Visual arts

Tracey Warr on an examination of Jean-Michel Basquiat’s work – his inspirations and his relationship to artistic and ideological debates of the late 20th century

Tracey Warr on a myth-busting examination of the mass production of oil paintings in Dafen village

Roger Cardinal on a critique of the later work of an avant-garde German artist during his years in exile

Cordula van Wyhe on the meshing of spirituality and sensuality in a master’s religious works

Marta Herrero lauds an analysis from an insider affording rare insight into the market

Tracey Warr finds comedy and tragedy in the posthumous dissemination of an artist’s work

An exploration of mannequins as objects of lust makes fascinating reading for Laura Frost

William Poole enjoys the insights but prefers his prose less florid

Clare Brant revels in a compelling evocation of non-conformists in the capital’s cultural ‘heart’

Annebella Pollen on the use of amateur photographs as cultural and artistic motifs

Philip Hoare floats away on a poetic enquiry into the extraordinary nature of what surrounds us

K.E. Gover on a delightful guide to seeing art with new eyes

Erik-Jan Bos finds that the mystery surrounding a famous painting opens a new window on the French philosopher’s world and life

K. E. Gover finds an explanation of modern art fails to enlighten

Mary Evans relishes this re-evaluation of an installation artwork that depicts a collection of famous women

Nithikul Nimkulrat discusses an ‘indispensable means of working’

Alex Danchev applauds a study of one of the 20th century’s greatest thinker-painters

Spiders star in scholar’s photographic study

Marta Filipová on compelling tales of a city’s artistic, intellectual and political cultures

David Revill on diverse art forms that focus on, literally, nothing

Neville Bolt on how states and militaries fail to grasp the changing role of media in our lives

Alex Danchev finds new Modernist shades in this portrait of painter