
Towering trunks, disturbing dolls and deep-sea daydreams – the week in art
Giuseppe Penone: Thoughts in the RootsThis veteran environmental artist has been celebrating trees for almost six decades. Does his bark still have bite?
Serpentine, London, 3 April to 7 September
Dormitorium: The Film Décors of the Quay BrothersCreepy dolls and east European atmosphere from the artists formerly known as the Brothers Quay. Watch out for the stag ejaculant.
Swedenborg Society, London, until 4 April
Textiles: The Art of MankindAmbitious global overview of textiles as art, from ancient times to our own era.
Fashion and Textile Museum, London, until 7 September
José María VelascoInformative and scientifically observant views of 19th-century Mexico – but Velasco doesn't rock. Read the full review here.
National Gallery, London, 29 March to 17 August
UnderseaImaginary worlds of the sea from premodern monsters to contemporary daydreams, with Paul Delvaux and Michael Armitage.
Hastings Contemporary, 29 March to 14 September
If you don't think this portrait looks much like Donald Trump, you and he are in agreement … bigly! With a laser-like focus on urgent domestic matters, the US president this week bemoaned that the painting hanging in the Colorado state capitol building didn't flatter him and demanded it be taken down. He even found time to insult its creator, saying: 'The artist also did President Obama, and he looks wonderful, but the one on [sic] me is truly the worst. She must have lost her talent as she got older.' Full story here. SAD.
Grayson Perry has a new alter ego, who has her own alter ego
Spanish artist Joan Miró painted over his mother's portrait
A new documentary about female war artists has a cringey title
New York's Frick collection is reopening, and it's teeming with masterpieces
Photographer and teacher Hicham Benohoud turned his students into art
A book about Picasso's lovers might not be the feminist slam dunk it wishes
Burmese political prisoner and painter Htein Lin befriended his guards so he could smuggle in paint
American artist Thomas Kinkade was a proto-influencer who built a multimillion dollar brand
The Avenue at Middelharnis by Meindert Hobbema, 1689Some of the most characterful trees in art soar above a road in this renowned landscape. These Dutch alders have a very distinctive appearance with their fluffy foliage crowns and branchless, but furry leaved, tall trunks. They resemble palm trees in Los Angeles, which might be one reason why David Hockney is fascinated by this work. What Hockney has spoken about and imitated in his own art, however, is Hobbema's complex perspective that he claims has two vanishing points. This is also a highly symbolic view of a humanised landscape. The new Dutch Republic in the 17th century relied for its success, and even survival, on land reclaimed from the sea. The low-lying flat vista here evokes a Dutch world where human intervention shapes nature. It would be barren without the tended, manicured avenue of alders that leads gently into town in a harmonious ideal of nature governed wisely by its human regents.
National Gallery, London
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Daily Record
12 hours ago
- Daily Record
ITV Love Island fans fiercely defend Scots star Alima Gagigo after brutal coupling up comment
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Daily Record
13 hours ago
- Daily Record
ITV Love Island 2025 couples in full as Maya Jama kicks off show with fresh twist
Love Island returned to screens tonight for the ITV show's twelfth season with twelve new contestants making their dramatic entrance into the iconic villa. Love Island has made it's highly anticipated return and twelve new contestants have made their dramatic entrance into the vilia tonight with Maya Jama reprising her role as host on the ITV dating show's twelfth series. However, a major twist caught the islanders off guard before they even got a chance to see each other face to face. This year's series kicked off with the girls arriving first, entering in pairs as they grinned with excitement over who and what awaits them under the Spanish sun. But instead of the traditional ceremony where singles step forward for their favourite potential partner, Maya unveiled a fresh twist which threw the first coupling into total chaos just minutes into the show. The girls were shown six giant red hearts, each of which featured a short dating profile from the boys. The information they were given only stated their name, age, height, job and a cheeky tagline. They then had to make their decision on who to match with based on nothing but their profiles. One of the profiles said: "I like to play hard and work harder!" Another boasted:"I've got good chat, good vibes, and great teeth." Following some intense conversations, Maya counted down and the girls made their move, sprinting towards the heart they felt the most drawn to. Moments later, the boys made their entrance one by one to discover who they'd been paired with through blind selection. Here are the Love Island 2025 couples so far.. Shakira & Ben Marketing exec Shakira from Burnley declared she was looking for a "tall, charming, witty guy with big arms and a big smile". She chose Ben Holbrough, a 27-year-old private hire taxi driver who joked his love life was "bankrupt" - but he may be cashing in now. He said he is on the market for a woman with "good chat, good vibes, nice teeth and good eye contact". Sophie & Harry Motivational speaker Sophie, 29, from Manchester chose to couple up with suave gold trader Harry Cooksley. Harry, 30, is the oldest contestant in the villa so far but with his model credentials and "Surrey Zidane" football finesse, Sophie seems more than content. Sophie, who branded herself the "CEO of empowerment", is searching for a man who's attentive and funny. Harry, the man of many talents, previously disclosed he actually moonlights as Declan