Exhibition of the week
Leonora Carrington: Rebel Visionary
Strange dreams and a passionate life make this a seductive summer celebration of a very British surrealist.
• Newlands House Gallery, Petworth, West Sussex, until 26 October
Also showing
Lina Iris Viktor: Mythic Time/Tens of Thousands of Rememberings
Glistening evocations of global mythology set in this unique museum of the marvellous.
• Sir John Soane’s Museum, London, until 19 January
Liaqat Rasul: NAU, NAU, DOH, CHAAR
Intricate fashion and multilayered art make this an enjoyable retrospective by Wrexham-born Rasul.
• Tŷ Pawb, Wrexham, from 13 July until 9 November
Snowflake’s Progress/Ben Jennings
Guardian political cartoonist Jennings takes a blisteringly Hogarthian view of 14 years of Conservative government.
• Coningsby Gallery, London, until 20 July
Minoru Nomata
Precise, cleanly designed yet utterly enigmatic paintings of imaginary architecture.
• White Cube, Mason’s Yard, London, until 24 August
Image of the week
Jesus Speaks to the Daughters of Jerusalem, a work by artist Philjames, was removed from the Blake art prize exhibition in Sydney this week after online protesters threatened gallery staff with violence. Ned Mannoun, mayor of the Sydney suburb Liverpool, called for its removal, saying: “Jesus has no connection to Goofy.” Charlie Bakhos, the founder of conservative Catholic group, Christian Lives Matter, confirmed on social media that the “shocking disrespectful art” had been removed. The artist said: “I find it all a bit absurd, it was a playful work. I like incorporating cartoon characters – they deal with human issues.” Read more.
What we learned
An illustrated anthology of David Hockney’s observations has been published
Cindy Sherman was always trying to be a monster
Mohammed Sami’s paintings send depth charges through Churchill’s home
Architects have been asked to design a powerful memorial to Grenfell Tower victims
Liverpool’s Walker Art Gallery wants to ruffle a few feathers
A radical archives movement is making art from forgotten histories
A slashed painting owned by Stephen Fry’s mother tells chilling story flight from Nazis
A new work referencing slavery by Hew Locke has been unveiled
The paintings in a startling Ukrainian art show are political refugees
Bonhams has been told to stop taking buyer’s premium for charity sales
A rare flawed Penny Red stamp can be yours for just £650,000
Masterpiece of the week
The Graham Children by William Hogarth, 1742
The bright yellow eyes of a cat staring hungrily at a caged bird hold you hypnotically when you look at this joyful yet uneasy group portrait. The children Hogarth has been commissioned to portray look innocent and happy. Their young minds are “blank slates”, according to optimistic 18th-century beliefs grounded in the philosophy of John Locke. But that cat is a warning of the world’s brutal nature, waiting to cruelly educate these young people. As if that was not enough of an edge to add, Hogarth also depicts a looming clock surmounted with a figure of Father Time and his scythe. That scythe had already reaped the youngest Graham child: Thomas, the baby in the fancy carriage, is portrayed posthumously. His chariot has a gilded bird on the front, so he is symbolically paired with the bird in the cage, which means the cat must represent death.
• National Gallery, London
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