Join the Kings of the North

AUCKLAND CASTLE

Following a three-year, multimillion-pound conservation project, the former home of the Prince Bishops of Durham – once known as the “Kings of the North” – opens to the public. Jacob and His Twelve Sons, a series of paintings by the 17th-century Spanish master Zurbarán, is among the treasures on display. Auckland Castle, County Durham (01388 743750), from today

ELIZABETH PRICE

The most extensive exhibition to date for the brilliant, experimental video artist. Her films may not be easy to explain, or to understand, but they are always original and thrilling. Whitworth, Manchester (whitworth.manchester. ac.uk), until March 1

LUCIAN FREUD: THE SELF-PORTRAITS

Famed for the fierceness of his gaze, Freud turns his unflinching attention upon himself in these 50 works, including a high number of rarely seen loans from private collections. More often than not, the results are stunning.

Royal Academy, London W1 (020 7300 8090), until Jan 26

signified by a wooh sound that might have been conjured up by the BBC Radiophonic Workshop for an early episode of

Doctor Who.

It is easy to make fun of, but nevertheless immensely satisfying. These musical principles have survived so long as an undercurrent of pop culture because they are fundamentally sound. If you think pop’s classic era was the Sixties and Seventies, and it all started getting a bit weird around 1980, Jeff Lynne’s got your back.

Bob Dylan

Travelin’ Thru 1967-1969 (Columbia)

Leif Vollebekk

New Ways (Secret City)

Sudan Archives Athena (Stones Throw)