Peter Conrad’s best art books of 2017
A quest for the real Leonardo da Vinci, a memorial to Leonora Carrington and the art in Proust fascinate and illuminate
Jill Barklem obituary
Creator of the Brambly Hedge children’s books
Nick Wadley obituary
Other lives: Art historian, artist and author
Alphabet art and French clothing for kids: what to buy this week
Min Cooper posters and badges, Melijoe childrenswear, an egg microwave and fair wage clothing… these are some of the things we love this week
Pat Hutchins obituary
Illustrator and children’s author best known for Rosie’s Walk
George Orwell returns to loom over BBC
A larger-than-life statue of the author and former BBC employee has been unveiled outside Broadcasting House in London
On my radar: Chris Ware’s cultural highlights
The US graphic novelist on Alexander Payne’s new satire, an exciting new cartoonist and the BBC series he pays to have airmailed across the Atlantic
Elif Shafak joins Future Library, writing piece to be unveiled in 2114
The Turkish novelist follows Margaret Atwood, David Mitchell and Sjón in creating work for publishing project that will only be printed 97 years from now
Leonardo da Vinci: The Biography review – portrait of an easily distracted genius
Walter Isaacson’s illuminating study explains why the original Renaissance man left so many paintings unfinished…
Moomins and more: UK show to exhibit Tove Jansson’s broader work
Britain’s first major retrospective of Finnish artist, at Dulwich Picture Gallery, aims to enhance her reputation as serious artist
Chris Hoggett obituary
Other lives: Artist, illustrator and major figure on the Cheltenham cultural scene
Mystery over Christ’s orb in $100m Leonardo da Vinci painting
Crystal sphere in Salvator Mundi artwork lacks optical exactitude, causing experts to speculate over motive and authenticity
Liberation day: the artists fighting the power of the market – and the internet
Hito Steyerl is at war with the commodification of art and the corrupting power of the market. What’s she fighting them with? Manure. Meet the new wave of artists asking us to reconsider everything from the web to war
‘Like stars in a complex constellation, these objects convey the sweep of Jewish history’
A new book by Rebecca Abrams traces the journeys of the Jewish people through 22 objects in Oxford’s Ashmolean Museum
I need to know where I’m from – my history. Black artists are my guides
Growing up, black art was nowhere to be seen. Now I am exploring the black diaspora and my own, newfound identity through music, theatre and literature