Art and design

From a luxe haven with dizzying ocean vistas to the highest private home on the US west coast, these sky-high masterworks of design are among the most breathtaking ever built.

In 1999, an artwork of a dishevelled divan strewn with condoms and lager cans sparked a media frenzy and turned artist Tracey Emin into a celebrity. Why? And what happened next?

As the 2026 Winter Olympics close, the BBC rounds up some of the most stunning photos captured from the Games, and compares them to historic works of art.

Beryl Cook's paintings were loved by the British public but derided by the art establishment. One hundred years after her birth, a new exhibition argues for a reassessment of her work.

From medieval beginnings, the samurai have inspired art, fiction and films, from Shōgun to Star Wars. But their true story is more complex and surprising than we might realise.

From a secluded valley in Uzbekistan to a sacred Canadian island you can see but not touch, these images captivated BBC.com's photo editors this year.

Dozens of mysterious structures across the Northern Hemisphere – some nearly 5,000 years old – align precisely to frame the rising and setting Sun on midwinter's shortest day.