A portrait of Winston Churchill in a 'moment of crisis' - said to the leader's favourite painting of himself - has gone on display at London's National Portrait Gallery. Painted in 1916, it captures a vulnerable side of Britain's great wartime leader, who was haunted by the disastrous failure of the Gallipoli Campaign (left) he had championed the year before. Upon seeing the painting (right), Churchill is said to have told artist William Orpen he had captured his soul. ...read
Art big picture gallery
The moody life-like dioramas showing buildings in London, New York, Mumbai, Paris and Tokyo were created by photographer Andy Rudak.
Art Headlines
Fire and reign: Queen gives her ‘blessing’ for Buckingham Palace to be burned down (…but don’t worry, it’s just a model made for Bonfire Night)
Edward Heath, 63, has been designing and building Bonfire Night effigies of famous landmarks for 20 years, including the Houses of Parliament, Tower of London and the White House. This year, he asked permission from the Queen before building a replica of Buckingham Palace. He has helped raise £80,000 for charity with his fireworks displays in Dilhorne, near Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire. ...read
Royal sheikh who spent more than £1billion on his art collection is accused of leaving 'extraordinary trail' of unpaid debt around world's top auction houses
Saud Bin Mohammed Al-Thani (left) is being sued by dealers who say he owes them $19.7 million for a collection of ancient Greek coins sold at auction in New York in January, the High Court in London heard. Saud, 45, 'purchased nearly $20 million worth of coins from the Prospero Collection', regarded as the finest assortment of Archaic, Classical and Hellenistic Greek coins ever assembled (pictured background). He has spent £1bn in total on items like a £4.6m complete set of Audubon's Birds of America artwork (right), £7.9m on the Roman marble statue the Jenkins Venus (far right) and the £3m Clive of India flask (centre). ...read
MUST READS...Art stories from around the world
First Century Photoshop: Study that brings mummies back to life reveals talent of the age's painters with eerie portrait likenesses
A study of mummy portraits, first published in the journal ZAS, has revealed the talents of 1st century A.D artists, even tweaking their features slightly to be more flattering.
Now poor Knut is immortal: Berlin Zoo unveils statue in honour of tragic polar bear who became a victim of his own success
He earned the zoo millions during his short life and this week the statue funded by fans from across the world and the statue called 'Knut the Dreamer' was unveiled at Berlin Zoo not far from where he captivated 11 million visitors during his short life.
'I was on a razor's edge': Photographer captures stunning shots of the moment he came face to face with a polar bear
It was the moment he had spent two cold, grueling, and solitary weeks waiting for. But when Paul Souders finally came face to face with a polar bear his patience paid off beautifully - as these stunning snaps show.
FANCY THAT
Scroll through for the most amazing stories from around the globe
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BAN KI-MOON GOES GANGNAM WITH PSY
The South Korean duo joined together in recreating the world-wide phenomenon that is the Gangnam-style dance -
WHO ORDERED SWEET AND SOUR MOGGIES?
Moment truck crammed with FIVE HUNDRED cats was stopped en route to restaurants in China -
'HOUSE' MOUSE... WITH BUILT-IN WINDOW
They were stitched to their bellies so scientists can watch tumours grow inside -
THAT CAKE LOOKS SEW TASTY...
Incredible dessert designs that make everyday objects look good enough to eat -
I'VE GOT A REAL CRUSH ON YOU
Determined turtle survives struggle with anaconda as its shell stops it from being suffocated -
NICE ICE (IN A STAGNANT POOL)
Warren Krupsaw scours the area near his home in northern Virginia for the rich photographic pickings -
IS THAT AN APE, BOY OR APE-BOY?
75-year-old picture sweeps internet but does it show man's missing link... or the work of a very good make-up artist? -
AMAZING CIGAR UFO CAUGHT ON CAMERA
Object watched by amateur astronomer Allen Epling from his Virgie, Kentucky home for over two hours -
WOMAN, 113, 'WORLD'S OLDEST DWARF'?
Zeenat Bi, a resident of Bhopal, India, is just 3ft tall -
BAN KI-MOON GOES GANGNAM WITH PSY
The South Korean duo joined together in recreating the world-wide phenomenon that is the Gangnam-style dance -
WHO ORDERED SWEET AND SOUR MOGGIES?
