The great Renaissance artist exploded into England on the run from anti-art crusaders – and his spellbinding portraits of 16th-century grandees are going on display at last

A Queen’s Gallery exhibition tells the story of centuries of artistic and cultural exchange between east and west

Queen’s Gallery, London
There’s an entire wall of Rembrandts, as well as magnificent works by Vermeer and Rubens. But these treasures should be on show to everyone all the time – not shut off in the palace

This superb show of Leonardo’s drawings reveals the craftsman alongside the visionary – and the sheer range of his curiosity

The importance of art to the Restoration is revealed in this tremendous show featuring some of Charles II’s most treasured possessions

The royal family’s private art collection boasts 7,000 paintings, 500,000 prints and 30,000 drawings and watercolours by some of the world’s greatest artists. Yet its exact contents remain secret, and only a fraction of it is ever on show to the public. Isn’t it time the Queen shared her artistic riches with the nation? By Charlotte Higgins.

Queen’s Gallery, London