Florence McCrae

If there is one thing that could improve upon the work on Roald Dahl’s children’s books, it is their illustrations. From the Twits – more beard than eyes, to the top hat sporting Willy Wonka, Quentin Blake brought Dahl’s characters to life, as part of a 13-year long partnership, cemented by a handshake in a publisher’s office in 1977.

Since its foundation, some 168 years ago, the V&A has prided itself on being ahead of the curve. From the very first museum in the world to have a café, to the first lit galleries, the V&A has consistently positioned itself at the forefront of change.

On the infamously known Star Wars Day, 4 May, it was announced that Taika Waititi, the filmmaker responsible for Jojo Rabbit and Thor: Ragnarok, will both direct and co-write the most recent Star Wars film.

Pre-coronavirus, it was estimated that some 30,000 people saw the Mona Lisa per day, giving visitors on average less than a minute with the masterpiece. While her aura remains unmistakable, seeing her amid a crowd of selfie sticks is hardly what da Vinci imagined, almost 600 years ago.

By the end of internet’s first year, it was possible to browse a total of ten websites, somewhat paltry when one considers the current 1.5 billion available to us. The global pandemic has left us increasingly dependent upon these sites, none more so than the art world, who have found their world entirely inverted in the past four months.

Banksy’s reputation for subversion and controversy precedes him, which is perhaps why his latest more community conscious piece comes as such a surprise.

If Covid-19 has proven anything in the cultural sphere, it is just how able we are to adapt to unusual circumstances. From David Hockney painting on his iPad, to Damien Hirst cooperating with Snapchat, the pandemic has not deprived us of culture, simply changed its form. Even theatre has found a way, with Jenna Coleman and David Morrissey performing A Separate Peace from their respective abodes via Zoom, to widespread acclaim.

One of the US’ many coronavirus cultural casualties, the Metropolitan Opera, has announced their decision to furlough 41 members of staff indefinitely, and put 11 others on part time contracts.

While the National Portrait Gallery may have closed their doors for the foreseeable, the institution continues to make headlines. Their decision to maintain a relationship with the oil and gas conglomerate BP has met with criticism across the art world.

Before Covid-19, the greatest drama that came with a trip to the cinema was what size of popcorn to go for. Now, in the coronavirus era, it is unclear exactly how we will return to the plush seats and big screens, at least for the foreseeable.

The first thing you think of when you hear the name Damien Hirst is a shark in a box. Hirst’s infamous piece The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living, cemented his name as a figurehead for the YBAs. However, amid the Covid-19 pandemic, his obsession with death remains unsated.

Last year the prospect of a global lockdown as the result of a virus seemed to befit the work of Black Mirror’s creator, Charlie Brooker. Yet six weeks into a countrywide closure, the societal impact of Covid-19 is anything but fictional.

Last night was the biggest event of the cultural calendar. The first Monday in May, a date marked in the diaries of the great and the good across the world, had promised the annual Met Gala, the fodder of cultural comment and memes across the world for weeks and even months to come.

In the past six weeks working from home has changed from a choice to a necessity. With the countrywide introduction of social distancing measures and self-isolation, life before Covid-19 is becoming more of a distant memory as the days progress. For some artists, this new reality may inform their work long after the end of the pandemic.

When Bob Iger rode off into the sunset after 15 years as one of the most powerful men in the land, he had well earned his happily ever after. However, the outbreak of Covid-19 had other ideas for his fairy tale ending, and just months after handing over the role of chief executive to Bob Chapek, Iger found himself back in the lurch, trying to save Disney amid a global pandemic.