Lucien de Guise, Author at Catholic Herald

Lucien de Guise

Missing mission: Where’s the Christian heritage at the British Museum?

March 02, 2024

In defence of the UK’s pre-eminent cultural institution, the theft of 2,000 items shows some vigilance when compared with the Bibliothèque Nationale de France’s loss of 30,000 books and manuscripts two decades ago. The British Museum’s recovery efforts are less impressive. Last October George Osborne, the former Chancellor of the Exchequer who now chairs the

Turkey votes for Christmas

December 23, 2023

…or at least its president seems to, explains Lucien de Guise. There was a glimmer of hope in the miasma of the Middle East after the Hamas atrocities of October 7. A day later, a new church opened in Istanbul. This may not seem remarkable for a city that is home to what was the

Eyeless in Gaza: are we overlooking the finer points of the Philistines?

October 09, 2023

Reappraising a common insult. Why is “philistine” a term of abuse? Is it an ethnic slur? Who is out there defending the rights of any remaining Philistines? In his jovially self-deprecating way, the deputy editor may recently have planted the seed of a movement. In his review of the After Impressionism exhibition at the National

China’s Hidden Century uncovered at the British Museum

June 06, 2023

Lucien de Guise finds that a splendid exhibition at the British Museum is full of visual treats. The British Museum doesn’t conceal much from visitors to China’s Hidden Century. As the building is a magnet for regular protests seeking the repatriation of the Parthenon Marbles and Benin Bronzes, it’s hard to escape the “l” word:

Dogs at the foot of the Cross

May 12, 2023

Lucien de Guise on the tale of two paintings, by Craigie Aitchison and Salvador Dalí. Scotland is not the first place that comes to mind for depictions of the Crucifixion. A more likely image is of John Knox excoriating Mary, Queen of Scots, and others for their attachment to Catholic idolatry. The revenge of Scottish would-be

This presentation of the Tudors is about the battle for England’s soul

March 01, 2023

Imagine trying to export the Tudors without the help of Hilary Mantel. After her untimely death in the autumn, the Cleveland Museum of Art has managed, with assistance from the Met in New York, where The Tudors: Art and Majesty in Renaissance England began its US tour. The person they needed more desperately was Queen

Is it time to set up a suitable sanctuary for our few remaining relics?

February 01, 2023

The queues for the relics of St Bernadette last autumn were somewhat shorter than for the earthly remains of Queen Elizabeth II. The impressive turnout at Westminster Cathedral made me wonder what happened to the other potential crowd-pulling sacred body parts in this country. The last major attraction was St Thérèse, transported from Lisieux 13

It’s the detail that is rewarding

August 12, 2022

Less than a year after a major refurbishment, the Courtauld Gallery has already had exhibitions of two of the biggest names in early modern art. There’s not much to rival Vincent van Gogh or Edvard Munch for raw power. Pieter Bruegel the Elder might have the same name recognition, but the nature of his work