The Discriminator is the Last Surviving Olympics Sceptic
Surely Some Mistake It makes no sense to boast of London having ‘won’ the right to host the Olympics, since…
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Bagpipes and Drunkeness
This Blows A Scottish-themed dinner party unravels when a drunken guest heckles a bagpiper, showing that most New Yorkers still…
ByIs Fine Wine a New Reserve Commodity?
Fine wine has many of the characteristics of gold, which could make it a perfect reserve commodity and investment, says…
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Counter Culture: It’s So Easy To Have Good Taste In Art, Until You’re Buying It
No Thanks, Just Looking You might think you know your art from your elbow while idly strolling through a gallery.…
ByEditor's Letter 27: Olympics, Libya and Ageing Populations
Olympics Fever has not passed Spear’s by: we’re practising our javelin hurls and reverse two-and-a-half somersaults, tuck, with as much…
ByFrancis Bacon Cushions and Damien Hirst’s £36,800 Skull: When Art Turns Into Merchandise
Artists, museums and galleries need to be ever-more innovative in how they raise money. The solution, says Josh Spero, seems…
ByIn Tune: The City of London Festival
You see a lot of strange and surprising things when walking around London but how often is one of them…
ByAgeing Disgracefully
We’re all getting older, that much is obvious. And try as we might to reverse the effects of ageing, no…
ByThe Olympics: A Five-Ring Circus
This is not column for killjoys: Spear’s welcomes the Olympics to town, complete with its eminently eBay-able torch, re-enlisted drugs…
ByCounter Culture: It's So Easy To Have Good Taste In Art, Until You're Buying It
No Thanks, Just Looking You might think you know your art from your elbow while idly strolling through a gallery.…
ByArticle of the Week Preview: Richard Young’s Photographs of Elizabeth Taylor, And the Stories Behind Them
‘My relationship with Elizabeth Taylor began in 1975. It was the beginning of my career as a photographer, and this…
ByArticle of the Week Preview: Elena Baturina, Russia's Richest Woman, on Politics, Business and Good Design
Read preview extracts from Spear’s article of the week, Sophie McBain’s interview with Elena Baturina, Russia’s richest woman, as she…
ByTurkey’s Bodrum Peninsula Becomes a Luxury Destination
Turkey on a Roll At last the Bodrum Peninsula has discovered its inner St Tropez. This is how I like…
BySehgal’s ‘These Associations’ at Tate Modern and the Value of Nothing
‘The world is full of objects, more or less interesting; I do not wish to add any more.’ THIS IS…
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200 Years On, Could UK Schools Ever Produce a Pugin, Dickens or Lear?
Victor Victorians Pugin, Dickens and Lear — each in his 200th year — with their tireless work ethic show us…
BySt Lucia’s Sugar Beach: When An Englishman’s Home Isn’t His Castle But a 5* Hotel
Life’s a Beach …but a sweet one, sighs William Cash, as he relaxes at St Lucia’s Sugar Beach. Lord Glenconner…
ByFinding Happiness in Abu Dhabi
Abu-Solutely Fabulous More low-key than Dubai, Abu Dhabi is nevertheless pursuing its own reinvention as a world-class cultural destination with…
ByA New Government, Contemporary Art and Modern Technology in Paris
Nouvelle Ville Paris is fizzing with the new — in art, politics, hotels. It’s just a shame that they’re not…
ByInside Degas’ House in New Orleans
The Louisiana Purchase Buying the New Orleans house that Edgar Degas lived in is one way to establish a museum.…
ByModern Indian Design Revives Ancient Crafts
Delhi-cacies Lucia van der Post dons her sari to explore the traditional arts and crafts that exemplify Indian splendour and…
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