‘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

Molly Parkin obituary

Artist, writer, fashion editor and raconteur whose bohemian lifestyle inspired her bonkbuster novels

Wendy Hoile obituary

Other lives: Illustrator whose work appeared in magazines and newspapers, and on book jackets

‘Don’t be disheartened by mistakes’: 10 lessons my artist father taught me

David Gentleman’s brilliant career spans eight decades, from watercolour painting to tube station murals to drawing the Tottenham riots. Here his daughter, the Guardian journalist Amelia Gentleman, dispenses his invaluable advice

‘Lunch could last all day – and night’: inside Coco Chanel’s sun-kissed sanctum for art’s superstars

The French fashion designer’s lavish Mediterranean villa was frequented by everyone from Dalí to Garbo to Stravinsky to Churchill. It has now been lovingly restored – with a thrillingly bolstered library

Dorset to unveil statue of feminist writer and LGBTQ+ pioneer – and a cat

Tribute to Sylvia Townsend Warner follows campaign to nominate overlooked women

Martin Parr obituary

Photographer whose unblinking eye documented the human subject as a birdwatcher might, via plumage, habitat and diet