The novelist on the continuing relevance of Ibsen, the joyful quilt art of Faith Ringgold and where to find British scotch eggs in New YorkBorn in Greenwich, Connecticut in 1966, author Claire Messud studied at Yale University and the University of Cambridge. Her first novel, 1995’s When the World Was Steady, and her book of novellas, The Hunters, were...

Jonathan Yeo’s divisive painting of the king raises the question of whether paintings of the monarchy have become irrelevant and anachronisiticWhy do reports always say that a portrait of someone great and good has been “unveiled”? The word is an empty metaphor that turns the first viewing into a ceremony; it also mystifies the entire procedure and...

A passionate purveyor of anthemic folk-pop with an alt-country vibe, everything this Luton singer-songwriter has released so far sounds like a hitMyles Smith has arrived at just the right time, as if scheduled by an algorithm. The 25-year-old graduate from Luton first surfaced in 2022 with judiciously chosen TikTok covers – Amber Run’s I Found, Neighbourhood’s...

The weather didn’t play ball, but Magnus von Horn’s fierce fairytale and Andrea Arnold’s kitchen-sink take on English mysticism should count among the first-week highlights for Greta Gerwig’s juryThe Cannes film festival opens just as the heavens do, too. It’s raining on the red carpet and on the black limousines and on the immaculate white pavilions...

From female art trailblazers to playful performance fests, a ridiculous funk wannabe to a clubby Argentinian dance spectacular, our critics pick the arts events that will light up your summerNational Treasures Twelve museums across the UK, closing dates vary Turner’s The Fighting Temeraire visits Tyneside, Artemisia Gentileschi shows at the Ikon in...

3Arena, Dublin Returning for their first concert since the death of Sarah Harding, old lyrics now have new poignancy – but with motorbikes and mic-stand moves, the mood stays upbeatEleven years have passed since Girls Aloud performed together as a five-piece for the final time, but adoration has endured in the interim – perhaps even intensified in the...