Visual arts

Peking University joins the top 20 of the Times Higher Education subject table for the first time

Peter J. Smith on a study of the interrelationship between visual culture and the theatre in 16th- and 17th-century England

Newcastle fine art posts for duo who specialise in ‘places with dark and complex histories’

James Stevens Curl heaps praise on a fascinating study and pays tribute to the scholarly tenacity that it is built on

Hotly anticipated figures on salaries show that for subjects such as economics and law, the university attended has stronger link to high earnings

Health and environmental agencies face savage reductions as defence spending soars

Tracey Warr on a pair of masters who, with ethereality and earthiness, respectively, puts the captivatingly quotidian on canvas 

Comic strips present a rich, varied – and surprising – picture of life on campus, researchers have found, but also may explain prejudices

Tristan Bekinschtein lauds a Nobel laureate’s fusion of art interpretation and analysis with the internal mechanisms by which we see works of art

Elizabeth Greene on a study focusing on the American artist’s use of verse in his work

Eight subject rankings reveal elite group of 14 US and European universities thriving across disciplines

Fragmented images and light and shadow haunt a study of grief and memory, says Janet Sayers

Grace Lees-Maffei on an effort to illuminate ‘the soul’ in design that highlights the potential of interdisciplinary encounters

Surviving a traumatic event isn’t a prerequisite for making great artworks, says K. E. Gover

If art has become more academic, might it also be able to refresh other disciplines?

An acclaimed designer who became an academic leader has died

Having an unusual, foreign or difficult-to-say name can present challenges in UK academia, says Marta Natalia Wróblewska

For those aspiring to an academic career, a PhD is the entry ticket to a world where reputation is all, says Robert MacIntosh. Here are his 10 top tips for early career researchers

Birmingham City conference on ‘terrorism and cultural freedom’ explored everything from Macbeth to Islamic State video games

With PhD students now presenting doctoral findings in the form of a cabaret or video documentary, is it time to ditch the thesis and viva? asks Jack Grove

New network aims to help venues to play an even more effective role in the artistic life of their communities and regions

Book of the week: Tracey Warr on De Kooning’s iterative output and his fascination with the physicality of paint

Durham, Edinburgh and Queen’s University Belfast pick up inaugural awards for arts, humanities and social science departments

Professor Webley was ‘inspired leader’ and will be ‘sorely missed’, say colleagues of the acclaimed academic

University of Salford exhibition dedicated to the subject of childbirth is expanded

Leading novelists tell Matthew Reisz about life under the academic spotlight

The creative industries are a good career choice now, and higher education should respond, says Anne Carlisle

Book of the week: Exquisite images trigger the sensations of terror and wonder that nature inspires, says Philip Hoare

Proportion of university staff training through Erasmus has more than doubled in six years, finds report

Walking in the countryside could prove inspirational for those creating computer games, says scholar

Proposals to measure teaching excellence present major challenges for universities educating students for the creative industries, says Nigel Carrington

Major survey looks at experiences of 72,000 UK postgraduates

Art can be used to showcase the skills and highlight the plight of the homeless living among us, says Brighton PhD student

We talk to the artist and academic about black artists’ vital role in Modernism and how to bring this to the attention of the public

Book of the week: Jasmine Allen admires the monumental scale and meticulous detail of a stained glass artist’s work

Protest sparked by suspension of highly respected architecture professor who refused to support relocation of the school

Cornish university offers an exceptionally realistic training environment for those wanting to work in the games industry

Street mime artist-turned-professor Gilberto Scaramuzzo explains to Jack Grove how the wordless theatre form can enrich university teaching

Deborah Longworth salutes the range and reach in Everything to Nothing

We speak to the London College of Fashion professor and author of a new book on Muslim fashion

UK maintains its strength in the arts while US loses ground

We talk to the Liverpool Hope lecturer who featured in the finale of This Is England ’90

Tracey Warr on the middlemen and artists who decide what their works should be called

We talk to the world-famous photographer about donning a cap and gown as a university chancellor

University shows its new ‘fusion’ collection at this year’s Ceramics Biennial

A wealth of detail and revealing images bring a troubled critic into focus, says Sharon Kivland

Tracey Warr extols a study demonstrating an artist’s deep engagement with the theories, practices and works of his peers

Happy Stripper scholar challenges view that all female objectification is necessarily negative

The divine is absent in a study focused on our drive to build a better world, finds Keith Tester

Dress to impress if you want students in your corner, claims US study

Will open doors between the academy and the arts create a golden age?

The Institute of International Education has called on universities to host vulnerable artists. 

Discover the Tuscan metropolis in a study suffused with all the vitality of the Palio, says Philip Cooke

A sense of not belonging coloured an outsider’s journey to the avant-garde, learns Tracey Warr

Andrew Blake on a study of politics and the arts in the New Labour era

Alex Danchev considers a history of a small but influential group of cultural ‘hijackers’

Tallis enters a crowded arena when he asks what the arts mean nowadays, says Fred Inglis

Shahidha Bari on a notorious meeting of three of the great Romantics and the almost-forgotten figure who brought them together

Tracey Warr on a study discussing the role of value judgements

Angela Smith on stories of the lives of 11 creatives interwoven to give an overview of the Great War from a range of perspectives