Art books to self-isolate with, from Patti Smith to Lucian Freud – the week in art

Picasso’s inner beast, a sizzling take on Bacon and Buñuel’s last breath are among our art biographies to curl up with – all in your weekly dispatch

10 of the world’s best virtual museum and art gallery tours

The originals are out of reach for now, but you can still see world-class art – without the queues or ticket prices – with an online tour of these famous museums

Ai Weiwei: ‘An artist must be an activist’

The Chinese artist answers questions from Observer readers and art world luminaries on creativity and protest, Chinese politics – and why he never cooks the same dish twice

Sydney Biennale 2020: First Nations art upends Eurocentrism in powerful, occasionally confounding show

More than 100 artists from 36 countries come together, across six venues, to take part in the major exhibition – while refuting the concepts that underpin it

The ultimate street-legal track-focused variant of Honda’s legendary Civic Type R

  The lighter, faster and even more ferocious 2021 Type R Limited Edition will feature all of the 2020 model year Type R updates, plus additional enhancements designed to make it the ultimate street-legal Type R track machine. Only 600 units of the 2021 Type R Limited Edition, all in brilliant new Phoenix Yellow and … Read more

Victoria Beckham starts a quiet hemline revolution at London fashion week

The designer broke with the mid-calf skirt ubiquitous in fashion with a knee-length skirt