economic think tank, spent years scrutinising the UK. In his new book, he reveals one of the biggest misconceptions people have about the country and how it works
How I became a Secret Drug Addict
In an extract from his new book, the music business insider behind the acclaimed social media account explains how he hit rock bottom and how he fought back
Music
Build an explosive floating wall in the middle of the Channel, says former Mumford man Winston Marshall
The son of GB News co-owner Paul Marshall has developed a solution to the small boats problem: laying mines in the world’s busiest shipping lane
The new Michael Jackson biopic is worse than bad – it’s dangerous
‘Michael’ avoids the claims of child abuse by the King of Pop – and falls into the same old cliches
‘I hate shit’: Inside the Sex Pistols interview that invented punk
Fifty years ago, writer John Ingham was chatting to three musicians. Then their singer Johnny Rotten opened his mouth, and everything changed
Ozzy Osbourne wouldn’t have marched with Tommy Robinson. Why is Sharon doing so?
Sharon Osbourne plans to join a far right protest in London next month
Will Sam Sauvage cure Britain’s aversion to French pop?
The ‘charming, cool’ winner of best male newcomer at France’s Grammys wants his eclectic style to cross the channel
The night that Purple Rain broke Prince
A performance in Japan meant the end of the Revolution – and began a new chapter in the life of an eccentric genius
Film
A writer’s obsession with the Alain Delon murder mystery
Edward Chisholm’s first book was so good I’m making a movie of it. The second is even better
The new Michael Jackson biopic is worse than bad – it’s dangerous
‘Michael’ avoids the claims of child abuse by the King of Pop – and falls into the same old cliches
The woman behind Mary Poppins hated the Disney classic – and this is why
PL Travers told Walt Disney to throw out the animation and that Julie Andrews was too pretty for the role
How America went mad as hell
Network and All the President’s Men are 50 years old. Both diagnose the beginnings of today’s political diseases – and show symptoms of the sickness of conspiracy theory
What everyone gets wrong about The Stranger
After years of misinterpretation, François Ozon’s blank and beautiful movie truly understands the Camus classic
Exclusive: Jim Jarmusch on psilocybin, Buddhist jokes and turning Tom Waits into an asshole
In his only UK interview for Father Mother Sister Brother, the director opens up about his films, his inspirations and why he hates rehearsals
Theatre
What if Thatcher had been assassinated?
A stage adaptation of Hilary Mantel’s book about an killer and the Tory PM questions both violent rhetoric and violence itself
Has Jacob Rees-Mogg really been banned from ‘woke’ theatres?
The former cabinet minster moans theatres won’t stage his one-man show because they’re woke. Might it be because they’d struggle to sell tickets?
The chaotic magic of Rebecca Lucy Taylor
The singer also known as Self Esteem is phenomenal as she follows revival in a revival of David Hare’s Teeth ’n’ Smiles
Review: Summerfolk at the National turns Gorky sweary – it’s trying far too hard
Four-letter words and modern slang are meant to make this revival accessible, but something has been lost as a result
Review: The Beekeeper of Aleppo is the wrong show at the right time
A flawed play makes a timely point – we shouldn’t complain about refugees when we help to create them
Quentin Tarantino is back… sigh
The foul-mouthed vinyl-botherer is leaving cinema behind to bring a “swashbuckling comedy” to London’s West End
Great Lives
The race that made Ayrton Senna
At Monaco 1984, the Brazilian announced himself as a legend – but a decade later, he was gone
The woman behind Mary Poppins hated the Disney classic – and this is why
PL Travers told Walt Disney to throw out the animation and that Julie Andrews was too pretty for the role
The night that Purple Rain broke Prince
A performance in Japan meant the end of the Revolution – and began a new chapter in the life of an eccentric genius
Kazuo Shiraga, the Japanese artist who turned painting into violence
The abstract painter wanted to make art like he was ‘rushing through a battlefield’ – so he started using his feet as brushes
Billy Wilder, the outsider who understood the American soul
The exiled writer/director knew that audiences really wanted empathy from Hollywood, not glamour
Nawal El Saadawi, the rebel doctor who wrote the truth on prison toilet roll
With her distinctive bold colours, grey curls and bright scarves, Saadawi became a feminist icon. Margaret Atwood called her ‘one of the great radical voices of our time’