He has changed our ideas of art just as surely as he has reconfigured lumps of steel into masterpieces

When Damien Hirst unveiled a diamond-encrusted human skull worth £50m, his fans hailed it as a haunting work of genius which fully deserved to become the most expensive piece of contemporary art ever made.

The natural world gone mad

Art theft is worth £3bn a year, and the latest heist is one of the biggest ever. Andrew Johnson reports on the volatile trade in pictures, antiques and sculpture

Leading art figures condemn the profusion of public memorials, claiming the majority are sentimental and badly executed

Mention the words Henry Moore to anyone and they'll almost certainly conjure images of organic mass, dense volume and ambiguous form. For me, however, the forms quickly morph into Jessie, a handsome Staffordshire bull terrier whose owners would walk him to Greenwich Park, around a famous piece by the artist, Standing Figure: Knife Edge, and back. Eventually, over the years, the very words "Henry Moore" would be synonymous with "walkies". Sadly, Jessie is no longer with us and, for Greenwich Park at least, neither is the sculpture, which was removed by the Henry Moore Foundation (HMF) for fears of graffiti. But while negotiations between the Friends of Greenwich Park and the HMF to decide its future continue, the sculpture can temporarily be seen as part of a major exhibition of the artist's work, within The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Their quirky, childlike, DIY quality lends Eva Rothschild's works a contemporary air, even as she references other, more established sculptors.

In 1812, Thomas Moore asked: "Who has not heard of the Vale of Cashmere/ With its roses the brightest that Earth ever gave?". Since then, the Kashmir Valley has been a mecca of sorts for visitors. It's been called the "jewel in India's crown", "the Switzerland of Asia", and even, according to the tourism department, "paradise on earth".

ROBERT HOPPER was one of a handful of British museum professionals with a truly international outlook and reputation. During his 11 years as Director of the Henry Moore Sculpture Trust, located in West Yorkshire and funded by the Henry Moore Foundation, he brought to Britain artists of the greatest distinction from continental Europe and the United States. This was achieved through a series of projects and exhibitions which were unusual, both in the freedoms accorded to the visiting artists, and in the professionalism and seriousness with which they were realised.

A work by Moore

A MILLAIS painting, a Rubens masterpiece and a Henry Moore sculpture are among the latest objets d'art to be given to the nation in lieu of inheritance tax.

IN A newly discovered letter from Henry Moore to a girlfriend, the sculptor paints an idyllic picture of himself sitting in a shady garden reading her letters while in the company of nude women.

What Is It?

Britain is not exactly renowned for its Surrealist movement. But it did happen - and it did pioneer some original ideas.