Luminous decorations add to the electric glow that conceals the stars above the city buildings. At the darkest time of year, the blazing streets light the way for crowds of shoppers. They are…

Italian master distiller Stefano Baseotto talks to Massimo Gava and takes us on a trip into gin land and explains the origins and the varieties of this ever so popular drink. In the complex world…

Luckily, in today’s world, cake is not longer just for royalty – especially at Christmas. Pandoro and panettone are two traditional Italian Christmas cakes, that everyone can enjoy.  Massimo…

The word Halloween is first attested in the 16th century. It represents a Scottish variant of the fuller All Hallows Even, the night before All Hallows (or All Saints) Day. By Massimo Gava Photos:…

Mexico, has perhaps the most famous Day of the Dead celebrations. But similar syncretic traditions and remembrances can be found in other countries in Latin America, where pre-Columbian rites…

By Massimo Gava All witches and wizards come out to party for Halloween, only to retreat into the darkness of the night and make space for the fragile splendour of a forgotten feast. The day following…

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Humans love a good animal story. Across time and cultures we tend to anthropomorphise animals in order to better look at ourselves. But how if those stories were truly told from the animal point…

The Spanish Empire was one of the first great colonial empires and one of the largest. Here Professor Alberto Maestre Fuentes talks about its former colony in Africa, The Spanish Sahara, which…

Massimo Gava interviews DANTE favourite, Michael Arditti, about his new novel, The Anointed. The Anointed is a beautiful, bold and imaginative retelling of the story of King David and his wives.…

Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the show! It’s carnival time and you are in Venice, the best  theatre  on earth  where  anybody can play the part they’ve always dreamt of. by Massimo…

Finding himself at a dead end after retiring from a high-flying career, DANTE contributor, Nigel Parsons is inspired by an old photo album and goes in search of long-lost friends. Andy Warhol…

Dr. Flavio Lirussi unravels the links between cultural joys and longer life – and looks to the future.     It has long been known that admiring art and beauty is not just a relief…

A tragedy can be turned into a fairytale. In this heartfelt story, author Chiara Lenisa tells us about a Knight and a Princess that turned, the Grenfell Tower inferno, probably the most serious…

From her Kashmiri grandfather dying in the Great War to being brought up and educated in the UK, Riffi Khan repays her gratitude by urging others to realise their dreams through education, as…

The Woodblock Prints of Chen Li     Chen Li hails from China’s frontier Yunnan Province. Bordering Burma, Laos, Shangri-la, and close to Tibet, it is a place of spectacular landscapes…

Suonifreschi – or Fresh Sound - is a cultural association based in Venice, Italy, that believes that at the centre of music composition are the sounds produced by every day life. It takes its…

Georgia is an ancient land of inspiration, diversity, and artistic mastery. It is the home of Mamuka “Dideba” Didebashvili.     Opening Russian Art Week London 2019, Katrine Levin…

Massimo Gava picks out the front runners and homes in on the remarkable story behind Italy’s entry “Soldi” and the personal journey on one of the punters’ favourite Alessandro Mahmood.…

Remembering a genius 500 years  after his death ( 2nd of may 1519). Massimo Gava reflects on a most usual job application   “In times of peace I believe I can give perfect satisfaction…

Cape Town has recently held another successful art fair but Heidi Erdmann asks whether the financial stakes involved are undermining their representative nature and clouding correct attribution…

The flamboyant Joseph Tawadros is a multi-instrumentalist, best known for playing the oud. Massimo Gava meets the virtuoso and discovers more about his instrument of choice.   Joseph Tawadros…

Some art fairs, among a surfeit of those worldwide, are particularly well-known and point the way to the future. Gallerist Heidi Erdmann visits one of the key entrants, Art Basel Hong Kong, which…

The TV producer and coach Remy Blumenfeld reflects on his sculptor mother.   In Hollywood, they say that you should never work with children or animals. As a producer, I was fairly confi…

A good traveller has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving - (Lao Tzu, ancient Chinese philosopher). Artist and photographer Mustafa Sabbagh chooses Italy as his perfect hideaway. Yet he…

  Riffi Khan gets over her shock and rushes to see a new phenomenon and reports back for DANTE on a unique event. Yes, it took me a few seconds of shock to absorb such an entity existed.…

Pano Masti’s latest literary pilgrimage takes him to Jordan. Never mind Oscar Wilde or T. E. Lawrence, the words that echo in his mind are from women: Marie Colvin, Martha Gellhorn, Gertrude…

