Beyoncé to Black Mirror; the culture that defines 2016
How better to make sense of this turbulent year than through the art and literature it has produced? Our critics choose the works that sum up the last 12 months
The year in music: how Beyoncé, Kanye and Drake saved the album
Reports of the LP’s death were premature, and music and politics collided thanks to Chance The Rapper and Blood Orange
The year in TV: we came together for Fleabag and The Night Manager
Classy drama, edgy comedy, probing documentaries and have-a-go reptiles – telly had it all in 2016
The year in film: women in cinema soared while Suicide Squad sank
Hollywood has work to do with #Oscarssowhite and its woman problem, but there were promising signs on both counts. Meanwhile, we may have reached peak franchise
From the San Francisco SO taking Debussy to new heights to the BBC Philharmonic revitalising Aaron Copland, there were some towering performances laid down for posterity this year
Jonathan Jones's top 10 art exhibitions of 2016
From great masterpieces by Caravaggio and Picasso to Georgiana Houghton’s hypnotic rediscovered paintings, this was a year full of stunning blockbusters
Albums of the year 2016 – our readers respond
After Beyoncé topped the Guardian’s list with Lemonade we asked readers to tell us their favourite album of 2016 – and why it should be up there
