Arts

Visitors marvel at the the most famous piece in the Rijksmuseum: Militia Company of District II under the Command of Captain Frans Banninck Cocq, Known as de ‘Night Watch’, Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn, 1642. Rembrandt’s largest, most famous canvas was made for the Arquebusiers guild hall. This was one of several halls of Amsterdam’s civic guard, the city’s militia and police. Rembrandt was the first to paint figures in a group portrait actually doing something. The captain, dressed in black, is telling his lieutenant to start the company marching. The guardsmen are getting into formation. Rembrandt used the light to focus on particular details, like the captain’s gesturing hand and the young girl in the foreground. She was the company mascot. Rijksmuseum. Amsterdam. Holland. Photograph by DAVID LEVENE 20 March 204
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
The Russian Pavilion. 13th Venice International Architecture Biennale. Italy. Photograph by David Levene 26 August 2012
Russian Pavilion, Venice
Anthony Gormley stands inside his new work 'Test Sites'. The artist has created a major new site-specific installation and a new series of cast body-form sculptures. 'Breathing Room III' will be exhibited in the lower ground floor gallery and is the third and largest in this series of works. The sculpture is a physical manifestation of the gallery, comprising 15 interconnecting photo-luminescent 'space frames', the total volume of which is equal to that of the internal gallery space. Time and light are the principal materials of the work. White Cube gallery. London. Photograph by David Levene 3 June 2010
'Test Sites' by Anthony Gormley
Emily Eavis. Glastonbury festival. England. Photograph by David Levene 29 June 2008
Emily Eavis, Glastonbury festival
Marc Quinn attends to his finished sculpture at The Cervietti marble sculpture workshop in Petrasanta, Tuscany, Italy. By David Levene 1 September 2005
'Alison Lapper' by Marc Quinn
'Spain Mon Amour' Five Office, Ten Architects, Fifteen Cities. Arsenale. Venice Architecture Biennale. Italy. Photograph by David Levene 28 August 2012
'Spain Mon Amour', Venice Architecture Biennale. Italy
Elgin Marbles. Parthenon Marbles. The British Museum, London. Photograph by David Levene 23 July 2024
Elgin Marbles, British Museum. London
Art Technicians Matthias Kessemeier and Dai Roberts clean Henry Moore's Large Reclining Figure atop the purpose-built mound it sits on at the Henry Moore Studios & Gardens. All the sculptures in the Gardens here are cleaned each year prior to the centre opening for the spring and summer season. Over 9m long and weighing 4 tonnes, this is Moore's largest work to be cast in bronze. Henry Moore had a particular fondness for sheep and had an arrangment with his neighbouring farmer (that exists to this day) that the farmer could use Henry's fields for the sheep to graze in. Moore greatly enjoyed observing and drawing sheep in this particular field, which his studio overlooks. Moore delighted in the fact that sheep would congregate around and offer a sense of scale to his work. The Henry Moore Studios & Gardens open to the public on Thursday 28th March 2024. (From press release: -) Nature was always at the centre of Moore’s work. In 1951, he famously declared: “Sculpture is an art of the open air. Daylight, sunlight, is necessary to it, and for me its best setting and complement is nature. I would rather have a piece of my sculpture put in a landscape, almost any landscape, than in, or on, the most beautiful building I know.” Hertfordshire. Photograph by David Levene 26 March 2023
Henry Moore, Hertfordshire
Gallery interior at The Courtauld, London, displaying a gilded Renaissance diptych of the Annunciation beneath an ornate painted ceiling. Photograph by David Levene 5 November 2021
Courtauld, London
'C-O-M-B-I-N-E. Content Box' Sweden. The Nordic Pavilion. 13th Venice International Architecture Biennale. Italy. Photograph by David Levene 26 August 2012
'C-O-M-B-I-N-E. Content Box', Venice Biennale
Giorgio Andreotta Calò, Senza titolo (La fine del mondo), 2017, “Il Mondo Magico” Italia Pavilion at Venice Biennale, 2017. Tese delle Vergini, Arsenale. Venice Biennale. Venice. Italy. Photograph by David Levene 12 May 2017
Italia Pavilion, Venice Biennale
A film about James Baldwin's life in Istanbul, where he lived sporadically from 1961-1970, presented by Glenn Ligon. Mizzi Kösküv Mansion, Büyükada island. The 16th Istanbul Biennial THE SEVENTH CONTINENT, which runs from 14 September - 10 November 2019, is curated by Nicolas Bourriaud and features more than 220 works by 56 artists from 25 countries. Istanbul, Turkey. Photograph by David Levene 11 September 2019
Glenn Ligon, Istanbul
A figure in black standing in a desert landscape beside a tall vertical pole, Doha, Qatar. Photograph by David Levene 30 March 2022
Doha, Qatar
Florentina Holzinger. Austria Pavilion. 61st International Art Exhibition, Biennale di Venezia, In Minor Keys. Venice, Italy. Photograph by David Levene 5/5/26
Austria Pavilion Venice. Italy
Austria Pavilion. 61st International Art Exhibition, Biennale di Venezia, In Minor Keys. Venice, Italy. Photograph by David Levene 9/5/26
Austria Pavilion, Venice. Italy
***EMBARGOED UNTIL 11am WEDS 10th NOVEMBER 2021*** The Courtauld Gallery which re-opens on 19th November following major redevelopment works. London, Photograph by David Levene 5 November 2021
The Courtauld Gallery, London
Golden Tower by James Lee Byers at The 57th Venice Biennale, 2017. Giardini. Venice Biennale. Venice. Italy. Photograph by David Levene 12 May 2017
Golden Tower, Venice
Compton Verney, art gallery and museum set in a historic country house in Warwickshire, known for its diverse collections spanning European, Asian, and folk art. Photograph by David Levene 09 April 2025
Compton Verney, Warwickshire
National Museum of Qatar, Doha. Photograph by David Levene 2 March 2022
National Museum of Qatar, Doha
Mirror Mirror (2017) by Anish Kapoor - housed in the historic Palazzo Manfrin in the Cannaregio district, Venice, Italy. Photograph by David Levene 18 April 2022
Mirror Mirror by Anish Kapoor, Venice
Malta Pavillion. Venice Biennale 2022. Photograph by David Levene 20/04/22.
