Highlights
11th August 2022 - 6:30 pm
Online - BST
An Evening With Slavoj Zizek
In Conversation With Robert Rowland Smith
If you feel like you live in a topsy-turvy world where even the best laid plans often implode into chaos, fear not.
GO TO EVENT15th July 2022 - 6:30 pm
Live and Online - BST
Bookish With Sathnam Sanghera
Our New Live and Online Book Club
Join the bestselling author of Empireland and The Boy With The Topknot for an epic tale of family, love, politics, and homecoming.
GO TO EVENT20th July 2022 - 7:30 pm
Cadogan Hall, London
An Evening with David Sedaris
David Sedaris, the humorist, bestselling author and star of Radio 4 series Meet David Sedaris, returns to Cadogan Hall for two nights this July.
GO TO EVENT18th July 2022 - 6:30 pm
Online - BST
Nomads – The Wanderers Who Shaped Our World
William Dalrymple Meets Anthony Sattin
The history of civilisation can be told through its outsiders. Why have nomads always existed? How have the altered history? What is their future?
GO TO EVENT15th September 2022 - 6:30 pm
Online - BST
Carlo Rovelli and Oliver Burkeman
Join 5×15 online with two extraordinary thinkers – leading theoretical physicist Carlo Rovelli and best-selling author Oliver Burkeman
GO TO EVENTFeatured Events
International Highlights
UPDATE
As all talks are currently online only, we are incorporating Unmissable talks organised outside the UK in the UK section so you don’t have to look in two sections. When live talks start to happen again we will revert to UK and International....
Museums and Galleries
April 9 - July 31
The Credit Suisse Exhibition: Raphael
National Gallery London
With loans from the Louvre, National Gallery of Art, Washington, the Prado Museum, Uffizi Museum and the Vatican Museum this is an unprecedented opportunity to see the breadth of Raphael’s skill, creativity, and ingenuity.
Royal Academy, London
Whistler’s Woman in White: Joanna Hiffernan
Joanna Hiffernan’s relationship with Whistler ran deeper than artist and muse. In this rich exhibition we explore her life and role as a friend, model, lover and collaborator.
Royal Academy, London
Francis Bacon: Man and Beast
Explore Francis Bacon’s profound and moving paintings, where the line between human and animal is constantly blurred, reminding us that our primal instincts lie just below the surface.
The Courtald
Van Gogh. Self-Portraits
Van Gogh. Self-Portraits will bring together around half of the self-portraits Van Gogh created during his short years as a painter.
Online
How Botticelli Revolutionised Portraits
Art history in 10 minutes with the National Gallery
Associate Curator Laura Llewellyn discusses ‘Portrait of a Young Man’ by Sandro Botticelli, and explores how he revolutionised portraits.
Power and the Palette: How women artists painted a revolution
The London Library
Katy Hessel of The Great Women Artists Instagram and Podcast speaks to Rebecca Birrell and Jennifer Higgie about their most recent books, both of which investigate women artists throughout history whose self-portraits and still life paintings were inherently, often implicitly, political.
Katy Hessel explores the work of Nina Hamnett and Lisa Brice
Charleston Trust
Curator, writer and founder of @thegreatwomenartists Instagram account, Katy Hessel, takes a tour of our current exhibitions. Sharing her favourite works in the show, Katy explores the connections between the two artists working a century apart. ‘Nina Hamnett’ and ‘Lisa Brice’ are open until 31
Theatre, Opera and Concerts
27 April - 23 October
Much Ado About Nothing
The Globe Theatre
This summer, a new production of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing brings a riotous garden party to the Globe Theatre....
Festival Highlights
November 11 - 14
Summit Palm Desert
Esther Perel, Wade Davis, Bjarke Ingels, Mark Hyman, and More
The desert is a place of stillness, perspective and connection. For the first time in Summit history, we are using this surreal and special landscape as the canvas for an unprecedented experience. We invite you to join us in a mind-expanding, immersive Summit where we will gather, share, expand, grow and play together....
Unmissable Long Reads
Protest isn’t noise
Jay Richardson
When you describe the sounds of protest as “noise” you deny its democratic function—and admit how much it bothers you.
Transforming Trees Into Skyscrapers
Rebecca Mead
In Scandinavia, ecologically minded architects are building towers with pillars of pine and spruce.
How Barnes & Noble Went From Villain to Hero
Elizabeth A. Harris
To independent booksellers, the enormous chain was once a threat. Now it’s vital to their survival. And it’s doing well.
