The Graces, dancing in a circle, nude or veiled in diaphanous gowns, celebrated ideal beauty, but were also the touchstone in the battle for supremacy between painting and sculpture, as Michael Prodger reveals

A balletic counterpart to histories of royal women as whores or virgins

“EVERY NOW AND THEN, ONE PAINTS A PICTURE that seems to have opened a door and serves as a stepping-stone to other things.” Pablo Picasso’s comment is easily applicable to his famous oil painting The

With a strength of character that belied her fragile looks, Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun pushed the boundaries of royal portraiture and, after the French Revolution, challenged the loss of female influence via every frill and fold in her work

Rows of neatly pressed navy trousers and red jackets line the stage. The young musicians read tiny scores attached to arm bands and instruments, following a conductor whose youthful stature belies a s

The story of a network of artists who opposed fascism