Secrets have never been more suspect. Post Snowden, post Saville, post the Catholic Church abuse scandal, institutions which keep secrets are automatically seen as having something to hide, and openness and transparency are seen as the new imperatives. Any deviation from the new orthodoxy of honesty is punished – by exposure. But the story of secrecy is not as black and white as our contemporary prejudices would have it. For centuries secrecy has been seen to serve a useful purpose. It has protected citizens from the prying eyes of governments, it has protected the feelings of individuals and kept couples together. Have we lost more than we have gained by abandoning our respect for the power and sanctity of secrecy? Tiffany Jenkins presents a history of secrecy driven by a thesis which challenges the conventional wisdom of the moment.
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Shhh! A Narrative History of Secrecy
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Great collectors used to have great taste. Now they simply show off their wealth
Article published in The Observer on the Leonardo and contemporary collecting. If you walk around Mayfair or Manhattan at twilight and look up, you could glimpse a Damien Hirst spot painting through an …
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Making amends to Native Americans may be endangering their history
A few years ago, a group of Native American leaders drove 12 hours from Oklahoma to Denver Museum of Nature and Science, a natural history museum in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, to collect 26 …
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How Neil MacGregor saved the British Museum
‘Neil MacGregor saved the British Museum from becoming a toxic and dated irrelevance When, in 2002, MacGregor succeeded the historian of chemistry, Robert Anderson, as director, the British Museum was in turmoil. It was struggling …
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Events like Iliad Live are all about the audience: they do little for the art itself
Article on Apollo. ‘…let men first do some great thing that shall be told among men hereafter’. These stirring words from the Iliad were spoken aloud last week, to an audience in the most unusual of …
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Bring Botticelli back to where it belongs
Museum loans with the purpose of raising cash can end up short-changing art, I argue in the Scotsman. “Come face to face with a masterpiece.” “Amazing art in a spectacular setting.” “Something for everyone.” These …
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Judgement At Last, Four Thought, Radio 4
In this programme for Four Thought on Radio 4, I argue that we need more judgement about quality in art, culture and life. Judgement about quality is unfashionable in today’s art world, and this is …
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Art is More than Brain Deep
What is a beautiful artwork? Ask anyone and you will get an answer, but it will differ from person to person. For me, it’s a work that is truthful and deep, one that is inexhaustible. …
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Exhibit B: A Review of the Human Zoo
AT the entrance to Exhibit B is a sign warning audiences the performance art they’re about to see contains nudity. It somewhat misses the point: this is a show that confronts slavery, colonialism and present-day …
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Women are raped for our entertainment on stage and on TV, The Independent
Violence against women has been rife on TV and the Edinburgh Fringe. But the way it’s portrayed demeans both sexes and ignores healthy relationships, I argue in the following article in the Independent newspaper. You can …
