Exhibition of the week
Richard Prince
Early works by the postmodernist provocateur and appropriation pioneer.
• Gagosian Grosvenor Hill, London, until 22 December
Also showing
Titanosaur
No one of any age should miss the last chance to see this jaw-dropping wonder, a dinosaur so big it boggles the mind. Colossal for the Christmas holidays.
• Natural History Museum, London, until 14 January
El Anatsui
The shimmering recycled hangings El Anatsui has slung up in Tate’s Turbine Hall make for a marvellous midwinter spectacle, thought-provoking as well as ravishing.
• Tate Modern, London, until 14 April
Holbein at the Tudor Court
Spooky seasonal atmosphere abounds in Holbein’s portraits of soon-to-be-beheaded courtiers and other Tudor ghosts.
• Queen’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace, London, until 14 April
Turner in January
Traditional New Year unveiling of JMW Turner’s fiery, sublime watercolours of swirling Romantic worlds.
• National, Edinburgh, 1–31 January
Image of the week
Hélène Amouzou’s self-portraits record her life after leaving Togo in 1992 and migrating to Europe, where she lived a precarious existence for many years without official status. Read the full review
What we learned
What happened when Andy Warhol met Joseph Beuys
David Shrigley feels flattered when people steal his artworks
Carla Williams’s self-portraits were inspired by finding her father’s porn collection
Photographs of street art in Kyiv reveal the hopes and fears of Ukraine at war
Dean Kelland has spent five years making art with prisoners at a therapeutic jail
Karon Davis’s sculptures reveal the rigours of ballet for Black dancers
Myriam Bat-Yosef, who brought a female focus to surrealism, has died aged 92
Wim Wenders’ latest film is an epic, 3D look at Anselm Kiefer
Legendary photographer Elliot Erwitt, who died last month, used to bark at dogs
Masterpiece of the week
The Adoration of the Kings by Dosso Dossi, circa 1527-9
Who are the three visitors who follow a star to find the newborn Jesus and feature in so many paintings of the Christmas story? The (modern) title of this painting calls them Kings but they were also thought of in the Renaissance as “wise men” or “Magi”, which can mean magicians. This painting with its mysterious night-time setting, strange light and spooky atmosphere definitely stresses their magical wisdom. As star-gazing sages they have used their astronomical or astrological knowledge to locate this ruinous cave-like stable hidden in overhanging foliage. The star that led them is an apocalyptic sphere dominating the night sky, tinting it pink under the blue clouds. They arrive with their gifts that look like alchemist’s potion jars. Dosso Dossi enjoyed painting witchcraft and magic: here he gives the Nativity itself an occult twist.
• National Gallery, London
Don’t forget
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