Shoplifting, sex shows and sheepdog-breeding: great artists and the side-hustles they did to get by

John Cage appeared on an Italian quizshow. Jean Genet stole rare books. Emily Carr reared bobtails. And Kathy Acker did X-rated acts with her boyfriend … we explore the unlikely sidelines of struggling artists

The Guardian view on anonymity in art: the ‘unmasking’ of Banksy and Ferrante should stop

Editorial: Our fascination with the ‘real’ identities of artists and writers is revealing about attitudes to fame and authorship

Margareta Magnusson obituary

Artist and writer who found fame late in life when she popularised the concept of ‘death cleaning’

‘We all want to know what he was doing in the bedroom’: Kerouac’s unseen archive goes on show in New York

As the original On the Road scroll heads to auction, a new exhibition uncovers the private life of the Beat legend

From MTV Cribs to The Bachelor Mansion: what reality TV homes reveal about viewers

In book Dream Facades, Jack Balderrama Morley examines houses from shows including Keeping Up with the Kardashians to see what we can learn

Cardboard crazy! Scavenger genius Shigeru Ban on building cathedrals and quake shelters with paper

From high-end boutiques to housing in disaster zones with beer-crate foundations, the Japanese architect creates with things people throw away. What will his distillery in whisky’s holy land look like?

‘One of the most stunning sights in the country’: your picks for UK town of culture

From pirates and skateboarders in Hastings to legends and locks in Devizes, from dolphins in Scarborough to the ‘artists’ town’ of Kirkcudbright, readers put forward their favourite places

‘Pain is a violent lover’: Daisy Lafarge on the paintings she made when floored with agony

Suffering from a connective tissue disorder and enduring endless calls to try and get benefits, the poet and novelist turned to painting – resulting in work that could change perceptions of disabled people

Inside the idyllic studio of Alison Lester: ‘Everything I do looks a bit like a stuffed toy’

The doyenne of Australian picture books talks about her creative process, the ‘wild and woolly’ place that inspired Magic Beach – and how a favourite idea was sketched on an aeroplane sick bag

Robert Crumb review – sexual deviancy elevated to an art form

Though they were created for comic books, the artist’s horny and hilarious drawings of his own neuroses, and of glamazons in thigh-high boots, are unnervingly powerful on gallery walls

On Censorship by Ai Weiwei review – are we losing the battle for free speech?

China isn’t the only country imposing limits on creative expression, argues the provocative artist

‘The rise of fascism makes our work even more important’: Montez Press, champions of queer, feminist art

They published a raunchy book inspired by the Guardian’s Owen Jones; broadcast interviews with obscure punk legends; and make calendars to navigate the world of underground art. Now they’re going global

What does your car say about you? A global portrait of people and their rides, from Shanghai to Santa Monica

You can tell a lot about someone from the vehicle they drive, as Martin Roemers’ collection of photographs show. Introduction by author William Boyd

‘For a moment, only that story matters’: my plan to reignite the all-consuming love of books

Reading for pleasure rates are shockingly low in young people. So we should all get behind a new drive to turn them into avid readers. Why not start with books about art?

Art could save your life! Five creative ways to make 2026 happier, healthier and more hopeful

Engaging in creativity can reduce depression, improve immunity and delay ageing – all while you’re having fun