Patrons of the arts are serving London's art-loving public well. Earlier this year, we told you about Artist Rooms and Anthony D'Offay's donation of his personal art collection. Now, some rarely- and never-before-seen works are on display at the National Gallery and Tate Britain. The late Simon Sainsbury (great-grandson of the grocer) bequested 18 works of art with a combined estimated value of £100m to the museums in 2006. Amongst the paintings are works......

Another day, another stabbing: a teenager is in a critical condition in hospital after a Southwark fracas. Londonist loves donkey-brained thieves: this one took photographic evidence of his own swag. A pilot scheme in North London is attempting to persuade girls to be more sporty. More information goes walkies, this time with the theft of six laptops from a Tooting hospital. Annie Leibovitz is showing her stuff at a new exhibition at the National......

Colour us surprised: those original 2012 Olympic costs were totally unrealistic Hounslow residents, consider yourselves warned: a teachers strike this Thursday means the yoof will be on the loose Arrests have been made in a 21-year old murder case Here comes the bat cab! That's, um, a battery-powered cab, not the kind of motor Bruce Wayne would be seen in. Pubs are closing at frightening rate. Do your bit, people - get plastered in......

There's never enough time in London: never enough time to have a proper lunch during the day, never enough time to play with the kids, never enough time to stop and stare... Or is there? To buck the trend and show you that it is possible to fit in a bit of art appreciation between the end of work and falling asleep on the sofa in front of the 10 o'clock news, there is......

The weather is batty. One minute you’re showing some (pale) skin, reveling in the promise of summer, and the next minute you wake up to a snowstorm. What could, at first glance, be wonky hangover vision, is the undeniable truth: it is April, and it is snowing. And you can’t do a damn thing about it. So get out there, make a few snow angels, and then check out our guide to escaping the......

The National Gallery have announced their rediscovery of a portrait of Elizabeth Carter in a private collection. The painting, done by John Fayram circa 1735-1741, shows Carter as the Roman Goddess Minerva (or the Greek Goddess Athena, if you prefer), goddess of wisdom and war. The portrait will be part of of an exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery called Brilliant Women: 18th Century Bluestockings, which is running from 13 March to 15 June.......

There's a Spitfire in Trafalgar Square today. Not a Banksy Spitfire, amusingly positioned so it looks like it is crashed into the steps leading from the National Gallery. It's not propped up between the lions by a protest group and it's not there as a misguided celebration of Prince Harry's safe return to England. It's there to launch a campaign to put a statue of Sir Keith Park on the fourth plinth and do......

Ahh, art or money? It's something we ponder daily here at Londonist. (Can't we have both?) The big question is also being asked over at the Old Vic by none other than Kevin Spacey and his mate Jeff Goldblum in Mamet's Speed-the-Plow. We're also pondering how to get our hands on tickets for this sure-to-sell-out show. Previews run til Saturday; the show's booking until April. Also Opening Photography fans should pop along to the......

Big names making big sculptures are making big waves. Six new ideas for sculptures for Trafalgar Square are open to public viewing from today - and you will have the chance to pick which one will follow the current whacking huge great Thomas Schütte coloured plexiglass sculpture that sits on the fourth plinth right now. The fourth plinth has remained empty since money ran out and a permanent statue of King William IV couldn't......

2007 is quickly slipping away, and with it the few remaining book events for the year. As most of us are busy buying books for the bibliophiles on our shopping lists rather than reading or going to signings this week, we thought we’d present you with an alternative Book Grocer today. For those of you already finished with your shopping (you overachievers you), the traditional listings follow. If, like Londonist, you go for the......

Every day this month the Londonist team will be pointing you in the direction of a Christmas present that (with a bit of luck) you won't already have on your list. Climb up onto our collective lap and we'll see what we can move from our sack to your stockings... We recommended memberships to various arty places as Christmas presents earlier this week, but in terms of things you can wrap and place under......

The Mayor of London wants you to stay up late. Stay up late for the Lates October season. He wanted you to cut back on sleep and catch up on culture back in May when the first Lates season was launched, now it's October, he wants you to check out the things you miss during the day in the big museums and galleries. Have you been meaning to see something at any of the......

Due to the distinct lack of genuine blue sky over the weekend and today, we thought we'd share with you 200 glimpses of cloudless, azure sky - though sadly, only available on canvas and not above our drizzled upon heads. It was Blue Sky Day on Thursday 21 June last week, the longest day of the year so if there had been any sun, we would have had an excellent day for outdoor arts......

'Flashing' judge not quite swinging free just yet Sheddy Terringham denies lying to police about speeding A man claims he is 'allergic' to phone masts and wifi (he might be able to make use of our map!) After the rabbit who dialed 999, here's a kipper that started a fire alarm Don't build the 120,000 homes in the Thames Gateway, says Tristram Hunt. Mudflats have history too. London to Birmingham in 45 minutes -......

Happy Father's Day! For those of you who have dads, are dads, or know dads, this one's for you, from all of us at the Gothamist network. It was a week of bizarre, embarassing headlines at DCist. The trial of the local administrative law judge who sued his cleaners for $54 million over a pair of missing pants left everyone shaking their heads. Then the capital city was nearly brought to its knees, twice, by......

