Melanie McDonagh

ABOUT

Melanie McDonagh is a columnist, arts critic and feature writer. She covers art exhibitions and also does some leader writing, interviews and occasional beauty/fragrance features.

ABOUT
VIEW

Melanie McDonagh is a columnist, arts critic and feature writer. She covers art exhibitions and also does some leader writing, interviews and occasional beauty/fragrance features.

Royal Academy Summer Exhibition 2026
Exhibitions

Clutter and disconnection isn’t quite what the RA intended

PIle ’em high… and perhaps take some binoculars to see the brushstrokes in that painting 10 feet above your head

11 Jun 2026
Lifestyle

What happened when I tried Jennifer Aniston’s salmon sperm facial

No sooner had the actress uttered the words ‘sperm’ and ‘salmon’, than Melanie McDonagh had booked herself in for the same fishy treatment. But did it work?

13 Oct 2023
Exhibitions

Frans Hals, National Gallery: about time he was back in the spotlight

He was once thought of as among the greatest of Dutch painters, and this exhibition proves his worth

12 Oct 2023
Lifestyle

Le Meurice in Paris — the ultimate luxury stay for art lovers

For art lovers pursuing an unforgettable experience, Le Meurice’s trails exploring pieces from three prominent Parisian artists are just the ticket

6 Oct 2023
Exhibitions

Turner and Bonington at The Wallace Collection: A gem of a show

An opportunity to see another aspect to Richard Parkes Bonington, a painter who died too young. As for Turner, can you ever have enough?

21 Sept 2023
TV

Sanditon season 3 review: Austen’s unfinished business is all good fun

As ever, the costumes steal the costume drama in the show that takes Jane Austen’s last, incomplete novel and runs with it

18 Aug 2023
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Lifestyle

Train to Bavaria — delays at every turn, but it was worth it

From London to Altotting, via Augsnurg — Melanie McDonagh finds German trains are no better than our own

4 Aug 2023
Lifestyle

The ‘Barbenheimer’ joke-a-thon makes fun of humanity’s darkest hour

He was the ‘father of the atomic bomb’, she is a plastic doll. The Barbie v Oppenheimer marketing marathon has gone too far, says Melanie McDonagh

26 Jul 2023
Comment

Huw Edwards’ wife identified the key issue — she’s a brave woman

The BBC newsreader’s wife delivered the statement ‘primarily out of concern for his mental well-being and to protect our children’

13 Jul 2023