LEVAN LAGIDZE, the iconic and reclusive Georgian painter , returns to London  for the first time in 20 years with a major exhibition of new works Lagidze is known for his highly structured and…

As the centrepiece of this issue’s theme of luxury and opulence, Massimo Gava talks about how the best Italian crafts can help define both. What do you think this is: “Luxury or opulence?”…

Mark Beech argues against the case for unnecessary media censorship which spoils the enjoyment of millions, in response to the actions of a very few crazed criminals who may not be influenced…

The first edition of the Tbilisi Art Fair (TAF), which took place 17 – 20 May. 2018, aimed to place Georgia firmly back on the world’s map of art and culture. Katrine Levin reports back from…

Chen Li’s third solo show in London presents exciting new oil paintings alongside earlier pieces and marks his first visit to the U.K. "Chinese art and Western art have different views about…

.At Dante we don’t do rumours. We only state facts - but we have teamed up with Rumours.it in Milan to tell some interesting stories to feed our Italian soul that seem to be shared by many celebrities.…

The Julia Munsey exhibition at the Royal Opera Arcade Gallery in London presents an extended body of new work and some earlier images.  Julia Munsey trained at The Slade School of Art under the…

Massimo Gava meets Eurovision and San Remo legends Jalisse for an exclusive interview – and was the first to hear rehearsals for the new soundtrack featured in the movie Niente di serio (Nothing…

The first edition of the annual Tbilisi Art Fair (TAF) is coming this May and as with most things in Georgia, it is going to be quite a celebration! Hosted by the exhibition centre ExpoGeorgia…

“Thank God (maybe literally) for writers like Michael Arditti, whose invigorating novels dare to shake us out of our complacency.” These are the words of  The Spectator magazine. Massimo…

Mark Beech talks with Chris Duffy, both about rare photos, reproduced here and in a London exhibition, and other shots that are mega-famous. They all sum up the 1960s and beyond. Great photography…

Milan, New York, London, Paris. You want to know the future? Well, you read it here first. Tony Bannister, CEO of the Scout Agency, which specializes in forecasting across fashion, lifestyle and…

This is the week that sees the start of the Sanremo Music Festival, the popular Italian song contest, held annually in the city of Sanremo,Italy,where previously unreleased songs battle it…

Interview by Mark Beech Derek Alvarez is an artist who gave up traditional paints and canvases to become a full time digital nomad, traveling the world with his wife and two toddlers. His artistic…

The Prosecco 2017 has almost finished its fermentation process and Anita Herbertson talks about this year’s vintage and the tradition of this wonderful area. The 11th of November in almost…

The new issue of Dante is out now  Worldwide

Tiziana Leopizzi delves a little deeper into our cover theme. She argues that, more than ever, bling is trivial and art is eternal. Living in luxury and opulence is certainly the way to go for…

Massimo Gava sets the scene for the remarkable art of a model who holds the green world in her hands.     Belinda Wilson, a fashion model photographed by Patrick Lichfield and Terence…

Conquering the Old Continent, one dance step at a time Cristina Colombera reports. It is hard – if not impossible – to passively sit still during a performance of Malambo.     As…

Interview by Mark Beech “I grew up with a rock & roll heart and I have never lost it.” The words of French photographer Jérôme Ferrière sum it all up. “More than a music or an attitude,…

Our editors survey the Venice Biennale, which stakes a good claim to being a return to the greatest art show on earth. There have been those who say that the Biennale has been in danger of losing…

By Mark Beech Is the book dead? Not if Mark Cockram has anything to do with it. DANTE's editor meets up with this top bookbinder and discovers how his story and his creations mean that the book…

Marilyn Perry has won acclaim as a painter – a late flowering after a career as one of the world’s top art historians. DANTE’s Editor Mark Beech talks to her about her visionary work. THIS…

Bangkok-based photographer and journalist Ben Davies writes about the multi-year project that took him from spirit doctors appeasing the spirits of the sky to entranced devotees and a floating…

A new name is causing an artworld sensation. Mataro da Vergato mixes photos with digital tech to create works like Renaissance paintings. Massimo Gava reports on a man collected by Silvio Berlusconi.…

South African artist Nicola Roos, born in 1994, is already making waves on the international scene. She has international sales to her credit – and works with old tyres to make sculptures.…

Documentary Weaves Tale of Wool and Art By Massimo Gava     Yarn is a documentary like no other. It weaves together the poetic stories of four different women from different countries…

Cristina Colombera meets an enlightened Italian whose special empathy for animal feelings has led him to single-handedly transform their lives. The custom-made carts he creates for pets…