We like maps at Londonist. We also like going for walks. We enjoy art by the masters too. And look... over the next twelve weeks we've got it all, courtesy of the National Gallery... Along with Hewlett-Packard and brand and design consultancy, The Partners, the National Gallery is shaking up the idea of the open studio and putting the treasures of the permanent collection on to the streets of London. Not literally, because propping......

Though we love London for being so damn urban and gritty, sometimes when the sun shines and the air is warm, we find ourselves longing for the quieter, greener setting of a village. Debate continues over London's composition; is it one sprawling megalopolis or a series of interconnected villages, each with its own identity and dialect? We're siding with the village idea for today and tomorrow, as Trafalgar Square will be covered with turf......

This Week In London’s History Monday – 14th May 1842: The first fully illustrated weekly newspaper, the Illustrated London News is launched, costing sixpence. It was still being published weekly as recently as 1971, but its publication frequency has since declined. Tuesday – 15th May 1981: Zara Phillips, the daughter of Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips, is born in a private wing of St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington. She is currently the world......

Yargh, yargh, yargh! Avast. Yargh! Sorry. What is it about pirates that's so compelling? The National Gallery's summer blockbuster, Dutch Portraits in the Age of Rembrandt and Franz Hals, will include the image of a skeleton pored over by surgeons. The skeleton is that of an unknown pirate, who was caught, executed and donated to Dutch science in 1615. So that's what they mean by 15 men on a dead man's chest. Yargh! The......

Fun-loving singletons are reminded to head over to the National Gallery steps tomorrow afternoon, 5.55, for a flash date. Details here. But if that sounds too scary, you can always take part in an attempt on the flash mob record. A Silent Disco 'Flash Mob' Definition of a Silent Disco: A discotheque which appears to be happening without music, as the participants listen to music through individual earphones. The definition of a Flash Mob:......

More flashmobbery, but this time with a romantic Valentine's twist. If you're single, or if you're not single but a consumate loverat, then get down to the National Gallery steps on Sunday for 5.55 pm. GIRLS: Wear something pink or red GUYS: Bring a flower or some chocolate Find someone who catches your eye, and ask them out. If you want an immediate return on your Flash Date, the organisers will be heading over to......

Londonist was up bright and early yesterday to see the mammoth arrive in Trafalgar Square. A year ago and we would have been quite charmed by the little furry fellow, but that was before the arrival of The Sultan's Elephant. In fact our first question of the day, who would win in a fight between... died on our lips. It was quite obvious that The Sultan's Elephant would quite happily pick up a life......

A portrait by Pablo Picasso has gone on display at Christie's ahead of an auction which, if it goes as expected, will make it one of the top 10 most expensive paintings ever sold. We've spotted the first 'London Fashion Week isn't as good as it used to be' article - do we get a prize? Paul Gasgoigne went on a seven hour 'alcohol fuelled gambling binge' in London this week. London is facing......

So we enter Endgame. Architecture week and the London Architecture Biennale (LAB) draw to a close this weekend. And we still haven't figured out how to pronounce 'biennale'. Here’s our pick of the final flourish. Friday Walks: A bevy of novel guided walks are available on Friday. The Borough Market Experience (£5, 9am) tours the Victorian marketplace, highlighting both its ancient roots and its modern refurbs. Shakespeare, Social Space and Design (£7, 10.30, George......

Something which we forgot to mention over the weekend was the opening of Art Not Oil at the 491 Gallery. According to their website Art Not Oil is designed to "explore the damage that companies like BP are doing to the planet, and the role art can play in counteracting that damage," and create some kind of counter-balance to the increasing amount of money being injected into the arts by the likes of BP......

There's the rest of today, all of tomorrow and all of Saturday. That's a little over two days to brace yourself and exercise your mental defences. When the clock strikes midnight and it officially becomes Sunday 26th March... that's it. It's going to be Mother's Day. Aren't mums lovely? That special lady who brought you into the world and looked after you, stayed up all night worrying and watching over you when you were......

Celebrating European Capitals of Culture is nothing new, whatever Liverpool may think. In the last half of the 19th century, Paris was the hottest place to see and be seen in and a new, much anticipated exhibition on the subject of how great the place was and how artists loved it opens today at the National Gallery. Americans in Paris 1860 - 1900 features James Abbott McNeill Whistler, John Singer Sargent and Mary Cassatt......

That’s right. This week we decided to track down the Leader of the Free World. He might sit in the oval office but, when in London, it seems that he prefers to hang out in squares… FDR, Grosvenor Square You can’t sit comfortably in Grosvenor Square. Armed guards doggedly patrol the Western end, protecting the US embassy. The giant gilt eagle nesting atop this concrete cliff adds another layer of menace. And then there’s its......

Today we present the third and final part in our guide to the best holiday season art exhibitions (read Part 1 or Part 2). National Gallery: Rubens - A Master in the Making Charts the rise of Peter Paul Rubens from a pupil in Antwerp to the leading painter of his time. Why you should see it: You either love him or you loathe him so if you haven’t formed an opinion yet of Reubens,......

Tired of the telly? All Playstationed out? Over the next three days we'll bring you a guide to the best holiday season art exhibitions. So grab your coat, we’re goin’ down the galleries. National Portrait Gallery: Cornel Lucas - Shooting Stars Brings together fifty of Cornel Lucas's portraits including iconic images of Joan Collins, Dirk Bogarde and Lauren Bacall. Why you should see it: Four words - Brigitte Bardot in fishnets. National Portrait Gallery, St......