Exhibition of the week
Made in Ancient Egypt
Wonders to amaze and move all ages, in this magical exhibition that brings ancient Egyptians to life.
Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, until 12 April
Also showing
Theatre Picasso
There’s a party in your eyes and everyone’s invited, in a hugely enjoyable survey that showcases some of Picasso’s very greatest works.
Tate Modern, London, until 12 April
Marie Antoinette Style
Fancy a fairytale for Christmas? This has all the enchantment of one but with a very dark ending.
V&A, South Kensington, London, until 22 March
Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Varied and colourful images of the natural world by professional and amateur photographers – if you need an extra reason to visit this beguiling museum.
Natural History Museum, London, until 12 July
Turner in January
The windswept skies, mountains and seas of Turner’s watercolours provide a blast of new year fresh air.
Scottish National Gallery, Edinburgh, from 1-31 January
Image of the week
Raw … Helen Hazell, drawn by Christine Hazell. Photograph: Christine Hazell
Christine Hazell is 88, has progressive memory loss, and had never made art until six months ago. She has since created more than 200 drawings, which have rapidly gone viral on Instagram and will feature in four scheduled exhibitions thanks to the raw, untutored drawings of her children, grandchildren, great grandchildren – and Kizzy the dog. Read the full story.
What we learned
Maria Balshaw is stepping down as the director of Tate after nine years
This year’s LensCulture Street Photography awards featured dogs, drones and tight trunks
The artist David Gentleman dispenses invaluable advice
Coco Chanel offered up a sun-kissed sanctum for art’s superstars
Trump’s takeover of the Kennedy Center should serve as a warning to UK arts institutions
The first lady of Croatian avant garde used medical instruments to make art
Visual artist David Shrigley has collaborated on a macabre opera about a TV cookery show
The Barbican arts centre in London has grand plans for its 50th anniversary
Taiwan has a spectacular new library-museum hybrid in Taichung
Hong Kong’s dissident artists are keeping their vibrant scene going despite the crackdown
Masterpiece of the week
The Nativity, at Night, After Hugo van der Goes, c.1520-30
Photograph: The National Gallery, London
This is probably a copy of a lost Nativity by the great 15th-century Flemish painter Hugo van der Goes. It has the sweetness and intensity of his heartfelt late medieval visions of the birth of Christ, with tiny angels gathered in prayer around the newborn child as Mary (much bigger than the angels) kneels reverently before her baby, her god. Instead of shepherds and kings, this scene is attended by a merchant couple. Behind the stable is a north European winter’s night, with leafless trees visible in the darkness.
The winter trees and tiny angels are typical of Van der Goes and can also be seen in his huge, enfolding Adoration of the Shepherds in the Uffizi, Florence. You can see from this rough copy and the Uffizi’s masterpiece how magical his Nativity at Night must have been. But his artistic excellence came at a cost. A heavy workload and international fame put his mind under strain: he also seems to have been afflicted by religious guilt and a terror of hell. He became ill and was cared for in a monastery, where the abbot reportedly tried to cure him with music. A later north European artist, Van Gogh, was haunted by the madness of Van der Goes, who was one of the earliest artists whose inner sufferings became famous – but he left us images of peace and hope in midwinter.
National Gallery, London
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