The decline and fall of the samurai
There was more to the warriors than a readiness to die for honour
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Art & Design
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Art & Design
Why don’t we write love letters any more?
A new exhibition at the National Archives in Kew shows the romance of writing your feelings down
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Valentino and the dream of elegance
The Italian designer has died aged 93
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The best exhibitions to see in 2026
A large contingent of female artists – including Tracey Emin and Frida Kahlo – takes to the walls alongside grand…
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Why does Labour look so bad?
The government is behind on lots of things. Typography is one of them
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Photo books of the year 2025
The best photography books published in the past 12 months – selected by the New Statesman’s creative editor
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Goya’s bleak midwinter
How the painter dropped a sliver of ice into his light-hearted tapestry designs for the Spanish royal family
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Photo essay: George Orwell’s late sanctuary
Craig Easton’s An Extremely Un-get-atable Place depicts the remote Scottish house where Orwell spent much of his final years
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