Sometimes a retrospective exhibition shows us hidden aspects of an artist. We learn that while they were doing the things they’re famous for, they…

When Dr Johnson said the thought of imminent death ‘concentrates the mind wonderfully’ he was addressing the issue of public executions. Lately, we…

The coronation, with its ancient ceremony, bunting galore and its very own quiche, is finally upon us. Today, the British nation will unite in joyous…

I was so disappointed recently by a Cezanne exhibition (at Tate Modern), that I wrote about the frames rather than the paintings. How, then, to…

Britain is possibly the most confused nation in the world. It is certainly one of the oldest, and mental confusion frequently comes with advanced age…

We tend to forget that one of cinema’s abiding action men took his name from a birdwatcher. Yet Ian Fleming, himself an avid enthusiast of all things…

There is a lot to be said for soft power.Sitting under Sir Norman Foster’s glass done in the Reichstag building in Berlin where members of Germany’s …

As a child, I was taught never to mock the afflicted. It’s a good question where or when that rule began, because the afflicted were fair game in…

A huge controversy has arisen over whether it is correct to handle kids’ psyches with kid (i.e., very soft) gloves. On the principle that no job is…

When I told my mum that I was writing about how the ultra-rich plan to live in bunkers to escape the apocalypse, her response was a little bit…