Ben Luke

Ben Luke is a contributing editor and podcast host at The Art Newspaper

Arthur Jafa and Mark Leckey, Cecilia Alemani on SITE Santa Fe, Trisha Brown and Robert Rauschenberg—podcast

We speak to Jafa and Leckey about their forthcoming London exhibition, ask Alemani about the US-based biennial—whose title this year was inspired by a film by Godfrey Reggio—and zone in on a landmark dance collaboration

A brush with... Hew Locke—podcast

The artist talks to Ben Luke about about his influences and the cultural experiences that have shaped his life and work—from a tutorial with Paula Rego to Hans Haacke’s German pavilion at the Venice Biennale

Hosted by Ben Luke. Produced by Philippa Kelly and David Clack
Sponsored byBloomberg Connects

Art Basel, human remains in Dutch museums, Eva Hesse—podcast

We ask The Art Newspaper's art market editor about the mood in Basel, discuss the Dutch museum tackling the difficult topic of human remains, and speak to Jo Applin, the co-curator of the Courtauld's newest show

A brush with… Rudolf Stingel — podcast

Rudolf Stingel 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

Hosted by Ben Luke. Produced by David Clack
Sponsored byBloomberg Connects

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

Hosted by Ben Luke. Produced by David Clack
Sponsored byBloomberg Connects

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

Hosted by Ben Luke. Produced by David Clack
Sponsored byBloomberg Connects

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 withinterview

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

Opinioncomment

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

Hosted by Ben Luke. Produced by David Clack
Sponsored byBloomberg Connects

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

Hosted by Ben Luke. Produced by David Clack
Sponsored byBloomberg Connects

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

Hosted by Ben Luke. Produced by David Clack
Sponsored byBloomberg Connects

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

Hosted by Ben Luke. Produced by David Clack
Sponsored byBloomberg Connects
A brush withinterview

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