Exhibition of the week
Lubaina Himid With Magda Stawarska: Another Chance Encounter
An installation exploring the letters of early 20th-century modernist Sophie Brzeska, plus new paintings by Himid.
Kettle’s Yard, Cambridge, from 12 July to 2 November
Also showing
Sculpture in the City
Jane and Louise Wilson and Ai Weiwei reveal new public sculptures for this summer art trail.
• City of London sites from 16 July until spring 2026
Emma Talbot
Birth, death and everything in between are explored in this show that centres on an installation inspired by Greek tragedy. Read more here.
• Compton Verney, Warwickshire, until 5 October
The Power of Drawing
David Hockney, Tracey Emin and many more artists and celebs (including King Charles) celebrate the Royal Drawing School’s 25th anniversary.
• Royal Drawing School, London, until 26 July
Emma Amos
This artist who was born in Atlanta, Georgia, and trained in 1950s London, made expressive, political paintings.
• Alison Jacques gallery, London, until 9 August
Image of the week
A giant mural, titled Wall of Shame, has launched in New York, to remind people of the alleged crimes committed by more than 1,500 Maga loyalists on the January 6 attack on the US Capitol, who were then pardoned by Donald Trump. Read more here.
What we learned
The Bayeux tapestry will return to Britain for the first time in 900 years
Ed Sheeran’s Jackson Pollock homage has energy but no truth
Kew Gardens will host the largest outdoor exhibition of Henry Moore’s sculptures
Ozzy Osbourne collaborated with chimpanzees on abstract expressionist paintings
Nell Stevens asked, what if every artwork you’ve ever seen is a fake?
London’s Design Museum is hosting a utopia of self-weaving grass and psychedelic dolphins
Indigenous Australian artist Emily Kam Kngwarray brings a sense of wonder
Kourtney Roy makes tourist snapshots look sinister
Artists are finding inspiration in a parlour game
Masterpiece of the week
Saint Luke by Jacopo di Cione and Workshop, c.1365-70
The apostle Luke was the first Christian artist, it was believed in the middle ages. As well as writing a Gospel, he found time to portray the Virgin Mary from life – a story that understandably fascinated artists because it gave them an excuse to depict themselves and their craft. Is this a self-portrait of Jacopo di Cione? It doesn’t seem to show Luke painting Mary – that would become a speciality of 15th-century Flemish artists who loved depicting Luke’s studio in lifelike detail. Instead, here he has a book and pen. He may be writing his Gospel. But his keen gaze suggests he is drawing in ink, for sketching was a popular practice in medieval Florence where this was painted. Either way, in medieval thinking, he is not just depicting what he sees. His hand is instead guided by supernatural powers.
• National Gallery, London
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