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Castell Coch

Castell Coch, known in Welsh as the “Red Castle”, is a striking architectural landmark situated above the village of Tongwynlais. From its origins as a Norman outpost in the 11th century to its dramatic 19th-century revival under the architect William Burges, the castle reflects centuries of shifting power, taste, and imagination. Today, it is preserved by Cadw, Wales’ heritage agency, not only…

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Kiefer/Van Gogh

Featuring works by both Anselm Kiefer and Vincent Van Gogh, the Royal Academy’s new exhibition explores the influence of the latter on Kiefer’s artwork, including new pieces by Kiefer which have never been shown before. Anselm Kiefer, born on 8th March 1945, is a German painter and sculptor. Kiefer creates art using materials like straw, ash, clay, lead, and shellac. His work often explores…

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Brasil! Brasil! Tarsila do Amaral

Included in the recent Brasil! Brasil! exhibition at the Royal Academy was Tarsila de Aguiar do Amaral (1886-1973), a Brazilian painter, draftswoman, and translator. She is celebrated for blending nationalistic expression with modern art. As part of the Grupo dos Cinco, Tarsila played a key role in Brazil’s modern art movement. Her famous painting, Abaporu, inspired Oswald de Andrade’s Manifesto…

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Clara Schumann

Clara Schumann (née Wieck, 1819–1896) was a German pianist, composer, and piano teacher, celebrated as one of the greatest pianists of the Romantic era. During her 61-year career, she reshaped piano recitals by focusing less on virtuosic displays and more on meaningful repertoire. Clara composed piano pieces, a concerto, chamber music, choral works, and songs. Clara Josephine Wieck was born on…

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Forgotten Women: Catherine Read

Catherine Read (1723- 1778) was a Scottish artist known for her portrait paintings. Born in Dundee, Scotland, she was one of thirteen children in a wealthy family. She studied painting under Maurice Quentin De La Tour (1740-88) in Edinburgh. In the mid-18th century, Read became a fashionable portrait artist in London, working in oils, crayons, and miniatures. From 1760, she exhibited almost…

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Caerphilly Castle

Rising from the waters, Caerphilly Castle is the largest fortress in Wales. Built by Gilbert de Clare (1243-95) in the 13th century, this stronghold boasts Britain’s most elaborate water defences and concentric fortification design. With its vast artificial lakes, towering gatehouses, and a history of clashes between Anglo-Norman lords and native Welsh rulers, Caerphilly is more than Wales’s…

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Dickensian London

There are many connections to Charles Dickens (1812-70) throughout London, where he once lived and worked. These same locations are found in his novels, set in the pre-industrial 19th century. Born in Portsmouth, Dickens moved to the capital at the age of 12, where his childhood came to an early end when his father was imprisoned for debt. Forced to work to feed his family, Dickens started…

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Forgotten Women

Susannah-Penelope Rosse A Woman, presumed to be a self-portrait of Susannah-Penelope Rosse Susannah-Penelope Rosse (1652-1700) was an English painter famous for her portrait miniatures. She was the daughter of painter Richard Gibson (1650-90) and is best known for her portrait of Gilbert Burnet (1643-1715). Born in 1652, Rosse was the eldest child of Anne (née Sheppard; 1625-1707) and Richard…

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Deaf: Ferdinand Berthier

Ferdinand Berthier (1803-1886) was a French Deaf educator, intellectual, and political advocate in 19th-century France. He was one of the world’s first advocates for Deaf identity and culture. Born on 30th September 1803 in Louhans, Saône-et-Loire, France, Ferdinand Berthier joined the Institut National de Jeunes Sourds de Paris (National Institute for Deaf Youth of Paris) in 1811, then led by…

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A Grace for beauty, and a Muse for wit

Anne Killigrew, self-portrait, Berkeley Castle Described by contemporaries as “A Grace for beauty, and a Muse for wit, Anne Killigrew (1660-1685) was an English poet and painter involved in literary and court circles. Her poems were distributed in manuscript form and published posthumously in 1686 after she died of smallpox at age 25. John Dryden (1631-1700) eulogised Killigrew in his poem To…

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Age of Elegance

The Edwardians: Age of Elegance at the King’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace, demonstrates the artistic tastes and collections of two generations of the British royal family: King Edward VII (1841-1910) and King George V (1865-1936). Covering the years 1863 to 1920, the items on display are acquisitions that sat within the settings of their private residences and the formal court, often documenting…

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A View of Mexico

José María Velasco (1840-1912), Mexico’s leading landscape painter in the late 19th century, focused on the Valley of Mexico, the volcanic region surrounding Mexico City. He aimed to capture its beauty and connection to history, nature, and industry. José María Velasco: A View of Mexico is the first major exhibition of Velasco’s work in the United Kingdom and the first at the National Gallery…

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Cartier

Until 16th November 2025, the Victoria and Albert Museum is hosting a significant Cartier exhibition featuring over 350 items, including jewellery, gemstones, and iconic timepieces that illustrate the development of Cartier’s design and craftsmanship since the early 20th century. With brothers Louis (1875-1942), Pierre (1878-1964), and Jacques (1884-1942) joining their father Alfred Cartier…

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Two Brazilian Artists

Roberto Burle Marx (1909-94) was a renowned Brazilian landscape architect, painter, printmaker, ecologist, naturalist, artist, and musician. He gained fame for his park and garden designs and for bringing modernist landscape architecture to Brazil. Anita Catarina Malfatti (1889-1964) was a Brazilian artist who played a key role in introducing European and American Modernist art to Brazil. Her…

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Simeon's Mayfair Mission

I spy, with my little eye, somewhere beginning with ‘M’. Yes, it’s Mayfair, an area full of spies! Ann Onymous, a local inhabitant, has worked at GCHQ for many years, but she disappeared following comments on Flutter about her flash cars and regular holidays to redacted locations. Rumours were not helped by the fact, as some bright spark pointed out, that even her name makes her sound like a…

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Forgotten Artists: Joan Carlile

Joan Carlile (c. 1606-79) was an English portrait painter and one of the first British women to paint professionally. Before her, most professional female painters in Britain were born in other parts of Europe, such as the Low Countries. Carlile, born Joan Palmer, was the daughter of William Palmer, an official in the Royal Parks, and his wife, Mary. She started her art career by copying works…

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The Father of American Literature

Samuel Langhorne Clemens (1835-1910), better known as Mark Twain, was a famous American writer celebrated as one of the greatest humorists in US history. Author William Faulkner (1897-1962) called him “the father of American literature,” and his most famous works include The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) and its sequel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884). Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961)…