
Ben Luke
Ben Luke is a contributing editor and podcast host at The Art Newspaper
Katharina Grosse: ‘Imagination doesn’t have a scale’
The artist discusses the trajectory of her practice and her vast, unmissable commission for Art Basel, which covers the entire Messeplatz
Rachel Jones, Liverpool Biennial, UK Aids Memorial Quilt at Tate Modern —podcast
We speak to painter Rachel Jones about her show at Dulwich Picture Gallery, to The Art Newspaper’s contemporary art correspondent about the Liverpool Biennial and to Charlie Porter about the Tate's latest installation
A brush with… Lubaina Himid — podcast
Lubaina Himid 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
London Gallery Weekend, Brazil’s National Museum, Jane Austen at the Morgan—podcast
We discuss how London Gallery Weekend can impact the market and how Brazil's National Museum plans to rise from the ashes, plus a look at a 19th century miniature portrait of Jane Austen
A brush with… Huma Bhabha — podcast
Ben Luke talks to Huma Bhabha 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
London Gallery Weekend 2025: our critics pick their top shows
From a stolen portrait of Francis Bacon to encromancy, here's our selection of outstanding shows to see in the UK capital
Museum openings: V&A East Storehouse and the Met’s Rockefeller Wing, plus Rachel Whiteread at Goodwood Art Foundation—podcast
We take a tour of the soon-to-open V&A East Storehouse in London and the Met's newly revamped Michael C. Rockefeller Wing, plus a discussion of Rachel Whiteread's show at Sussex's Goodwood Art Foundation
Jean Tinguely’s 100th anniversary, migration museum opens in Rotterdam, Ben Shahn's social security mural—podcast
Exploring the host of exhibitions and events that celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Jean Tinguely, plus a look at the newly opened Fenix museum with its director, and a discussion of Ben Shahn's 1941 study, ‘Harvesting Wheat’
A brush with Cecilia Alemani
The chief curator of New York's High Line Art and the curator of SITE Sante Fe International on her cultural influences
Comment | Are museums ‘guilt tripping’ their visitors? No, they aren’t doing enough
Engaging with the difficult histories behind objects has deepened, not dampened, my experiences at cultural institutions—and the fact it is different for everyone is a good thing
Koyo Kouoh remembered, Queen Elizabeth II memorial, Jasper Johns by Robert Storr—podcast
Remembering Koyo Kouoh, the Venice Biennale curator who died earlier this month, plus a look at the five designs competing for the late-Queen's memorial commission, and a discussion with curator Robert Storr about the work of Jasper Johns
Refurb and rehang at London's National Gallery, Tate Modern turns 25 and Inge Mahn's ‘Balancing Towers’—podcast
Exploring an exhibition in an island castle, plus a tour of the newly remodelled National Gallery with director Gabriele Finaldi, and expert reflections on Tate Modern's first, seismic quarter of a century
Comment | Muted grey, bloody red, or dark blue—here’s why the colour of museum walls matters more than you might think
As London’s National Gallery launches its “once-in-a-lifetime” rehang, Ben Luke asks: what is the right shade behind the art?
Frank Auerbach’s Berlin homecoming, human remains and museums, Ian Hamilton Finlay’s ‘Republic’—podcast
Exploring Frank Auerbach's first-ever Berlin exhibition, plus Dan Hicks discusses the origins of contemporary debates around colonialism, art, and heritage, and an expert on Ian Hamilton Finlay reflects on the artist's work ahead of a run of centenary exhibitions
Comment | Perhaps artists do have only ‘ten good years’—but they can happen at any time in their career
A true critical consensus about the merits of different stages in an artist's journey is rarely possible
Pope Francis and art, J.M.W. Turner’s 250th birthday, John Singer Sargent’s ‘Madame X’—podcast
Exploring the late pontiff’s deep connection to and impact on visual culture, plus why Turner’s work continues to resonate so strongly today, and the story of Sargent’s most famous painting
A brush with… Salman Toor — podcast
Salman Toor 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
teamLab in Abu Dhabi, Christine Sun Kim and Thomas Mader, Vermeer’s final painting?—podcast
The lowdown on the Japanese collective teamLab’s new immersive art space, plus two artists discuss their London show exploring languages and stigma in Deaf and hearing cultures, and a chat about a Vermeer dated with the help of pollution
The Big Review | Paris Noir at the Centre Pompidou ★★★★
This carefully paced show—one of the last before the Centre Pompidou’s five-year closure—marks a turning point in French exhibitions addressing the country’s colonial past
A brush with… Kent Monkman — podcast
Kent Monkman 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
Trump turns on museums and libraries, the art market’s 12% fall, Evie Hone and Mainie Jellett—podcast
What are the implications of the US president’s attempts to gut and transform arts organisations? Plus, discussions about the Art Basel and UBS Art Market Report 2025 and works by two leading Irish modernists
A brush with… Ed Atkins — podcast
Ed Atkins 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
Museum visitor figures, William Morris mania and Marguerite Matisse—podcast
Analysing the highs and lows of our recent attendance survey, plus a tour of a show exploring how the UK’s most famous Victorian designer ”went viral”, and a chat about the ways Henri Matisse’s daughter shaped his life and art
A brush with… Celia Paul — podcast
In this first episode of the new series of A brush with…, Ben Luke talks to the painter Celia Paul about her influences—including writers as well as contemporary and historic artists—and the cultural experiences that have shaped her life and work
A brush with Dhyandra Lawson
The curator of contemporary art at Los Angeles County Museum of Art on her cultural passions
The Frick: Annabelle Selldorf interview and our review, plus a Taiso Yoshitoshi woodblock print—podcast
A chat with the architect behind the New York institution’s transformation and an art historian’s view on it, plus a discussion about a sea-themed work by the last great ukiyo-e master
Alicja Kwade’s latest work, on show in Hong Kong, looks behind prison bars where time is torture
The Polish artist’s exhibition, Pretopia, draws on the origins and history of a former Victorian jail in the city
Jack Whitten at MoMA, Paris Noir at the Pompidou, Arpita Singh at the Serpentine—podcast
Tracing Whitten’s artistic development with the largest ever show of his work, the story of an exhibition exploring the lives of Black artists in France, and Hans Ulrich Obrist on a monumental painting by the esteemed Indian artist Singh
The big art world slowdown, Dutch culture funding crisis, Bruegel’s Hunters in the Snow—podcast
What’s behind the new, more measurement approaches to programming at museums, art fairs and more? Plus, a chat about current tensions around culture in the Netherlands and a close look at one of the most famous depictions of a wintery landscape
Comment | Balanchine is Modern master whose impact on contemporary art should not be overlooked
The choreographer’s formal gestures and patterns make him crucial to contemporary performance art