Whether this is the smallest window in England or not is debatable. But until anyone tells me otherwise, I’ll believe it’s this one, as claimed by the proprietors of The George Hotel …
This interpretation starts out so well. The text reads: ‘Christmas 1294 at Conwy Castle. The weather outside is frightful, there are some unwelcome visitors at the door and there’s not much booze left …
Not an object, but a still from an episode of The Simpsons, which marks its 30th anniversary this week (yes, really). There are plenty of mentions of museums and galleries …
Who are these men, on their break? Are they friendly towards us, or are they hinting at us to get out of their space? …
This toy penguin is thought to have belonged to the photographer Herbert Ponting, nicknamed ‘Ponko’ …
What is this sculpture? The Gallery only knows part of the story and is inviting members of the public to help them find out more …
Lenin’s image was well known all over East Germany. This mass-produced statue from the 1960s, displayed in Leipzig, was spray-pained during one of the ‘Monday demonstrations’ in 1989 …
Some playful interpretation here, on the back of a cubicle door in a historic house museum …
Waterlogged and almost forgotten about, this board game sat on the river bed for 500 years in the wreck of the Mary Rose …
Yet another object collage. I just can’t get enough of them. This example shows a wall of tin-glazed ceramic jars, used by wealthy apothecaries in the 1600s and 1700s …
The decapitated head of a critic, who was unsympathetic to the artist’s work, looks out from a basket, as if recently decapitated …
Convicts, lunatics and drunkards - step forward to register your vote. Female mayors, doctors and teachers - stay away …
I was rather taken with this chair – a super way to present sound to visitors, intimately whispering in their ears, rather than blasting out all over the place …
This simple twist of metal represents the barbed wire we all know today, developed and patented in 1874 by Joseph Glidden, and housed today in a museum dedicated to the story of jumper-snagging fence materials …
When museums invite me to leave feedback, I’m often not inspired to – perhaps because I don’t think it’ll have any impact, perhaps because I suspect nobody will read it, and maybe even because I don’t feel like …
When is an artwork not an artwork? This circle of light on the gallery floor marks the physical absence of a work called Meeyn Meerreeng (2017) which was once installed here …
Who needs to go to Hollywood to see the stars? One of Whistable’s most famous residents, Peter Cushing, is well represented in the collection of the town’s museum, including his movie star …
This week, the new Bauhaus Museum in Dessau (Germany) opens to the public, celebrating the work of the teachers and students at the famous art school. For me, this image sums up so much of what the Bauhaus was all about …
This statue commemorates the pooch that belonged to Charles Wicksteed, founder of Wicksteed Park in Kettering. Jerry (1920–28) was much loved by the childless Charles, who used to drive his motor car …
People often say that the hands are the hardest part of the body to draw. And that you can tell the skill of an artist who can accurately capture them. So this column of hands attracted me …
This week Manchester marks the 200th anniversary of the massacre of peaceful protestors at St Peter’s Square. Just a few years after Waterloo, the event reminded people of a bloody battlefield and was so named Peterloo …
Although we don’t know much about Ana Rupene, we understand she was from the Auckland region of New Zealand’s North Island. She is pictured here with her daughter, Huria, on her back in an image that went viral …
Although the much-admired original torso is in the Vatican, this copy in London has been a source of admiration and inspiration for countless artists and sculptors. The crunched abs, the open legs …
Another object collage. When you can’t decide which object to put on display I argue that it’s fine (once in a while) to get a whole load of them out. Although if museums do it too often, then …
While the museum is closed for refurbishment (reopening in 2021), a display of objects from their collection is going on display at their temporary home in Manchester Central Library. The pop-up museum features an ‘object selection machine’ …
10 July marks the anniversary of the death of the Roman Emperor Hadrian (in AD 138). Hadrian was a fan of his own image and had statues of himself erected across the empire – many of which are now in museums. But there is also this oil painting interpretation …