By Dante editors Some of Scottish artist Peter Howson’s finest works are coming up for sale at Fellows Auctioneers of Birmingham on May 23. The 14 works, including charcoal drawings and paintings,…

Gildo Medina mixes figurative art with the surreal, with some eroticism added. Manuel Diaz Cebrian met the artist in Paris and made the surprising discovery he believes in old-fashioned pencil…

The Reality of Disguise – The Policeman There’s a story that’s been going around for years, told and retold of the ‘Carnival Policeman’ whom I happen to know. It seems that even though…

Dante enters the heated debate on memorials and memories By Mark Beech, Dante editor   A little local difficulty about a statue of Cecil Rhodes has opened up a whole debate about history.…

War Veterans Defy Injuries for Picture Project By Suzie Solna   These guys had fought bravely in war. They had perfect bodies too. They were beautiful, and they still are. They were always…

Timed to occur each year in springtime, Vienna’s AIDS charity event, the unique Life Ball – founded and organised by Gery Keszler – celebrates life to fight death: an inspiring and glamorous…

Dante Recommends the British Library’s show “West Africa: Word, Symbol, Song” By Mark Beech, Editor Chinese culture. Italian culture. Spanish and Portuguese culture. British and American…

By Mark Beech   The extraordinary story is only now emerging. The cast of characters includes Adolf Hitler and his art dealer. They amassed a collection of more than 1,000 paintings, drawings…

In a review of Manfred Zylla’s latest book, German critic Andrea Schlaier noted that Zylla’s paintings suggest that the lust for cruelty is inside all of us. The 77—year-old German/South…

Have you ever wondered what effect the reduction of our national differences due the ceaseless pace of globalisation have had on our culture, art, philosophy and centuries-old traditions? Qin…

In this issue dedicated to the study of the harmony between opposing dimensions, we meet up with an Italian, both artist and manager, who embodies a different approach to life from our day-to-day…

Young Brits expect to switch and swipe through life according to new study Goodbye jobs for life, marrying the school sweetheart and putting down roots in birthplaces. Hello to YOLO culture -…

Laura Carniello, through the auspices of Qin Chong, meets up with two other giants of contemporary Chinese art, Li Tiejun and Zhang Yu, to reflect on Qin Chong’s concept of ‘Black and White-ism’…

Biennale Internazionale d’Arte 2015 Palazzo Mora Strada Nuova - Venezia                                  

Never let it be said that here at Dantemag , we are parochial and conventional – we like to break down the barriers across the countries within continents and the barriers separating our great…

Berlin, once the mecca for European artists and gallerists, seems to be losing its aura. Artists, gallerists and collectors seem to be flocking instead to Brussels. Dantemag was in Brussels during…

The artist Erwin Wurm is at the forefront of revolutionising the concept of contemporary sculpture, transgressing the rules of form and time. By introducing humour and cynicism to his work, he…

Up-and-coming Dallas-based artist Lisa Soderlund has created art for as long as she can remember, but as with many aspiring artists, she had to hold down various day jobs to pay the bills. In…

So you thought there were no more politically engaged artists, committed to changing our view of the world through the force of their images? Heidi Erdmann introduces us to the world of Manfred…

Like postcards from the past, an extraordinary exhibition in Paris of the works of Giovanni Battista Cima da Conegliano reveals the landscapes of 15th and 16th century Italy to modern eyes.. "If…

Montse Frisach  journalist and art critic for the Catalan newspaper “El Punt Avui“ in Barcelona reviews for Dantemag the work of Catalunia painter Alex de Fluvià and finds how he has used…

China as a country, despite its  monolithic tendencies as a political power, still produces creative artists that take the world by storm, inviting us into a specific centuries-old Chinese sensibility…

What is it like to be a child prodigy? How to keep your centre and still be the conduit for Pythagorean insights to the universality of making the airwaves throb with the eighth note? Elisa Nocca…

How do you combine recycling rubber, fairy tales and embroidery to create ground-breaking art AND then have the inspiration to design an award-winning new line in children’s toys that are taking…

In this our issue dedicated to women in society, Dantemag's editor Massimo Gava met up with this eclectic Italian lady, who, as well as heading a global brand, has the mission to pioneer contemporary…

Christmas is always the perfect time to talk about ballet. All around the world there are thousands of productions recreating those idyllic tunes of fantasy land that yearly accompany this festive…

As the years pass, the great Hollywood icons slip away and leave their legacy of film and recording treasures. One such who broke the mould and blazed a trail for her race and her talent is marvellously…

by Eliana Corbari The works of art we present today do not have wings. The first is an image from a museum in Los Angeles - the city of Angels. Built on the shores of the Pacific Ocean by Christian…

by Eliana Corbari. Dante met many angels on his travels through Hell, Purgatory and Paradise. In the company of Virgil, he is welcomed at the entrance to purgatory by a winged angel (l’uccel…

