Art
A Contemporary Take on Rococo Over-Intellectualizes Its Point
Tom Ellis’s detached intellectualizing of the Wallace Collection’s contents and history unfortunately leaves the soul unstirred.
Olivia McEwan
Olivia McEwan is a trained art historian and freelance writer focusing on the London art world. She is also a practising artist, lending a keen eye and understanding of painterly technique which informs her criticisms of historical and emerging arts.
Art
Lessons from the Unfolding Old Masters Forgery Scandal
The authenticity of recently "discovered" works purported to be by Frans Hals, Lucas Cranach the Elder, and Orazio Gentileschi has been called into question, and they might only be the tip of the iceberg.
Art
A Naughtier, Contemporary Take on Old Masters Debauchery
In direct response to scenes of mythical debauchery depicted in paintings by Titian and Poussin, George Shaw uses the woodland backdrop to imagine the morning after.
Art
The Fleeting Pleasure of Frieze Masters, Where Old Treasures Go to Change Hands
Originally conceived as an offshoot of the uber-fashionable Frieze Art Fair, Frieze Masters has become a major draw in itself.
Art
At Tate Modern, an Attempt to Free Georgia O’Keeffe’s Art from an Erotic Interpretation
LONDON — The opening of Tate Modern on London’s South Bank in 2000 changed the landscape of contemporary art in Britain.
Art
The Many Influences and Invasions that Shaped Two Millennia of Sicilian Art
LONDON — Sicily: Culture and Conquest is one of the last exhibitions commissioned by outgoing British Museum director Neil MacGregor and encapsulates what made his tenure so valuable.
Art
The Woman Who Found Abstraction Before the Modernists
LONDON — The first thought that struck me about the Serpentine Gallery’s exhibition of Swedish artist Hilma af Klint, Painting the Unseen, was: Thank goodness — finally a solo show starring a female artist!
Art
A Show About Delacroix’s Influence Is Sorely Missing His Work
LONDON — Delacroix and the Rise of Modern Art suffers from too few of Delacroix’s works and far too much of the “modern art.”
Art
How Modern Gardens and Painting Developed in Tandem
LONDON — In 2015 the Royal Academy of Arts faced a critical backlash against its last major painting blockbuster, Rubens and His Legacy, which featured very little Rubens and an awful lot of tenuous filler. Thank goodness, then, that the museum is back on track with its new survey, Painting the Mode
Art
Marveling at Goya's Haunting Portraits
LONDON — When was the last time you saw a survey of one artist that could dispel completely the need for filler?
Art
Tate Modern’s Absorbing but Haphazard Look at Global Pop Art
LONDON — The World Goes Pop is an exhilarating collection filled with fizzing energy, so its curatorial messiness can be forgiven.
Art
A Barbara Hepworth Retrospective Hampered by Her Male Contemporaries
LONDON — Barbara Hepworth: Sculpture for a Modern World marks one of the last exhibitions backed by the outgoing Tate Britain director, Penelope Curtis.