Exhibition of the week
Rembrandt’s Light
This is the closest thing to a Rembrandt blockbuster in Britain for his 350th anniversary – an ambitious exploration of his radical and profound use of darkness and illumination.
Also showing
Kara Walker
This promises to be the most artistically impressive intervention in the Turbine Hall in ages.
Turner prize
Helen Cammock, Oscar Murillo, Lawrence Abu Hamdan and Tai Shani compete to be judged the most politically radical artist and therefore, naturally, the best.
Art Beyond Limits
The artists in this exhibition – including Simon Adams, Susan Ezekiel and Dr Peter Scott-Morgan – are all living with motor neurone disease and battle huge obstacles to create images of beauty and power.
Cy Twombly
The painted wooden assemblages of the last great abstract expressionist are sensually redolent of history and myth.
Masterpiece of the week
Bust portrait of a young man with an inscription, c.1560, by Giovanni Battista Moroni
He compels you to look at him. Passing by this small painting in London’s National Gallery, you just have to stop and engage with the anonymous young north Italian from four and a half centuries ago whose eyes so clearly and passionately gaze across time. He looks vulnerable and love-smitten. On the parapet at the bottom of the picture is a Latin declaration of undying devotion from Virgil’s Aeneid that means “so long as breath controls my being”. It’s been a long time since breath ceased to control this man’s being, but still: his sensitive presence commands attention, respect and sympathy.
Image of the week
China opened a new $50bn airport designed by Zaha Hadid in Beijing this week – the terminal, which will handle 72 million passengers a year by 2025, is said to be the world’s largest. Daxing is undeniably impressive – but some critics have questioned the need for a second airport in the capital. Read the full story
What we learned
Readers made their suggestions for best artworks of the 21st century
… and their favourite buildings
This year’s Turner prize show is gripping
A Frenchwoman nearly chucked out a rare Cimabue during a house move
Stage designer Es Devlin has created an extraordinary diorama of history
The mafia kidnapped a church’s Caravaggio and held it for ransom
The Wallace Collection is now open to loans
Anna Maria Maiolino is holding a sausage party
Mark Leckey is still obsessed with fairies
The Jarman award nominees have gone on tour
New York has a stunning new library
… and so does one Oxford college
Actor Russell Tovey is turning curator in Margate
Comedian Steve Martin will explore art history in a radio series
SL Shanth Kumar was crowned environmental photographer of the year
Contemporary art is thriving in Harare, Zimbabwe
Dennis Stock’s California Trip was a dark ride through hippy counterculture
Klaus Enrique made a Trump mask out of a piglet
British councils are investing in quality social housing
Fashion is as hard as painting, says Zandra Rhodes
There’s a new generation of black fashion photographers
Australia’s emerging photographers were celebrated
Unseen Amsterdam showcased exciting international photographic talent
Hassan Hajjaj offers an eye-popping twist of Moroccan culture
Don’t forget
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