The imminent re-opening of the Kunsthalle museum highlights the cultural appeal of this handsome German city, says <b>Simon Calder</b>

On a quiet terraced street yesterday, tucked away from the scene of destruction in nearby Brixton, the picture of a young man stared from a window surrounded by floral tributes – the first victim of the riots that engulfed the country.

The Courtauld Institute of Art, London

The work was completed in 1847 on the artist's return to London after a stay in Rome and the death of his first wife

Once marginalised for selling its grapes too cheaply, the region is sparkling once again.

A painter living a double life exhibits her artistic flair next week. Julia Francese, a London policewoman, questions how society judges the value of art, in her culturally poignant collection.

Britain's most eminent watercolour artists come together in an exhibition due to be unveiled at Mall Galleries London.

On the eve of the Edinburgh Book Festival, its polymath star refuses to dwell on his back catalogue. Yet Alasdair Gray remains a decidedly retro literary hero. Anna Burnside meets him

This scenic stretch, dubbed the Scottish Riviera, is neglected by British tourists. Rhiannon Batten finds out what they're missing

As a new Tate exhibition will show, the godfather of Pop Art underwent a radical change of direction late in life. Andrew McCorkell reports

'Grapefruit is a hybrid of lemon and orange. Snow is a hybrid of wish and lament."

Much educated discussion at the moment about the composition of this year's Man Booker longlist.

The week in culture

It's not cheap but the catalogue for last year's big Matisse show in Chicago and New York is revelatory about the most productive period of the 20th century's other artistic colossus.