
Ben Luke
Ben Luke is a contributing editor and podcast host at The Art Newspaper
Venice Biennale details revealed, Beatriz González and Tracey Emin in London—podcast
Ben Luke speak to Jane Morris about the 2026 Biennale artists and framework, takes a tour of the late González's show at the Barbican. Plus, a conversation about a long-hidden Emin work
A brush with… Martina Droth, director of the Yale Center for British Art
From a year studying at the Cyprus School of Art to musical discoveries on NTS Radio, the museum director shares her cultural influences
A Brush With... Veronica Ryan—podcast
Veronica Ryan talks to Ben Luke about her influences—from writers to musicians and, of course, other artists—and the cultural experiences that have shaped her life and work
Comment | Time for a rethink: women artists were never meant to merely be canon fodder
Exhibitions pairing Munch with Paula Modersohn-Becker and Maria Lassnig provide opportunities to subvert the established order
London National Gallery’s deficit bombshell, Simon Schama on birds and art, Vilhelm Hammershøi—podcast
In this week’s episode, Ben Luke heard about surprise cuts at the National Gallery, a new exhibition at the Mauritshuis, and the Danish painter Vilhelm Hammershøi
A brush with… Catherine Opie—podcast
Catherine Opie talks to Ben Luke about her influences—from writers to musicians, film-makers and, of course, other artists—and the cultural experiences that have shaped her life and work
The US struggles with history, Stephen Friedman Gallery closes, Tudor Heart pendant acquired by the British Museum—podcast
Ben Luke speaks to our editor-in-chief, Americas, Ben Sutton about the disputes that have arisen as the US marks its 250 years since the Declaration of Independence—and hears about the demise of Stephen Friedman’s Gallery. Plus, the story of a heart-shaped pendant tied to Katherine of Aragon and Henry VIII
A brush with… Louis Fratino—podcast
Louis Fratino talks to Ben Luke about his influences—from writers to musicians, film-makers and, of course, other artists—and the cultural experiences that have shaped his life and work
Art Basel Qatar, Dürer portrait debate, Paula Modersohn-Becker and Edvard Munch—podcast
Ben Luke talks to art market editor Kabir Jhala about the inaugural fair in Doha, explores the debate surrounding a painting of Dürer’s father, and we hear about the synergies between two 20th-century painters
Venice Biennale: South African pavilion scandal, Marian Goodman remembered, Paul Cezanne in Basel—podcast
We discuss the cancellation of Gabrielle Goliath’s pavilion and the artist’s attempt have the decision overturned, pay tribute to the lauded gallerist Marian Goodman, and hear about Cezanne’s famous ‘The Card Players’
A brush with… curator James Lingwood
From the pleasures of Paris to the writings of Italo Calvino, the curator, writer and producer shares his cultural influences
African LGBTQ+ art at the Smithsonian, the Iran crisis, Louise Nevelson at Pompidou Metz—podcast
Ben Luke hears about ‘Here: Pride and Belonging in African Art’ at the National Museum of African Art in Washington, D.C, discusses the cultural impact of a brutal crackdown in Iran and takes a look at a landmark 1958 installation by Louise Nevelson
Hawai’i at the British Museum, a Venice palazzo for sale, Joseph Beuys’s ‘Bathtub’—podcast
Ben Luke hears about the British Museum’s fresh approach to the stewardship of its collection of Hawaiian objects, discusses the eerie history of Ca’ Dario and learns more about a late Beuys work
Comment | In worrying times for politics and the environment, art can still provide hope
And the audience matters just as much as the artwork
The Year Ahead 2026: the big exhibitions and the key museum openings—podcast
From the opening of the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi to Marcel Duchamp at MoMA, New York, The Art Newspaper's editors look ahead to next year's biggest stories
Comment | We are living in an age of bad painting—the medium must be challenged to stay interesting
Painting may not be dead, but it may have become too comfortable
The art world in 2025: our review of the biggest stories and shows—podcast
From the Los Angeles wildfires to Trump’s policies on culture and heritage, The Art Newspaper's editors analyse the year's biggest stories
A brush with… Olafur Eliasson
Olafur Eliasson talks to Ben Luke about his influences—from writers to musicians, film-makers and, of course, other artists—and the cultural experiences that have shaped his life and work
Frank Gehry remembered, Serpentine and FLAG Art Foundation prize, Joan Semmel—podcast
Ben Luke talks to the architecture critic and Gehry biographer Paul Goldberger, to the FLAG Art Foundation's founder and to Rebecca Shaykin, curator at New York's Jewish Museum
A brush with… Luc Tuymans—podcast
Luc Tuymans talks to Ben Luke about his influences—from writers to musicians, film-makers and, of course, other artists—and the cultural experiences that have shaped his life and work
Art Basel Miami Beach, Louvre crisis deepens, Helene Schjerfbeck—podcast
The Art Newspaper’s editor-in-chief, Americas and art market editor discuss the top sales and the wider mood in Miami, Ben Luke gets the latest on the ground in Paris and hears from curator Dita Amory on Scherfbeck’s ‘The Tapestry’
A brush with… Kader Attia—podcast
Kader Attia talks to Ben Luke about his influences—from writers to musicians, film-makers and, of course, other artists—and the cultural experiences that have shaped his life and work
The US Venice Biennale saga, Queer Islamic art in Oslo, Duane Linklater in Ottawa—podcast
Ben Luke speaks to The Art Newspaper’s editor-in-chief in the Americas, Ben Sutton, about the selection of Alma Allen for the US pavilion, explores a new exhibition on queerness in Islamic art and meets curators from Canada's National Gallery
A brush with… Mary Kelly—podcast
Mary Kelly talks to Ben Luke about her influences—from writers to musicians, film-makers and, of course, other artists—and the cultural experiences that have shaped her life and work
A brush with… Sarah Allen, curator, South London Gallery
From a childhood trip to the Pyramids of Giza to the 'Empire' podcast, the curator shares her cultural influences
The $236m Klimt, Cop 30 and the art world, Caravaggio’s Victorious Cupid—podcast
Ben Luke speaks to The Art Newspaper’s senior art market editor in the Americas, Carlie Porterfield, about this week’s auctions, discusses the climate emergency with Louisa Buck and chats to the director of the Wallace Collection
Studio Museum reopens, the long-awaited Grand Egyptian Museum, Stanley Spencer in Suffolk—podcast
Editor-in-chief in the Americas, Ben Sutton, takes a trip to Harlem, digital editor Alexander Morrison discusses Egypt's newest museum and Ben Luke meets a curator of “Love & Landscape: Stanley Spencer in Suffolk”
MFA Boston returns work by enslaved artist David Drake to his heirs, Wifredo Lam, Ghirlandaio’s Adoration of the Magi—podcast
Ben Luke discusses the landmark agreement with a curator at the Boston museum, meets the team behind MoMA's new Lam show, and explores a new book on the children of the Renaissance
Comment | Fifty years on, John Berger’s writing is still relevant—and troublingly prescient
The writer went beyond the noble occupation of the art critic, smuggling hope into our lives
Gauguin ‘fake’ is real, Mrinalini Mukherjee and her circle, Franz Xaver Messerschmidt’s head piece—podcast
Ben Luke discusses the Gauguin saga with special correspondent Martin Bailey, and meets the curators of new shows in London and Vienna





























