Arts

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.

David Hockney's A Big Splash which captures a split-second moment of exploding pool water and clean summer light (Credit: Tate)

Why David Hockney's 1967 masterpiece is newly poignant after his death

In the wake of legendary British artist David Hockney's death, aged 88, his famous meditation on presence and absence, A Bigger Splash, takes on a new meaning.

Nadia, wearing a red cardigan, stands beside a dark abstract painting called 'Reborn sounds of childhood dreams' by Sudanese artist, Ibrahim El-Salahi.

'It doesn't look African': Challenging stereotypes at Tate Modern

"There's this misconception that African art is solely about masks or sculptural types," says Nadia Denton.

Arts in Motion

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

Max Beckmann's 1927 artwork Variu00e9tu00e9 (Variety Show) (Credit: Courtesy private collection/ Gina Folly)

'A dark and violent scene': The 1927 painting that foretold Germany's downfall

Variety Show by German painter Max Beckmann is an unsettling painting depicting a chaotic cabaret scene – what does it mean, and did it foreshadow the rise of Nazism?

James Abbott McNeill Whistler's Arrangement in Grey and Black No. 1, also called Whistler's Mother (1871) (Credit: Musu00e9e d'Orsay)

Whistler Mother is a US icon - here's why the artist would've hated its success

A history of art in seven colours

Composite of Picasso's Les Demoiselles d'Avignon (left) and Henry Taylor's From Congo to the Capital and Black Again (Credit: The Museum of Modern Art, New York/ Auru00e9lien Mole/ Henry Taylor Courtesy the artist)

'Hideous': The controversy over Picasso's most shocking painting

Documentaries

The Genius of Palaces

In Search of the Brontës

The World's Greatest Paintings

Ancient Treasures with Bettany Hughes

Art That Made Us

Mozart In London

Becoming Frida Kahlo

Shakespeare: Rise of a Genius

Around the world

Toni Morrison looking right (Credit: Getty Images)

Toni Morrison on why 'writing for black people is tough'

One of the great 20th-Century novelists, Morrison consciously aimed her work at black American readers. In a 2003 interview, she told the BBC about why that made her writing sing.

The forbidden erotica of ancient Pompeii

A unique collection of erotic art was found perfectly preserved in the ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum.

The book covers of Yesteryear, Transcription and Look What You Made Me Do (Credit: Fourth Estate/ Granta/ Faber & Faber)

10 of the best books of 2026 so far

From a darkly comic tale of revenge to a beautiful contemplation on friendship, here are the year's most acclaimed works of fiction so far.

William Blake's illustration for A Midsummer Night's Dream showing the fairies dancing (Image credit: Alamy)

The centuries-old origins of current fairy fiction

The fairies in erotic "fae" romantasy are not cute or benevolent. They are dangerous, shape-shifting beings, exactly what they were in historic folklore, according to a new book.

Watch

Why Yinka Shonibare doesn't believe in tearing down statues

The celebrated British artist believes that instead of erasing history, art should challenge it to spark debate.

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.

A view of the inside of the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris with people seated inside the nave during a mass (Credit: Getty Images)

Does Notre-Dame still sound the same?

Performers and visitors to the famous gothic cathedral in the midst of the River Seine may find some subtle differences to the way sound bounces around its walls.

Anita Lasker-Wallfisch holding a photograph of herself when she was younger playing the cello (Credit: Getty Images)

How music saved a cellist's life in Auschwitz

After being sent to the Nazi death camp in 1943, Anita Lasker survived by playing in its women's orchestra. In 1996, she spoke to the BBC about her ordeal.