We speak to our journalists in the two epicentres of the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic thus far: Anna Somers Cocks in Italy and Lisa Movius in China. We hear about their experiences of lockdown, the response of museums and galleries and the effect on the art community, as the two countries enter contrasting moments in the Covid-19 crisis.
A candid video from our founding editor Anna Somers Cocks, who is on lockdown in Italy, shows how people are using their creative talents to keep spirits up during the pandemic Courtesy of Anna Somers Cocks
And we begin a new feature, turning the spotlight on works of art normally enjoyed by millions of visitors in museums across the world that are suddenly hanging unseen in empty galleries closed because of the Covid-19 pandemic. In the first of the series, we asked the art historian and broadcaster Bendor Grosvenor to choose his "lonely work": Anthony van Dyck’s masterpiece Martin Ryckaert (about 1631), in the Prado Museum in Madrid, which closed indefinitely last week.
Anthony van Dyck’s Martin Ryckaert (about 1631) Courtesy of the Museo del Prado, Madrid
The Art Newspaper Weekly Podcast is available every Friday on our website and all the usual places where you find podcasts. This podcast is brought to you in association with Bonhams, auctioneers since 1793 bonhams.com.
• Read all of our coverage on how the Covid-19 pandemic is affecting the art world here. You can find useful resources and creative inspiration, including a list of our favourite arty podcasts, here.
