Predating the Aztec Empire, Merton College Library in Oxford has been used by everyone from celebrated 14th-Century mathematicians to JRR Tolkien.
From a sculptural icon by an early modernist master to a remote, rosy-hued dream home, here are some remarkable Mexican dwellings.
Moving "from the slums to the exclusive salons", Brassaï captured the brothels, gay bars and backstreets of Paris's hazy night-time in its radical inter-war years.
Overpainted images hidden inside Raphael's 16th-Century Portrait of a Young Woman with a Unicorn show how the image of the ideal woman has been carefully controlled by men.
The boots worn by astronauts on the Artemis missions will need to protect them from difficult terrain and extreme temperatures, but what about the prints they leave behind?
For centuries, The Triumph of Bacchus was misattributed then hidden – now it is at the centre of a major exhibition. Here are five groundbreaking artworks wrongly attributed to men.
Find out how the ornate ceramics known as Iznik tiles hold the key to a forgotten golden age of Turkish art.
The BBC gets access to Michelangelo's 'secret hiding room' under the Medici Chapel in Florence.
Why legendary crime photographer Weegee offers a crucial lens to understand the American psyche.
The 'Shahmaran', half-woman and half-snake, is a mythical figure popular in the folklore of Turkey.
Art critic Alastair Sooke learns about a decorative 10th-Century treasure at Doha's Museum of Islamic Art.
Art critic Alastair Sooke learns about a modern designer's take on Doha's Museum of Islamic Art's collection.
