Sean O'Hagan

This powerful new book examines the moral contradictions of the west and asks what liberal values mean in the face of such brutal and sustained obliteration of human life

The performance artist shocked 1980s London with his surreal outfits, outlandish lifestyle and collaborations with Lucian Freud, dancer Michael Clark and others. As a major exhibition opens at Tate Modern, family and friends talk about Bowery’s larger-than-life legacy

The American photographer Peter Hujar, who died of Aids complications in 1987, chronicles New York’s 70s and 80s gay scene – and much else besides – in this haunting retrospective

In this fascinating book, the neuroscientist makes a strong case for the therapeutic force of music, describing ways in which it can be a beneficial part of recovery for patients

From Greenham to City slickers, visceral images from a turbulent decade jostle for attention in a show that feels overwhelming in its scale and confusing narrative

The impressionistic images that the Polish photographer made of her daughter growing up are intimate and bleakly beautiful

The late French writer and artist convinced his eccentric relatives to star in a gothic photo novel which is finally being published in English following renewed interest in his work

As a landmark book, Magnum America, is released, we chart pivotal moments for the ​U​S via key images from the past 90 years​

A joint memoir by the Nobel winner and her former lover uses pictures taken during their time together to reflect on the transient nature of passion – and of life

Ahead of a major retrospective at the Royal Academy, the veteran artist and mentor to Hirst, Lucas et al talks about his nomadic early years, halcyon days at Goldsmiths – and the moment he stopped being ‘frightened’ of colour