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The book covers of John of John, Land and Cool Machine

14 of the best books of 2026 so far

From a dizzyingly brilliant heist to a devastating tale of generational loss, here are the year's most acclaimed works of fiction so far.

Yayoi Kusama seen looking through a clear screen with red spots painted on it, with red and white clothes and background

In pictures: The dotty world of Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama

Kusama was known for creating extraordinary immersive worlds that delighted millions of visitors.

A detail showing soldiers on horseback from the Bayeux Tapestry (Credit: Alamy)

Power, posturing, penis size: What the Bayeux Tapestry reveals about the Middle Ages

In the 11th-Century masterpiece's tale of a contested throne, virility is equated to power – and the largest and proudest appendage. It tells a story that feels familiar today.

Arts in Motion

Rolex and the Arts

Rolex and the Arts

Through its Perpetual Arts Initiative, Rolex supports world-leading cultural institutions and exceptional artists, in the spirit of celebrating excellence and promoting the transmission of knowledge to new generations.

Art history

Cropped version of Van Gogh's Cafu00e9 Terrace at Night (Credit: Collection Kru00f6ller-Mu00fcller Museum, Otterlo, The Netherlands)

The five details that unlock the genius of Van Gogh's original 'starry night'

Vincent van Gogh transformed an ordinary city square into something special with his first "starry night" painting in 1888. Here's how he did it, and what it means.

Detail of mountain and blue sky in Franklin Carmichael's Lone Lake (1929) (Credit: Alamy)

The 1920s paintings that changed how the world saw Canada

Crop of The Bloody Massacre perpetrated in King Street, Boston on March 5,1770 by a party of the 29th Regiment (Credit: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York/ Gift of Mrs Russell Sage)

The image that fuelled the American Revolution

A cropped version of Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird by Frida Kahlo (Credit: Nickolas Muray/ Collection of Mexican Art)

What this Frida Kahlo painting tells us about her most intimate vulnerabilities

Around the world

10 remarkable artists' homes that are also museums

From Dalí's surreal home to Derek Jarman's seaside cottage and Frida Kahlo's Casa Azul, these homes and gardens are shrines to their extraordinary owners.

Ancient mosaic scene from Homeru2019s Odyssey, depicting Odysseus meeting with sirens (Credit: Alamy)

'Sex, strategy and power': How women shape the plot of Homer's Odyssey

The protagonist of the epic poem is a heroic male – but the story is shaped by the stratagems and seductions of the women, nymphs and goddesses he meets along the way.

Europe's secret dyeing formula

In Central Europe, a rare, centuries-old practice has influenced the language, dress and culture of several nations.

Detail of Portrait of a Woman by Lucas Cranach the Elder showing a Tudor-era painting of a young nun in a habit (Credit: Getty Images)

The servant who foretold King Henry VIII's death - and paid the ultimate price

Elizabeth Barton became a celebrated visionary, but when she defied the monarch, she met a grisly end. Was she a charlatan or a heroine of the Tudor world?

Watch

The ancient Japanese philosophy that helps us accept our flaws

Japan's ancient philosophy that helps us accept our flaws

Can embracing imperfection bring greater peace? Japan's ancient tradition of kintsugi suggests it can.

Classical music

Margot the dog listens attentively as a TV behind her can be seen playing a classical piece (Credit: Serenity Strull)

The music that keeps animals calm

You can find many different playlists for dogs and cats online. However, not all styles of music are effective.

Janet Leigh screaming in the shower in Psycho (Credit: Alamy)

How the Psycho music score changed film forever

Alfred Hitchcock's grisly horror might not have become a classic without composer Bernard Herrmann's disturbing score.

Yannick Nu00e9zet-Su00e9guin: Mozart reveals everything

Yannick Nézet-Séguin: Mozart reveals everything

The music director of the Met Opera shares how a commitment to authenticity shape his approach to conducting.

Sinfonía por el Perú: Changing lives through music

Sinfonía por el Perú: Changing lives through music

What if a single note could change a life? That's exactly what's happening at Sinfonía por el Perú.

