The Easel | Art journalism

26th August 2025

Can we paint our dreams?

Laura Cumming | The Observer | 17th August 2025

Bethlam Hospital near London has treated mentally ill patients for centuries. Some of its patients have made art, trying to explain to their doctors what is going on. They describe “raw, unmediated experience” far removed from the sleek catchy images that the surrealists said described the unconscious state. So, are these artworks or just “self diagnosis”? And how do they relate to dreams, such a renowned source of artistic inspiration? How different is the half-awake state from the processes of mental illness?

19th August 2025

The Kinetic Force of Art-World Couple Niki de Saint Phalle and Jean Tinguely Comes to Life in Somerset

Anna Cafolla | Vogue | 6th June 2025

The artistic imagination is usually so singular as to preclude collaboration. Saint Phalle and Tinguely were exceptions. Tinguely’s kinetic sculptures, wonky contraptions made from junk materials, differed profoundly from Saint Phalle’s paintings and jaunty figurative sculptures. Yet, things like colour choices or mechanical motifs showed that they traded ideas. Said Saint Phalle of their decades-long collaboration, “we couldn’t sit down together without creating something new”. A review of Tinguely’s work is here.

Britain collaboration de Saint Phalle Niki kinetic sculpture Somerset Tinguely Jean

Older links

Newer links

What People Say About The Easel

Romas Tauras

Every issue contains some gems. It’s the most anticipated newsletter I receive because it not only finds some excellent art writing but also helps give me a sense of broader trends in the art world....

The Easel

2021-03-05T07:31:27+11:00

https://the-easel.com/testimonials/romas-tauras/

Robert Cottrell

The Easel is one of the world’s great newsletters, a model of taste and intelligence; and Andrew Bailey is one of the world’s most discerning editors.

former deputy editor of The Economist and a senior journalist for the Financial Times

The Easel

2020-06-10T22:33:45+10:00

former deputy editor of The Economist and a senior journalist for the Financial Times

The Easel is one of the world’s great newsletters, a model of taste and intelligence; and Andrew Bailey is one of the world’s most discerning editors.

https://the-easel.com/testimonials/robert-cottrell/

Love this Compilation

Simply love this compilation, possibly the best out there online.

Easel subscriber, August 2019

The Easel

2020-06-14T21:06:54+10:00

Easel subscriber, August 2019

Simply love this compilation, possibly the best out there online.

https://the-easel.com/testimonials/love-this-compilation/

In-depth Reading

Really enjoy the newsletter. Look forward to it. Almost always something in it I save for in-depth reading.

Easel subscriber, August 2019

The Easel

2020-06-14T21:04:49+10:00

Easel subscriber, August 2019

Really enjoy the newsletter. Look forward to it. Almost always something in it I save for in-depth reading.

https://the-easel.com/testimonials/in-depth-reading/

Wide Range of Topics

I live on the remote island of Fair Isle … the wide range [of topics] is good for me.

Easel subscriber, August 2019

The Easel

2020-06-10T23:09:01+10:00

Easel subscriber, August 2019

I live on the remote island of Fair Isle … the wide range [of topics] is good for me.

https://the-easel.com/testimonials/wide-range-of-topics/

Well-curated

I think that The Easel is one of the truly fine aggregation sites, as is. To use current trendy parlance, it's well-curated

Easel subscriber, August 2019

The Easel

2020-06-10T23:08:02+10:00

Easel subscriber, August 2019

I think that The Easel is one of the truly fine aggregation sites, as is. To use current trendy parlance, it's well-curated

https://the-easel.com/testimonials/well-curated/

Terrific Content & Links

The content and links to other sources terrific. The one para description helps me select the articles of most interest.

Easel subscriber, August 2019

The Easel

2020-06-10T22:56:56+10:00

Easel subscriber, August 2019

The content and links to other sources terrific. The one para description helps me select the articles of most interest.

https://the-easel.com/testimonials/terrific-content-links/

The Week’s Best Art-writing

The Easel is my go-to for the week’s best art-writing. Always accessible, The Easel is a great resource for collectors looking for a deeper understanding of art and ideas.

Gallery Director, London and New York

The Easel

2020-06-10T22:55:33+10:00

Gallery Director, London and New York

The Easel is my go-to for the week’s best art-writing. Always accessible, The Easel is a great resource for collectors looking for a deeper understanding of art and ideas.

https://the-easel.com/testimonials/the-weeks-best-art-writing/

Smart, Surprising, Engaging & Accessible

Always smart, surprising, engaging, and accessible, The Easel brilliantly curates the art world, pointing us towards those ‘ironic points of light’ that are still able to give us needed hope in this strange world we now inhabit.

David Scott Kastan, Yale University. Author of On Color

The Easel

2020-06-10T22:43:36+10:00

David Scott Kastan, Yale University. Author of On Color

https://the-easel.com/testimonials/smart-surprising-engaging-and-accessible/

Succinct & So Well Edited

The Easel is lovely and succinct and so well edited. It is the only bulletin/newsletter I have elected to keep receiving as there are so many ut there. Thank you!

Easel subscriber, August 2019

The Easel

2020-06-10T22:35:09+10:00

Easel subscriber, August 2019

The Easel is lovely and succinct and so well edited. It is the only bulletin/newsletter I have elected to keep receiving as there are so many ut there. Thank you!

https://the-easel.com/testimonials/succinct-and-so-well-edited/

The Easel