Rice's body double for close-up shoots, but let's see if his personality matches up to his looks. Helena & Conor Cabin crew assistant Helena went for Northern banter and found herself paired up with professional rugby player Conor Philips. Conor revealed he likes "a dominant woman" with a sense of humour. Meanwhile, Helena values personality and says she can "pretty much laugh herself into bed", so these two may have already met their match. Meg & Dejon Payroll specialist Meg hails from Southampton, bringing business metaphors and bold chat to the villa as she said she aspires to turn her "bankrupt" love life into booming profits. Meg selected personal trainer and semi-pro footballer Dejon Noel-Williams, having been drawn to his sporty bio and smooth one-liner, and when he stepped out, she definitely did not look disappointed. Dejon, who has rubbed shoulders with the likes of David Beckham, thanks to his famous ex-footballer father, said he was looking for someone confident and real. Alima & Blu Alima Gagigo from Glasgow is the only Scot in this year's series with the 23-year-old graduate choosing to couple up with construction project manager Blu Chegini, who had a very cheeky backstory. Blu grew up with a mum who owned a sex shop in Spain, which he has confessed earned him some teasing from pals, who he jokes were unaware that "their parents were buying stuff from there". Blu's confidence and focus on "personality and family" had Alima seemingly intrigued from the get-go. Megan & Tommy Irish musical theatre star and energy broker Megan, who hails from Dublin, was beaming after she chose down-to-earth landscaper Tommy Bradley. The 24-year-old is known for his tight bond with his boxer brother, Jamie Bradley, and says he is looking for someone with ambition, kindness, and a big personality. Megan, who joked she loves a "bit pasty" lad like Timothée Chalamet, may have found her villa match in sweet-natured Tommy.


Daily Mirror
13 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Maya Jama makes huge show first announcement as Love Island couples confirmed
Twelve new contestants made their dramatic entrance into the Love Island villa tonight as Maya Jama returned to host the ITV dating show's twelfth series, but a major twist left the Islanders scrambling before they even saw each other face to face. This year's series kicked off with the girls arriving first. They entered in pairs, beaming with excitement to see who they might fall for under the Spanish sun. But instead of the usual ceremony where singles step forward for their favourite potential partner, Maya revealed a fresh twist that threw the first coupling into total chaos. The girls were shown six giant red hearts, each featuring a short dating profile from the boys, which only showcased their name, age, height, job, and a cheeky tagline. From there, the girls had to make their match based on nothing but the profiles. "I like to play hard and work harder!" teased one of the profiles. Another promised: "I've got good chat, good vibes, and great teeth." After some intense discussion, Maya counted down, and the girls made their moves, sprinting toward the heart they felt most drawn to. Moments later, the boys entered one by one to discover who they'd been paired with by blind selection. Here's how the Love Island 2025 singles coupled up... Burnley beauty Shakira is a marketing exec who declared she was looking for a "tall, charming, witty guy with big arms and a big smile". Enter Ben Holbrough, a 27-year-old private hire taxi driver who joked his love life was "bankrupt" - but he might be cashing in now. He previously admitted he is on the market for a woman with "good chat, good vibes, nice teeth and good eye contact". Payroll specialist Meg from Southampton brought business metaphors and bold chat to the villa, hoping to turn a "bankrupt" love life into booming profits. She picked personal trainer and semi-pro footballer Dejon Noel-Williams based on his sporty bio and smooth one-liner, and when he stepped out, she didn't seem disappointed. Dejon, who has rubbed shoulders with the likes of David Beckham thanks to his famous ex-footballer dad, said he was after someone confident and real. So far, it looks like Meg's catching his eye. Manchester motivational speaker Sophie, 29, paired up with suave gold trader Harry Cooksley. The 30-year-old is the oldest in the villa, but with his model credentials and "Surrey Zidane" football finesse, Sophie seems more than content. Sophie, who dubbed herself the "CEO of empowerment", is ready for a man who's attentive and funny. Harry previously revealed he actually moonlights as Declan Rice's body double for close-up shoots, but let's see if his personality matches up to his looks. Cabin crew girl Helena went for Northern banter and ended up with professional rugby player Conor Philips. Conor, who says he likes "a dominant woman" with a sense of humour, might have just met his match. Helena values personality and says she can "pretty much laugh herself into bed", so we'll be watching closely to see if these two can banter their way to a lasting connection. Scottish flirt Alima picked the heart tied to Blu Chegini, the construction project manager with a surprisingly cheeky backstory. He grew up with a mum who owned a sex shop in Spain, which he has admitted earned him some teasing from pals, who he jokes were unaware that "their parents were buying stuff from there". Blu's confidence and focus on "personality and family" had Alima intrigued from the get-go. Dublin's Megan, a musical theatre performer and energy broker, was all smiles after choosing down-to-earth landscaper Tommy Bradley. The 24-year-old is known for his brotherly bond with boxer Jamie Bradley and says he wants someone with ambition, kindness, and a big personality. Megan, who joked she loves a "bit pasty" lad like Timothée Chalamet, might have found her villa match in sweet-natured Tommy.