Steven Isserlis: 'I want to be a voice in their heads'

Steven Isserlis: 'I want to be a voice in their heads'

In an intimate portrait, acclaimed cellist Steven Isserlis opens up about why he loves teaching young musicians.

Yannick Nu00e9zet-Su00e9guin: From child podigy to modern maestro

Yannick Nézet-Séguin: From child prodigy to modern maestro

The renowned conductor and music director of the Met Opera reveals how a calling became his lifelong journey.

More Arts stories

A group of men and women, who are all wearing gym clothing, are gathered together in a dance studio for a photograph.

The dance group helping with addiction and mental health struggles

The dancers are preparing to perform a sold-out show at the Royal Opera House in London.

A stone sculpture of Neptune in front of green trees and a blue sky.

The eye-catching sculptures found across the West

From the M5 Willow Man to Cary Grant, the area is home to a variety of figures.

Peter Marinker in dress rehearsals for the play Krapp's Last Tape. He is wearing an old grey dressing gown and sitting in front of a desk. There is a tape recorder in front of him and some silver boxes containing reel-to-reel tapes.

This actor was told he had Alzheimer's, now he's performing a one-man show

Peter Marinker is taking on one of Samuel Beckett's most famous plays alone on a London stage.

Lutes and guitar used in the Early Music Banbury festival. A musician is seen behind the instruments.

Early music festival nominated for international award

Oxfordshire festival says it is "a remarkable milestone" for an event established three years ago.

A boy in a black and blue rugby shirt running with a rugby ball towards the camera. Some of his team mates are following in support, as well as opposition players in red and white shirts.

Mixed ability rugby 'spirit' on show at exhibition

The free exhibition at Bath Central Library features images from Bath Mixed Ability Rugby.

A woman in a black cardigan and spotted shirt, another woman with a colourful yellow top and glasses, and another woman with a blue, stripy shirt, stand in front of a hat collection.

How fashion returned to Scotland's former national costume museum

The striking outfits are on display at Shambellie House - which closed as a costume museum in 2013.

An old colour photo of a group of women wearing colourful hats, some in bow ties, others wearing moustaches and flat caps.

Merry midwives' final curtain after 40 years

A group of nurses have raised around £150,000 for local organisations through their performances.

A large industrial-style brick building with prominent red painted doors and windows.

People invited to partake in architect exhibition

The Association of Jersey Architect said all entries would be exhibited at Capital House, St Helier.

Richard Gadd has short, dark hair and a short beard and is wearing a white suit jacket, white shirt and black bow tie. He is standing in front of a pink background

Gadd's debt to Edinburgh: 'You arrive with an idea and leave with a career'

The Baby Reindeer star says the festivals are essential for new talent, and that he owes his success to the Fringe.

Painting of York

Artist granted prestigious visa for paintings of York

The beach at Westward Ho! on a sunny day. There are people sitting, lying and walking on the dark yellow sand. The sea is far out and there is a white wash at the shoreline. A seagull has photo bombed the photo, it is in the foreground in the middle of the shot, above the rocky top of the beach at the foot of the seawall.

Artists sought to create village landmark

Torridge District Council is looking for artists to make original artwork for and about Westward Ho!

Historic theatre-style building with arched windows and entrance doors.

Capitol Plaza wins community asset status

The former Scarborough cinema is formally recognised as plans for a theatre revival progress.

A colourful mural on the side wall of the Power Cup cafe with strange designs in graffiti including the head of a pigeon in blue on an orange background

Will pigeon mural get its wings back?

Two years after a cafe's pigeon mural was controversially replaced, its owner plans a new design.

Nathan Murdoch is standing in a studio wearing a white T-shirt and dark trousers. There is a large painting of a scaly, red dragon with yellow eyes next to him.

'Dragon' offers street artist advice - and a job

Nathan Murdoch is offered a job painting one of the Dragon's offices in London.

An aerial view of the Angel Place regeneration showing scaffolding around an art deco-styled building. Blue covers cover large parts of the building and boards have been put up to keep people out of the site.

Call for £1.5m to finish city regeneration scheme

The contractor is asking for an extra £1.5m to cover extra costs in order to finish the project.