Rohtko, Barbican review - postmodern meditation on fake and authentic art is less than the sum of its parts

★★★ ROHTKO, BARBICAN Postmodern meditation on fake & authentic is less than sum of its parts

Łukasz Twarkowski's production dazzles without illuminating

It’s truly thrilling to see the Barbican embracing big concept long-form theatre again, seeking out productions that are as conceptually challenging as they are visually exhilarating. Last week, audiences were asked to understand the forces of globalisation that shaped a royal wedding dress in the Théâtre National de Strasbourg’s multimedia tour de force, Lacrima.

Extract: Bacon in Moscow by James Birch

Art crosses the Iron Curtain in this complex memoir of suspicion, espionage and opportunity

In 1988, James Birch – curator, art dealer, and gallery owner – took Francis Bacon to Moscow. It was, as he writes, "an unimaginable intrusion of Western Culture into the heart of the Soviet system". At a time of powerful political tension and suspicion, but also optimism and opportunity, the process of exhibiting Bacon was riddled with difficulties, careful negotiations, joys and disappointments.

María Gainza: Portrait of an Unknown Lady review – queens of the unreal

★★★ MARÍA GAINZA: PORTRAIT OF AN UNKNOWN LADY Queens of the unreal

Smoke and mirrors in the Buenos Aires art world

It’s no surprise that the theme of fakes and forgery appeals so much to writers, who traffic in plausible illusions and often believe (in María Gainza’s words) that truth is “just another well-told story”. From the age of Balzac and Zola to modern iterations in the novels of authors such as Michael Frayn, Donna Tartt and Maylis de Kerangal (in her recent Painting Time), shelves of fiction have drawn their plots around the fine pencil line that divides authenticity from imposture in art.

The Lost Leonardo review - an incredible tale as gripping as any thriller

★★★★ THE LOST LEONARDO An incredible tale as gripping as any thriller 

The machinations of the art market laid bare

It’s been described as “the most improbable story that has ever happened in the art market”, and The Lost Leonardo reveals every twist and turn of this extraordinary tale. In New Orleans in 2005, a badly-damaged painting (pictured below left) sold at auction for $1,175.

ANNA X, Harold Pinter Theatre review - lacking in substance

★★★ ANNA X, HAROLD PINTER THEATRE Emma Corrin and Nabhaan Rizwan perk up one-dimensional drama about a Russian conwoman

Emma Corrin and Nabhaan Rizwan perk up one-dimensional drama about a Russian conwoman

There just isn’t enough there, with ANNA X. Daniel Raggett’s production is the third and final of the RE:EMERGE season at the Harold Pinter Theatre, with Emma Corrin of Lady Di fame in the lead. The graphic design – the brightly-striped faces of Corrin and her co-star, Nabhaan Rizwan, on a dark background – is impeccable. Joseph Charlton’s writing, not so much.

Visual Arts Lockdown Special 3: gigapixel Rembrandt, magic mushrooms, and more

VISUAL ARTS LOCKDOWN SPECIAL 3 Art to enjoy from home this week

The best art online this week

The limitations of life on screen are all too apparent at the moment, and yet still there are instances where online can offer something beyond the reach of an old-fashioned trip to an art gallery. Ultra-high resolution reproductions of works of art are a case in point, and many museum websites now allow us to examine their collections in the microscopic detail once reserved for conservation departments.

Visual Arts Lockdown Special 2: read, search, listen, create

VISUAL ARTS LOCKDOWN SPECIAL 2 Read, search, listen, create

Our pick of visual arts during lockdown

Arguably one of the most poignant effects of the lockdown has been to simultaneously draw attention to the connections between the arts and the distinct ways they have evolved into their own forms.