Malta Pavillion, Venice Biennale
Alex Horne on stage during the launch night of the new Soho Theatre Walthamstow, which opened it's doors this weekend following a massive renovation and refurbishment programme, lasting '?' years. Originally built as the Grenada Cinema in the 1930's by architect Cecil Masey and with interiors by the stage designer Theodore Komisarjevsky, the building became a music venue in the 60s, hosting the likes of Buddy Holly and the Beatles, before gradually falling into the disrepair and finally closing it's doors in 2003. London. Photograph by David Levene 01 May 2025
Soho Theatre Walthamstow, London
Malala Yousafzai. National Portrait Gallery, UNFRAMED. National Portrait Gallery Unframed is an innovative partnership between leading immersive experience creators FRAMELESS and the National Portrait Gallery. Media City, Manchester. Photograph by David Levene 28 April 2025
Malala Yousafzai
Beverley Knight backstage at the Olivier Awards ceremony at the Royal Albert Hall. London. Photograph by David Levene 6 April 2025
Beverley Knight
A day in the life of principal dancer Yui Yonezawa at the National Ballet of Japan (NBJ) as the company prepare for "Ballet Coffret", a triple bill program showcasing a selection of 20th-century masterpieces. The program, which translates to "jewellery box" in French, features a variety of works, including The Firebird, The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude, and Études. The New National Theatre, Tokyo, Japan. Photograph by David Levene 16 March 2025
Yui Yonezawa, Tokyo
Ballet class at the National Ballet of Japan (NBJ) as the company prepare for "Ballet Coffret", a triple bill program showcasing a selection of 20th-century masterpieces. The program, which translates to "jewellery box" in French, features a variety of works, including The Firebird, The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude, and Études. The New National Theatre, Tokyo, Japan. Photograph by David Levene 16 March 2025
National Ballet, Tokyo
The National Ballet of Japan (NBJ) perform Etudes, during a performance of "Ballet Coffret", a triple bill program showcasing a selection of 20th-century masterpieces. The program, which translates to "jewellery box" in French, features a variety of works, including The Firebird, The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude, and Études. The New National Theatre, Tokyo, Japan. Photograph by David Levene 15 March 2025
National Ballet, Tokyo
The National Ballet of Japan (NBJ) perform Etudes, during a performance of "Ballet Coffret", a triple bill program showcasing a selection of 20th-century masterpieces. The program, which translates to "jewellery box" in French, features a variety of works, including The Firebird, The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude, and Études. The New National Theatre, Tokyo, Japan. Photograph by David Levene 13 March 2025
National Ballet, Tokyo
Students from the New National Theatre Ballet School (NNT Ballet School) take part in a daily ballet class. The NNT Ballet School is the official training school for the National Ballet of Japan (NBJ). It is Japan's first theatre-affiliated training institute for aspiring professional ballet dancers. Established in April 2001, the school provides a two-year full-time training program aimed at developing students into professional dancers. Students also participate in NBJ productions, gaining practical stage experience. Tokyo, Japan. Photograph by David Levene 13 March 2025
National Ballet, Tokyo
Vanessa Williams prepares to appear as Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada at the Dominion Theatre. London. Photograph by David Levene 12 February 2025
Vanessa Williams
Steve Coogan's preparations for Dr Strangelove at the Noël Coward Theatre. Transformations into character. A behind-the-scenes look at the processes and rituals undertaken by stage actors as they transform into characters. London. Photograph by David Levene 11 January 2025
Steve Coogan