A singer and a painter of some substance but both prone to deep melancholy are united in a new show at the BA Kunstforum in Vienna. Austria. By Reya von Galen   An exhibition of more than…

Critically acclaimed war artist Arabella Dorman presents an exhibition of works inspired by her time spent in Afghanistan over the last five years. The exhibition goes beyond the conflict to document…

The 12th edition of Frieze London, the leading international contemporary art fair, takes place in London’s Regent’s Park from 15–18 October 2014. Frieze London is sponsored by Deutsche…

Almost a year ago Dantemag discovered this unique artist in an art gallery in London. Since then Anna Paola Cibin’s life has become as much a fairy tale story as her art work. We met her in…

Most artists aren’t exactly ordinary. Much of the arts are by definition a little bizarre. This is nowhere more true than with rock and pop. Some of the most crazed music is actually among the…

The dark climb out of winter and into spring is written so deeply within our cells that we wrote it into our mythologies as well. But we’re not completely helpless before the cycling of the…

The «Printemps Musical de Silly» is an outstanding classic music festival located in the center of the Belgium’s countryside, 40 km away from Brussels. The festival takes place in private…

In their excitement to promote economic development Asian countries seem willing to compromise everything in pursuit of profit and land exploitation. But Pamela Nowicka contends there are powerful…

Carnivals are just an excuse for a party and dress up – right? Wrong! Mike Hawthorne reveals how, once again, seemingly hackneyed modern customs stem from pre-Christian beliefs and rites and…

The art world has many stand-out members but none more so than the fiercely Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos, whose ardent espousal of modern technology combined with a lyrical attachment to…

Festivities in Vienna commemorating the 350th birthday of Prince Eugene of Savoy include the spectacular opening of his Winter Palace and an intriguing play on his liaison with Countess Batthyany.…

The building blocks of our present are found in a myriad little things, now hidden by the accretions of the years. Our world is founded much more than we realise on these mundanities than…

Nonno Panda and... the Rhino - One day, wandering along life’s path, I got lost in a dark jungle, unable to find the right way …   I stumbled across a small herd of rhinos. It was the…

Anna Netrebko, Cecilia Bartoli and Helga Rabl-Stadler hold the prestigious Salzburg Festival firmly, but effortlessly in their elegant grip. Since it was established in the summer of 1920, the…

Francesca Bortolotto Possati, interior designer, hotelier and scion of a prominent Venetian family, promotes the culture history and style of her unique hometown – not as a theme park or living…

Painter Sarah Patroni has dabbled in many different worlds – born of an English mother and an Italian father, she has travelled and lived throughout the globe, including England, Scotland, the…

Born out of the ashes of a small scheduling disaster, the strange – yet somehow fitting – collaborative exhibition by photographer Roger Ballen and musical duo Die Antwoord draws raves in…

Since the World’s Fair in 1962, the Seattle Center – home of the Space Needle and the Museum of Rock n’ Roll – has been an important part of community life in Seattle. But time has its…

Nihil est incertius vulgo, nihil obscurius voluntate hominum, nihil fallacius ratione tota comitiorum Nothing is more unpredictable than the mob, nothing more obscure than public opinion, nothing…

One condition for the production of great art is that it must not be an instrument at the service of any master, but must be master of itself, its own aesthetic and message. It needs to be self-sufficient…

While attention to the natural environment is critical, it is easy to forget – or indeed not to realise at all – that our environment as humans is also a made thing. For humans as a whole,…

by Rodrigo Cañete Photography in the age of Photoshop can be manipulated, staged, denatured and rareified. It can also reveal truth, humanity, and even love. Rodrigo Cañete argues that the…

By Mike Hawthorne Chile’s comic ists have a history of satire and dissent going back at least forty years to the Latin American Dirty Wars of the late 1960s and 1970s. Today, amid the deep economic…

photos Hugh Kelly Emma Sergeant, one of England's best-known portraitists and figurative artists, burst into prominence in 1981 as a 21-year old student at the Slade School of Fine Art in London.…

The spark that lit the powder keg of the Arab Spring, Tunisia has receded somewhat into the background since its population’s dramatic uprising last year.  That doesn’t mean things have slowed…

By Aldo Ghirardello He began life as a miller’s son, started out as a stone mason but, through patronage, rose to become an architect and the majority of his work was produced only in a small…