Ft Life Of A Song

Efforts to restore historic buildings to their original splendour tell us as much about today’s tastes as they do about yesterday’s  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The French conceptualist’s exhibition at the Palais de Tokyo is a sense-scrambling rethink of the relationship between art and the environment in which it appears  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

They seem always to be on, but ‘Rules of Engagement’, ‘The Big Bang Theory’ and their ilk shouldn’t be taken for granted: these immaculately crafted, relentlessly inoffensive series open a window on American society  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

A concert sponsored by insurance company Direct Line aims to help time-challenged audiences snatch some shut-eye – but a wakeful FT arts writer finds that the relationship between art and sleep is not a straightforward one  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The market for Orthodox icons has been revivified by Russian money in recent years – yet the genre’s spiritual charge and innate conservatism make it a challenging field for collectors  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Neglected in his lifetime, the singer-songwriter is now revered, as an event devoted to his album ‘Bryter Later’ demonstrates. But it’s doubtful his genius would have flourished any better in today’s impatient world, the FT’s arts writer says  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

A new film portrait of the Italian director reveals a man unafraid to confront difficult questions. It’s a kind of artistic responsibility that now feels old-fashioned, the FT’s arts writer says  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Futurists’ fervent belief in progress heralded disaster; now we worry about what the future will bring. But the FT’s arts writer finds grounds for optimism – and an unexpectedly hippy vibe – at a London ideas festival  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

A forthcoming season on Channel 4 aims to demystify our sexual behaviour – to be ‘open’ and ‘honest’ about a 'normal part of all our lives'. Good luck with that, says the FT’s arts writer  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Spicing up traditional settings with a dash of contemporary style has become a cultural commonplace. But let’s not pretend it’s anything more than an aesthetic compromise, the FT’s arts writer says  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Culture is becoming a refuge for the digitally brutalised: an evening at the opera, or cinema, or theatre, is where we go to escape technological overload, the FT’s arts writer argues  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Citing pressure of visitor numbers, the museum banned sketching at its recent “David Bowie Is” exhibition – a move that shows how hard it is for curators to reconcile accessibility and academic values, the FT’s arts writer says  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

“Those who live to please, must please to live.” But these days it’s often our privilege to watch the performers having a good time  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It’s loud, insistent, adolescent and playing now at a Mediterranean resort near you. And as the FT’s arts writer finds, there’s no way you’ll ever get the volume turned down  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Thomas Hirschhorn’s South Bronx installation brilliantly embodies the belief that art should be part of everyday life  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The sheer scale of suffering in the 1914-18 conflict is hard to grasp. As preparations begin for the centenary commemoration, the FT’s arts editor argues that culture has a vital role to play  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Omnicom/Publicis, Penguin/Random House – the cultural landscape is dominated by ever fewer, ever bigger businesses. Yet artists and audiences alike are finding benefits in shunning their embrace  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The late pop singer, whose work has just gone on show at London’s Royal College of Art, was a far more nuanced figure than his punk image would suggest, argues the FT’s arts writer  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Braving Daleks and Cybermen at the Royal Albert Hall, the FT’s arts writer reflects on the unlikely synergy between classical music and a children’s sci-fi series  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

London’s Jewish Museum may seem an odd venue for an exhibition about the late pop diva. But the show is not so much a celebrity portrait as a way for a family to reclaim its daughter, says the FT’s assistant arts editor  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.