Spanish queen portrait expected to smash Velázquez auction record
Isabel de Borbón, Queen of Spain valued in region of $35m, more than double the record for a Velázquez
October 2023
Juan de Pareja: how Velázquez’s slave became a renowned artist in his own right
Juan de Pareja’s story sheds light on the role of slavery in creating the great works of Spain’s golden age
January 2023
Spain and the Hispanic World review – royals, chinchillas, bullfights and blood
A beautiful Velázquez, fascinating maps, glazed pottery from Muslim craftsmen … US collector Archer Huntington amassed stupendous works – but is there more to this show than the spoils of one man’s grand tour?
October 2021
The Spanish Gallery review – would you like a scary fresco with your sherry and tapas?
Bishop Auckland, County Durham This new museum has big dreams – but that old Spanish magic doesn’t hit you until you reach the frescoes. Great place for a tapas bar, though
January 2021
Art Weekly newsletter
Renaissance cartoons and Turner's watercolours online – the week in art
The Serpentine and WeTransfer go immersive with a new online series, the Scottish National Gallery takes Turner digital and Jo Spence’s powerful photographs are part of a streaming tour
November 2020
One Caravaggio coming right up! Adam Lowe, the art world's master faker
From the tomb of Tutankhamun to Raphael’s Sistine masterpieces, Adam Lowe makes perfect copies for governments and galleries the world over. But he’s not a forger – he’s a liberator
June 2020
Velázquez painting brought to life by historical reenactment group in Seville
Surrender of Breda, immortalised by painter, was significant moment in Dutch war of independence
June 2019
Baroque feminist, pope’s lover … the woman behind a lost Velázquez
Art Weekly newsletter
Cindy Sherman's many masks and Romantic Scotland – the week in art
May 2019
Observer dispatch
The bid to save Velázquez’s childhood home inspired by … Shakespeare
A visit to Stratford sowed the seed of author Enrique Bocanegra’s plan to transform the painter’s derelict house in Seville
August 2018
The Guardian Books podcast
Paul Kildea on Chopin and Amy Sackville on Velázquez – books podcast
Paul Kildea explores how Frédéric Chopin wrote his Preludes and what became of them after his death, while Amy Sackville looks at power and PR through the lens of Diego Velázquez
April 2018
Book of the week
Painter to the King by Amy Sackville review – a virtuoso portrait of Velázquez
This fictional account of the artist’s life at the court of Philip IV confirms its daring author’s extraordinary gifts
March 2018
Art Weekly newsletter
Picasso's tumultuous year of love and the Mona Lisa's doing a runner – the week in art
Britain awaits Picasso’s greatest works, Da Vinci’s masterpiece could leave the Louvre and the photographer who shared a joint with Jim Morrison
September 2017
Reflections: Van Eyck and the Pre-Raphaelites review – not worth a look
This is a sham of a show comparing the clumsy daubs of a group of mediocre pseudo-intellectuals against great artists such as Van Eyck and Velázquez
January 2016
The Vanishing Man: In Pursuit of Velazquez by Laura Cumming review – giving up everything for a painting
The story of a Victorian obsessive is intertwined with a marvellous study of ‘the greatest painter of all time’
Laura Cumming: how Velázquez gave me consolation in grief – and set me on the trail of a lost portrait
For John Snare, a Victorian bookseller, the discovery of a long-lost portrait by Velázquez brought fame and ruin
Velázquez on Broadway: an extract from The Vanishing Man by Laura Cumming
In the Observer art critic’s new book, the tale of a Victorian bookseller who discovers a long-lost portrait by Velázquez becomes a detective story and a passionate homage to the Spanish artist
July 2015
Michael Jacobs, Velázquez and me
Velázquez’s Las Meninas: much more than meets the eye
October 2013
Jonathan Jones on art
Portrait of an enigma: Diego Velázquez's Las Meninas
The profound painting swaps the role of viewer and canvas, showing us the world a monarch sees
