Who knew concrete could be so cool?
Alien settlement or Swiss gallery? Concrete is full of buildings that stun, amaze and occasionally shock

Rio de Janeiro Wallpaper* City Guide - free download
As the Olympic baton passes to Rio Carol Buffara talks us through its attractions and we give you our city guide

Crystal CG's Olympic Velodrome video
Watch the Tron-inspired video played in the velodrome before every cycling session

James Nachtwey's weightlifters, Cartier Bresson's decisive moment and shooting Olympic swimmers
Phaidon's Eye on the Photography World focusses on the Olympics (and Sigur Rós)

Concrete celebrated by Estonia at Venice Biennale
The modernist quasi-citadel of the Linnahall Convention Center is the focus of homage to concrete architecture

Villa Extramuros by Vora Arquitectura
Villa Extramuros by Vora Arquitectura - a minimalist guest house run by Parisian owners with exquisite taste

Farewell Robert Hughes and thanks
The Shock Of The New broadcaster responsible for turning so many onto art dies after long illness

Dasha Zhukova given Leo Castelli award
Zhukova wins for “pioneering and forward-thinking approach to conceiving of and building new institutions"

Nicole Kidman's Richard Meier designed apartment
For sale: 176 Perry Street one very careful owner and with views of another stunning Meier building nearby

MOCA's Jeffrey Deitch fights back against critics
"It's a wrong idea that to be important you've got to be deadly serious and academic," says "embattled" director

Gillian Wearing photographs Usain Bolt's 100m win
"I was in row 48, quite high up but just above the finishing line – including the men's 100m," says the artist

Olympic cauldron designer Thomas Heatherwick on his latest project for Bombay Sapphire gin
From seed cathedral to Olympic flame to 'gin palace' visitor centre, the designer continues to dominate

The microhotel housing Olympic staff
Wonder why those security staff are so smiley? They're all getting a good night's rest in a designer microhotel

An amaze-ing book display on London's South Bank
Artists Marcos Saboya and Gualter Pupo amass 250,000 books - including many Phaidon favourites

Yayoi Kusama covers NY building with Yellow Trees
Japanese artist commissioned to cover a construction site in the meat packing district with netting artwork

Goya masterpiece discovered, Facebook censors Richter, Jeff Koons TV and a new High Line billboard
Phaidon's Eye on the Art World looks at stories in the US, Italy, Switzerland and France

Architects bring new meaning to mansion on the hill
Fran Silvestre Arquitectos in Spain create an amazingly secluded house in Ayora, near Valencia

Christo in trouble over plans to wrap Arkansas river
Pressure groups unite and force the delay of the artist's latest scheme, Over The River

Hadid in hot water, Chipperfield's common ground, Adjaye's double whammy and a new Fuksas airport
Phaidon's Eye on the Architecture world takes in the latest stories from China, Canada, Georgia and Belgium

Daniel Meadows and one summer in the 70s
Photographer works with Martin Parr author Val Williams on a stunning set of images depicting British seaside life

Mr Brainwash, Banksy and The Beatles
First London show for Banksy collaborator and artist who created Madonna's greatest hits album artwork

Stolen Dali, Raphael and Roy Lichenstein paintings recovered after failed attempts to sell them
Thieves nil - Artworld 3 as artworks, some missing for decades, turn up in unlikely locations

Reinterpreting Hopper, Oscar Niemeyer in 3D, Patti Smith behind the lens and Kodak makes a comeback
Phaidon's photography world news this week takes in stories from South Africa, Australia, the US and UK

Noma at Claridges - the first review
Bloomberg's Richard Vines was among the first people to dine on ants with creme fraiche on Saturday night

Chris Burden installs skyscraper in shopping mall
Four-storey concept house Small Skyscraper (Quasi Legal Skyscraper) to be built in a Pasadena shopping centre

Roger Ballen behind the scenes with Die Antwoord
Footage surfaces of photographer Roger Ballen talking with Die Antwoord on the set of I Fink U Freaky

Ferran Adria's new restaurant will be called Jaguar
elBulli creator reveals more details about new Mexican restaurant he will open with brother Albert

Herzog & de Meuron's new art museum almost ready
Herzog & de Meuron's long awaited Parrish Art museum on Long Island will finally open this November

Josef Albers Painting on Paper
Perrin Drumm on the 'freedom and sensuality' of a new show at the Morgan Library and Museum in New York

Zaha Hadid - planners are doing 'enormous damage’
Architect on fiery form during Anglo-Chinese business summit in London

Philip Treacy on show in Trafalgar square
Milliner to rock stars and royals creates iridescent headwear for Sir Henry Havelock as part of Hatwalk

Richard Hamilton MoCA retrospective cancelled
Pop artist's retrospective becomes first high profile casualty of curator Paul Schimmel's abrupt departure

Marina Abramovic on her Meltdown performance
Performance artist is planning to give a women only talk on "female energy" at Antony Hegarty-curated festival

Daniel Libeskind's 18.36.54 House
18 planes, 36 points, and 54 lines of the spiralling ribbon which defines its living spaces - the clue is in the name

Sarah Lucas's Ordinary Things
Henry Moore Institute show sparks lively review likening her to Cézanne, Michelangelo - and Viz magazine

MOMA show looks at new ways to house America
Five architects come up with a plan to reinvigorate America's inner cities - and maybe the economy

Martin Parr invites you to the seaside
Your chance to spend a weekend snapping away with the master of British photography

El Anatsui - the High Line's next star
Discarded bottle caps and mirrors woven together with copper wire will adorn Broken Bridge tapestry

Sir Norman Foster - 'My time as a bouncer'
Architect reveals what it took to get started on stellar career in Architecture Week interview

Naoya Hatakeyama's landscapes of life
SFMOMA's association with Japanese photography continues with first US solo show for Naoya Hatakeyama

Thomas Heatherwick 'huge relief' at Olympic opening
Designer reveals the Bond style secrecy around the planning and creation of 'Betty' - the Olympic cauldron

Beijing's new art zone, David Adjaye's Liverpool pavilion and Zaha Hadid's restricted view
Phaidon's daily look at the best art, architecture, design and photography stories on the web

World's first building inspired by hip hop
What happens when an urban culture-loving Melbourne architect builds his own apartment?

