Sophie Monaghan-Coombs

The day before the Venice Art Biennale opened to the public, a lone woman stood outside Russia’s pavilion. Her fedora, striking checked suit and sunglasses made her conspicuous but it wasn’t her style that kept a steady stream of smartphones and TV cameras pointed in her direction. On her back was a sign that read “No Putin No War”. The bright-blue Birkin bag swinging idly from her arm was emblazoned with a crossed-out illustration of the Russian leader’s face.

Art Basel is under way and accompanying the artworks on the walls are some shiny new plaques that form part of an initiative called Basel Exclusive. The idea is simple: in a bid to encourage attendees to see art in person, galleries are required to withhold select artworks from the digital previews that they send to buyers. These pieces are then unveiled on the opening day.

The Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration in London’s Clerkenwell opened yesterday. The museum is both a monument to a national treasure and a celebration of a medium in dire need of protection. The project has been decades in the making – a dream of illustrator Quentin Blake’s since he was children’s laureate in 1999. Now that it’s finally here, it arrives as the world’s largest space dedicated to illustration.