How Elizabeth Loftus Changed the Meaning of Memory
Rachel Aviv
The psychologist taught us that what we remember is not fixed, but her work testifying for defendants like Harvey Weinstein collides with our traumatized moment.
The True Crime-Obsessed Philanthropists Paying to Catch Killers
Kashmir Hill
When the police can’t afford to solve cold cases using DNA databases, deep-pocketed donors can.
How an Ivy League School Turned Against a Student
Rachel Aviv
Mackenzie Fierceton was championed as a former foster youth who had overcome an abusive childhood and won a prestigious Rhodes Scholarship. Then the University of Pennsylvania accused her of lying.
The Archeology of War
Andrey Kurkov
What will be the legacy of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine?
Stan the T. rex found! World’s most expensive fossil finds home in a new museum
Michael Greshko
Mystery shrouded the dinosaur’s future after an anonymous buyer paid $31.8 million in 2020. Now Abu Dhabi confirms a new museum will house the prized skeleton.
Should Leopards Be Paid for Their Spots?
Rebecca Mead
Style-setters from Egyptian princesses to Jackie Kennedy to Debbie Harry have embraced leopard prints. Proponents of a “species royalty” want designers to pay to help save endangered big cats.
How Putin’s Oligarchs Bought London
Patrick Radden Keefe
From banking to boarding schools, the British establishment has long been at their service, discretion guaranteed.
Unmissable Podcasts
Frame of Mind
The Met
Hear practical tips and all kinds of personal stories from artists and activists, a meditation teacher and museum staff, a barber and a nurse, and others about how art supports their wellbeing....
Agree to Disagree: Leaving Afghanistan
Intelligence Squared Podcast
Those who say “yes” argue that the world is a decidedly different place than it was in 2001, that the mission was never to nation-build, and that continued presence prolonged the violence and distracted energies and resources away from more pressing global challenges, particularly on those centered on China....
Africa’s Oldest Burial
The Science Hour
Maria Martinon-Torres and a team from Kenya and Germany used techniques from paleontology and forensic science to reveal his story from the fragile remains....
Humor Us
Hidden Brain
The average four-year-old child laughs 300 times a day. By contrast, it takes more than two months for the average 40-year-old adult to laugh that many times. This week, we talk with behavioral scientist Jennifer Aaker of Stanford University about why so many of us fall off a “humor cliff” as we become adults....
Elizabeth Gilbert Meets Julia Cameron – The Path to Higher Creativity
How To Academy Podcast
Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way has inspired millions to realise their passions – including Eat, Pray, Love author Elizabeth Gilbert. Coming together for this podcast, they show us the path to a creatively-fulfilling life....
Dr Gabor Maté on Why We Are All Addicts
Feel Better Live More
In conversation with Dr Rangan Chatterjee, Dr Gabor Mate talks about how we now live in a culture that doesn’t meet our human needs....
Derren Brown – How To Be a Little Happier
Learn how to think differently and overcome anxiety in a difficult world with the legendary star of stage and screen....
Israel Story – Ep. 1: Faking It
Mishy Harman and Ira Glass
From our relationship with Ira Glass to priceless antiquities all the way to coveted sick passes – Israeli stories that are anything but real. In our very first episode, the Israel Story team delves into the realm of fakes, forgeries, and mimicry. Three stories, from different periods and places, of people pretending to to be something they are not....
The Portal
Eric Weinstein
The Portal is an exploration into discovery, including conversations with thought leaders....
Revisionist Revisited: A Good Walk Spoiled
Malcolm Gladwell
Golfers everywhere love to hate this episode. Since its debut in Season 2, the subject of golf ignites Malcolm's Twitter feed like no other. Revisionist History is Malcolm Gladwell's journey through the overlooked and the misunderstood....
How to Fail: Mo Gawdat on how to cope with anxiety in a time of Coronavirus
How To Fail With Elizabeth Day
Elizabeth Day and Mo Gawdat, the former Chief Business Officer for Google [X], talk about how to handle negative thoughts, how to practise gratitude and the concept of 'committed acceptance', working out what you can actively do to make life better....
Katrine Marcal and Caroline Criado Perez – Mother of Invention
How To Academy Podcast
For too long we have underestimated the consequences of sexism in our economy. In conversation with Caroline Criado Perez, Katrine Marçal sets the record straight and shows how, in a time of crisis, the ingenuity and intelligence of women is that very thing that can save us....
Penguin Perspectives
Penguin Podcast
Penguin Perspectives is a collection of essays by twenty Penguin authors, written as a direct response to the Covid-19 crisis. These authors have recorded their essays from their homes during lockdown, and these recordings are collected together here...