Welcome to Cassone!

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You have come to Cassone’s new website because you are interested in art and possibly even studying it formally. You may be one of the 7.5 million people from the UK and abroad who annually visit the four galleries of the UK’s Tate, making it the third most visited museum in the world. Wherever you are, you may have queued for hours for a blockbuster show of great art, or perhaps you prefer visiting small galleries at weekends.

Take a look around our site. You can access everything in the ‘About us’ section (including Our news) without subscribing, and you can see what is in each section of the magazine, to help you make up your mind. We hope that when you have seen what is lined up in this, our launch issue you will want to subscribe. The site will be continually refreshed, and we have much more material waiting to be uploaded. Once you have subscribed, you will receive monthly emails telling you what is new. Enjoy!

In this magazine we aim to cover a wide variety of art and art-based topics in straightforward and jargon-free language. When I first studied art history I wondered why so many art historians and art critics would use ten words when five would do, so our aim here is to tell you straight, and be as concise as possible.  Our background boxes on a particular artist or movement will fill in material that you may not be aware of, or perhaps just refresh your knowledge. We aim to be lively, accessible and intelligent, informing and heightening your enjoyment of art, past and present. Don't miss the news section - see 'About us' at the top right of your screen.

Cassone’s experts from around the world will help you decide whether a particular exhibition is worth the visit, if that expensive catalogue is worth the money.Cassone will be your guide and the website will soon feel your own as you turn to it for up-to-date news and information, not just from the UK but from around the world. Make our home page your home page.

Cassone’s core team, led by me, consists of an editorial board whose details you can see under ‘About us’. I have worked with Frances Follin, who handles Cassone’s production, over the past decade, together with many other members of Cassone’s editorial board and many of our writers. We realized some time ago that there was a need for a magazine which was not an academic journal and was not purely about contemporary art, but one that would cover the whole range of the visual arts in an informative, interesting and entertaining style. All our writers have been chosen for their expertise in their fields; many are themselves teachers of art and art history or work in galleries or museums. Read them for their inside track to the world of art.

A lot of valuable and interesting research is published every year in books that can be very stodgy to read. Some books have ‘digested’ this material and are much more engaging. You can’t always tell which is which from the blurb on the back cover! Do take the time to see our rating guide to books reviewed. Our traffic light signals are intended to get round this problem.

At the top right of the image area on each book review page, there are three bars in green, orange or red. Green signifies a book for an art lover who wants to know more about an artist, movement or period; orange indicates a  more detailed and scholarly account for those seeking a deeper level of understanding; books with the red symbol are very academic, demanding reads. Our reviews will always be ‘green’ and will give you the core information about the book reviewed. 

Ca-soh-neh – a richly decorated Italian wedding chest, a box full of beautiful things