Moment truck crammed with FIVE HUNDRED cats was stopped en route to restaurants in China
The Day In Pictures
The best pictures from around the world today
REVIEWS
IN BOOKS TODAY
- I love you, said the hippo to the aardvark: Ivory, Apes And Peacocks, by Alan Root
- That woman's a bit moody - throw her in the looney bin: Inconvenient People, by Sarah Wise
- Nostalgic thoughts of Anneka's bottom: The 1980s Childhood, by Michael A. Johnston
- When dogs were a cutting edge kitchen appliance: Consider The Fork: A History Of Invention In The Kitchen, by Bee Wilson
- Rum goings-on in the Florida badlands: Live By Night, by Dennis Lehane
MUSIC REVIEWS
- Ed keeps us all in the loop: Ed Sheeran at the Hammersmith Apollo
- 'This year I've cried a lot': Dionne Warwick reflects on a terrible year... as she looks forward to the future with new album
- Back with a bang: George Michael returns to London stage with Symphonica and he's better than ever
- Memories of Georg the genius
THEATRE
- Orpheus Descending: A myth that's truly fantastic Imogen Stubbs takes the lead in a revival marking a new era at the Royal Exchange
- Dangerous Lady: Gangster girl gets this crew out of jail in a theatrical heist New staging of Martina Cole’s 20-year-old potboiler
- 9 TO 5: High art it ain't - but 9 To 5 is still a Dolly good show An American whopper-melt of a musical has opened
- 55 Days: Arrogant and a bit hammy, he's a proper Charlie! Playwright Howard Brenton analyses Oliver Cromwell and Charles I.
- The White House Murder Case: Not much wit in the White House His comedy is a toothless satire
LATEST ALBUM RELEASES
Scroll through for the latest new album releases
Talking Book (Island)
Another covers album and another quirky offering from prolific Gray, who re-imagines Stevie Wonder’s 1972 masterpiece Talking Book. It is, she says, ‘not a tribute album, but a love letter’. Superstition lacks the original’s funky drive, but Blame It On The Sun and You Are The Sunshine Of My Life are convincing ballads.
***
How Not To Lose Things (Absolute)
Elizabeth McGovern is best known as Cora, Countess of Grantham, in Downton Abbey, but she also fronts a six-piece bar band. Here, she sings and strums her way through 12 heartfelt tunes. Her voice is well-suited to the country ballads. Fellow Downton star Michelle Dockery guests.
***
Jake Bugg (Mercury)
The term fast-rising hardly does justice to Nottingham teen Jake Bugg, a solo strummer who seems primed to make the same impact as Ed Sheeran. This debut features 14 short, sharp songs adorned by the youngster’s fiery Telecaster. Rockabilly, skiffle and Dylan are obvious influences.
****
20 (Island)
Paul Weller, Eddi Reader as well as Radiohead’s Phil Selway are among the guests helping Barnsley folk singer and guitarist Kate Rusby celebrate two decades in music. This double CD finds the crystal-voiced Yorkshire lass revamping the songs from her nine solo albums, mixing originals with traditionals such as Jolly Plough Boys. A career retrospective, it is also a superb introduction to a giant of her genre.
****
Glassheart (Syco)
Do The X Factor’s acts realise that the average winner’s career is just a bit longer than a kamikaze pilot’s? Eight series on, Leona Lewis is one of the few survivors still on Simon Cowell’s label. So what does this Londoner have the others don’t? A great second single, for one; 2007’s Bleeding Love, with its thwarted passions and driving drumbeat, is a crucial part of the blueprint for her third album. Add a powerful voice, glamorous looks and a professional disposition and that’s your formula. It does depend on the songs, but Leona has enough big ones on a stylish if rather monochrome collection of modern-girl laments. Trouble is her best since Bleeding Love; Fireflies and Stop The Clocks are grand, sorrowful and tailored to her undeniable strengths.
★★★✩✩
The Haunted Man (Parlophone)
If the disappointment at Kate Bush’s absence from the Olympic Closing Ceremony stemmed not from nostalgia but a craving for fearlessly strange female pop artists, Bat For Lashes’ return ought to be good news. But these are, musically, conservative times. Natasha Khan, the one fixed member, isn’t likely to be sprung to stardom by this third album, with its bleakly lush electronic palette and deep, desolate themes. At 32, she may be destined to be loved by relatively few. To see if you’re one of them, try Marilyn: it rises from synth doodles to crescendos that aim for the brilliant drama of Kate circa Hounds Of Love.
★★★★✩
The Singer (Sony)
There’s a moment in a documentary on Simon & Garfunkel when Art, the duo’s non-writing, angel-voiced half, reflects on being in ‘the harmony game’, and Paul fails to suppress a mean smirk at the pompous choice of words. Soon after, the songsmith left a man born to harmonise to play the game alone. This career summary is evidence of steady, if unspectacular success, his voice too pristine to record a bad song, but lacking the edge or material to make a great one. Bright Eyes, his No 1 of 1979, comes close, as does 99 Miles From LA. But Bridge Over Troubled Water and a few other early greats set an impossible standard.
★★★✩✩
Storm & Grace (Universal)
As Elvis Presley’s only child, Lisa Marie has plenty to live up to. She learnt how to sing in Graceland, and this album relies heavily on vintage Americana. With guitarist Richard Hawley and T-Bone Burnett assisting, she delves into swamp-blues, southern folk and rootsy country. The outcome is an impressive clutch of songs that love you tender while sounding like vignettes from a Tarantino soundtrack.
***