Ben Luke

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

‘It is dangerous for artists when the events of the day change their work’: Marina Abramovic on art and the coronavirus pandemic

The performance artist has been in lockdown in Austria and spoke to us exclusively about making work in isolation and following Matisse’s example as a response to the crisis

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Exclusive: Marina Abramovic on performance art post-pandemic

Plus, what is it like to visit a museum post-lockdown? Produced in association with Christie's

Hosted by Ben Luke. with guest speaker Catherine Hickley. Produced by Julia Michalska, David Clack and Aimee Dawson

Digital technologies allow us to create precise copies of artefacts—but what does this mean for the idea of 'authenticity'?

Online book demonstrates the groundbreaking work by Factum Foundation to create high-resolution facsimiles but also raises questions of value

Podcastspodcast

Can new tech recreate the hand of an Old Master?

Plus, Sophie Matisse on her great-grandfather Henri. Produced in association with Christie's

Hosted by Ben Luke. Produced by Julia Michalska, David Clack and Aimee Dawson
New Dealcomment

UK artists deserve a New Deal

Instead of commissioning creatives to respond to the current crisis as if this were a war, the country should pump millions into community art projects

Sophie Matisse retraces her great-grandfather's footsteps for emotional BBC film

In an interview for The Week in Art Podcast, Sophie reveals how the support of Henri Matisse's wife Amélie became a central theme of Becoming Matisse

Podcastspodcast

The end of the blockbuster? Museums in a post-pandemic world

Plus, Turner Prize-winning artist Mark Wallinger explores Jackson Pollock’s Autumn Rhythm (Number 30). Produced in association with Christie's

Hosted by Ben Luke. Produced by Julia Michalska, David Clack and Aimee Dawson
Podcastspodcast

Donald Judd 101: the great artist in depth

Plus, Dia Art Foundation's curator Donna De Salvo on Duchamp’s Étant Donnés. Produced in association with Christie's

Podcastspodcast

Art theft: are museums safe under lockdown?

Plus, Laura Cumming on Breugel. Produced in association with Christie's

Hosted by Ben Luke. , with guest speaker Martin Bailey. Produced by Julia Michalska, David Clack and Aimee Dawson
Zoe Whitleyinterview

A brush with... Zoe Whitley

The new director of London's Chisenhale Gallery recommends her favourite book, music, and Instagram account

Podcastspodcast

Can the art market weather the coronavirus storm?

Plus, Sean Scully talks about his favourite "lonely work", The Moroccans by Matisse in New York's Museum of Modern Art. Produced in association with Christie's

Hosted by Ben Luke. with guest speakers Anna Brady and Margaret Carrigan. Produced by Julia Michalska, David Clack and Aimee Dawson

Mourning a ‘golden' exhibition season curtailed by coronavirus

Major shows by male artists dominated the London museum landscape before the crisis, now women and non-binary artists are missing their turn

Here are 2019's most visited contemporary art exhibitions

Jean-Michel Basquiat brought in big crowds in Paris—but who beat him to claim the top spot?

Here are the ten most visited photography exhibitions of 2019

Female artists dominated the top ranks of last year's photography shows

Here are the ten most popular Post-Impressionist and Modern art exhibitions of 2019

Big names such as Munch, Klimt and Van Gogh dominate the rankings, but a couple of lesser-known artists did surprisingly well

Podcastspodcast

Saving the art world’s self-employed amidst the coronavirus crisis

We explore the devastating effects of the pandemic on art communities and discuss the different support packages in the UK, Germany and the US. Produced in association with Bonhams, auctioneers since 1793

Hosted by Ben Luke and Margaret Carrigan. with guest speaker Catherine Hickley. Produced by Julia Michalska, David Clack and Aimee Dawson
Podcastspodcast

Coronavirus: dispatches from Italy and China

We speak to our journalists Anna Somers Cocks and Lisa Movius about their experiences of lockdown. Plus, we begin a new feature—Lonely Works—where we look at individual works of art that are now hanging unseen in galleries. Produced in association with Bonhams, auctioneers since 1793

Hosted by Ben Luke. with guest speakers Anna Somers Cocks, Lisa Movius and Bendor Grosvenor. Produced by Julia Michalska, David Clack and Aimee Dawson
Podcastsfeature

Fill your ears with art: the top culture podcasts to listen to during the coronavirus lockdown

If you are craving creativity and are stuck at home, here are the best arty audios to keep you going

Podcastspodcast

Titian’s poesie: an in-depth tour of 'the most beautiful pictures in the world'

We speak to Gabriele Finaldi about the challenges of opening a show at the time of coronavirus and to its curator about this extraordinary series of paintings. Produced in association with Bonhams, auctioneers since 1793

Hosted by Ben Luke. Produced by Julia Michalska, David Clack and Aimee Dawson

Museum top brass are losing the oil money plot

Decision by London's British Museum and Science Museum to continue accepting sponsorship from fossil fuel companies risks alienating the public they serve

Titianpreview

Titian’s ‘remarkable’ poesie paintings reunited for first time in 440 years

The masterpieces produced for Philip II will go on show at London's National Gallery before touring to Edinburgh, Madrid and Boston

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Remembering Ulay. Plus, how coronavirus cancelled Art Basel in Hong Kong

We speak to Tate Modern curator Catherine Wood about the late Ulay, and to Marc Spiegler, Art Basel’s global director, about what happened in Hong Kong. Produced in association with Bonhams, auctioneers since 1793

A brush withinterview

A brush with... Sterling Ruby

We ask the artist about his favourite novels and find out about the Polish song he listens to on repeat

Blain Southern goes into administration as artists reveal debts owed by gallery

Abrupt closure of three spaces has prompted criticism from some about the way the business was run

Anny Shaw. with additional reporting by Ben Luke

A brush with... Tomás Saraceno

We ask the artist about his favourite book, film and cultural experience as well his thoughts on the most underrated—and overrated—cultural figures

Interview by Ben Luke
Podcastspodcast

Who owns the Parthenon Marbles?

Plus, Shirin Neshat on Trump’s America. Produced in association with Bonhams, auctioneers since 1793

Hosted by Ben Luke and Aimee Dawson. Produced by Julia Michalska and David Clack
Podcastspodcast

Does Los Angeles want a big art fair?

As Frieze Los Angeles opens, we look at the LA art scene. Plus, we explore the Met's exhibition Sahel about art from the Sahara. Produced in association with Bonhams, auctioneers since 1793

Booksreview

Revamped art book prize wants to become the Oscars of arts publications—is it succeeding?

A year on from its announcement, we look at whether the Richard Schlagman Art Book Awards is meeting its ambitions

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Tschabalala Self and radical figurative painting

The US artist discusses figurative painting ahead of her Whitechapel show; plus, why pregnancy was rarely depicted in the art of the past

Podcastspodcast

The story of a fake Gauguin at the Getty

Plus, Canadian First Nations artist Kent Monkman on his Met paintings and the art of food at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge

Hosted by Ben Luke and Margaret Carrigan. with guest speaker Martin Bailey. Produced by Julia Michalska, David Clack and Aimee Dawson