Phaidon's eye on the architecture world - 25.07.12
This week we look at low-rises in Beijing, Brazil's lantern house, and Yo! Sushi's new real-estate venture

MoMA's modernist design show centres on childhood
Century of the Child: Growing by Design, 1900-2000 brings together modernism's most often overlooked designs

Tino Sehgal at Tate, managing MOCA and the postman who collected Ed Ruscha and Donald Judd
Phaidon's daily look at the best art, architecture, design and photography stories on the web

Phaidon's eye on photography 24.07.12
This week's overview takes in swarms of glow sticks, Jay-Z, and Tom Ford's bum buffer

Ferran Adria to open Japanese restaurant
After news of a Mexican restaurant he and business partner brother Albert plan a Nikkei restaurant in Barcelona

Steve McCurry shoots Pirelli calendar
'Calendar of the soul' features Adriana Lima, Petra Nemcova and other models involved in humanitarian projects

Joel Meyerowitz on Robert Frank
The New York street photographer discusses the man who first got him snapping, among other things

Picasso, Einstein and the fourth dimension
How one French philosopher contributed to two 20th century breakthroughs

Phaidon's eye on the architecture world - 18.07.12
Our weekly round-up takes in bijou tree-houses, 'crap' flats and a Royal repelling down The Shard

Phaidon's eye on the photography world 17.07.12
This week's photography special takes in France, South Africa, Brazil, Switzerland, Japan, China and Korea

Monday in the Park with Oscar
US-born, Paris-based artist talks through his new works, opening this week at Brooklyn Bridge Park

Frank Gehry in the Big Easy
Brad Pitt gets the international architect to build a house for New Orleans' flood victims

Phaidon's global gallery guide
12 shows to see this weekend complete with videos, reviews, links and suggested reading

Yayoi Kusama x Louis Vuitton
The Japanese artist's Louis Vuitton line hits the street, as her retrospective opens at the Whitney

Cindy Sherman shares
Prior to her West-Coast, SFMOMA opening, Sherman talks siblings, series and privacy

Eddie Peake talks about Tate Tanks performance
The rising young star of performance art on how he persuades people to get naked and be painted gold

Phaidon's eye on the architecture world - 11.07.12
This week's international special takes us to New York, Ho Chi Minh City, Barcelona, Bogata and Barking

See Bruce Nauman's One Hundred Fish Fountain
A rare chance to see one of Nauman's largest sculptures - and, if you have $3 million, maybe the chance to buy it

Roger Ballen - 'I fear not living anymore'
Photographer's interview with Eva Wollenberg sees him ruminating on death, darkness and the human condition

Phaidon's eye on the photography world 10.07.12
This week's photography special takes in France, South Africa, Brazil, Switzerland, Japan, China and Korea

'And you're sure it'll be strong enough?'
This trompe l’oeil Lego bridge by street artist Martin Heuwold aka MEGX had us fooled - for a while

Zaha Hadid designs boat for art dealer
Dealer, gallerist and TV personality Kenny Schachter now has a Z Boat to add to his Hadid-designed Z Car

Ai Weiwei involved in brawl in Beijing park
Feud between online bloggers and cyber intellectuals spills over into violence with eggs being thrown

Damien Hirst first look at a new painting
Watch the video of Monochromatic Sectors from Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Colour Ring with Dark Centre

Yayoi Kusama talks about her mortality
83-year-old artist says "The older I become and the closer death approaches, the brighter my life gets day by day"

Peter Zumthor working on film with Wim Wenders
Architect's next project to be the subject of a 3D film shot by the legendary film director

Ai Weiwei first video interview since his release
Chinese dissident artist talks about the importance of social media to his work in new video

Tate chooses Jeff Wall piece as Work of the Week
A Sudden Gust Of Wind sees the Canadian photographer reference one of Hokusai's famous works

Zaha Hadid falls out with Olympics organisers
Aquatics architect complains that she hasn't been given an invite to any Olympic events

Damien Hirst donates spin painting to Burger King
Beautiful Psychedelic Gherkin Exploding Tomato Sauce All Over Your Face, Flame Grilled Painting goes on show

Phaidon's global gallery guide
12 shows to see this weekend complete with videos, reviews, links and suggested reading

Prix Pictet shortlist announced
Phaidon photographers in the picture as 2012 Prix Pictet focusses on the theme of power

Diane Arbus in London and Berlin
Major shows with previously unseen work for the photographer who famously said "every difference is a likeness"

Happy July 4th
The Pentagram agency's call to designers to rework the flag was one of its most infamous projects

Nedko Solakov offers gallery goers five kilos of meat
Bulgarian artist's show A Quiz (again) at the Visual Arts Foundation, Middelburg takes the form of a competition

Phaidon's eye on the architecture world - 04.07.12
This week's international round up takes in Iceland, Germany, America, the UK, Holland and even Timbuktu

Barry Le Va artwork smashed at Gagosian
But it's all part of the installation process for a 1968 piece by the Californian sculptor and installation artist

Donald Judd's loft opens to the public
Refurb finished on Soho loft where Judd exhibited the work of Carl Andre, Claes Oldenburg, and Dan Flavin
