Contemporary Front page
Painting Threatens German Cathedral’s UNESCO Status
A religious triptych painting with a Madonna & Child in the center

Painting Threatens German Cathedral’s UNESCO Status

Germany’s Naumburg Cathedral is at risk of losing its world heritage site status from UNESCO because of the placement of a somewhat controversial altarpiece. Naumburg Cathedral is considered one of the most beautiful churches in central Germany. Much of the … More…

NYC Museums Donate Art To New JFK Airport Terminal
An artist's rendering of the interior of a new airport terminal.

NYC Museums Donate Art To New JFK Airport Terminal

John F. Kennedy International Airport’s new Terminal 6 will include works of art from several prominent New York cultural institutions. The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey and the JFK Millennium Partners consortium have announced that four New … More…

Sotheby’s Breuer Building Headquarters To Open On November 8th
945 Madison Avenue, also known as the Breuer Building: a Brutalist, modernist building made of concrete and slate in what looks like an inverted ziggurat.

Sotheby’s Breuer Building Headquarters To Open On November 8th

Sotheby’s has announced that its new headquarters in the Breuer Building will open to the public on November 8th of this year. In June 2023, Sotheby’s announced its intention to purchase the iconic Breuer Building, a historical landmark located at … More…

Sweet Treats: Desserts & The Arts
A painting of a woman picking a lollipop hanging from a tree.

Sweet Treats: Desserts & The Arts

Food is culture. It’s one of the most readily accessible, tangible expressions of identity that most of us experience. Understanding the food of a culture, a country, or a region is a crucial step in grasping the climate, religion, values, … More…

Activists Install Anish Kapoor Work On Offshore Oil Rig
Butchered by Anish Kapoor, installed by Greenpeace activists on a North Sea oil rig

Activists Install Anish Kapoor Work On Offshore Oil Rig

Anish Kapoor, one of the most famous and influential living artists in the world today, has once again demonstrated the power of art in activism. While last week people used his sculpture Cloud Gate (also known as The Bean) to … More…

Painting Of The Week: Métro George V, Champs-Élysées by Edouard Cortés
A Paris street scene showing a metro station with the Arc de Triomphe in the background.

Painting Of The Week: Métro George V, Champs-Élysées by Edouard Cortés

The Arc de Triomphe was a particularly common subject for Edouard Cortés. The square where the arch sits, the Place de l’Étoile (now the Place Charles de Gaulle), is the convergence of twelve different avenues, including the Avenue de Friedland, … More…

Let The Man Out Of Chicago’s Bean
A large stainless steel sculpture in a public plaza.

Let The Man Out Of Chicago’s Bean

Anish Kapoor’s sculpture Cloud Gate, popularly known as The Bean, has been the subject of many satirical works and conspiracy theories ever since it was erected in Chicago’s Millennium Park in 2006. One theory, however, gained popularity this past week … More…

London’s National Gallery To Form Citizens’ Panel
The facade of London's National Gallery on Trafalgar Square.

London’s National Gallery To Form Citizens’ Panel

The future of museum administration may lie in a bold move that London’s National Gallery made recently to form a citizens’ panel to allow the public a greater voice in the management of one of Britain’s greatest museums. With the … More…

Painting Of The Week: Oisème, Route de village by Eugène Boudin
A rural landscape by Eugene Boudin

Painting Of The Week: Oisème, Route de village by Eugène Boudin

Eugène Boudin, primarily known as a maritime painter, immortalized the growth of the seaside spots in Normandy from fishing villages to resort towns. His fascination with the coast, whether it’s the bustling port of Le Havre, ships navigating the waters … More…

Painting Of The Week: Léon Richet’s Marguerite
leon_richet_e1131_marguerite_face

Painting Of The Week: Léon Richet’s Marguerite

While nineteenth-century paintings of French peasants often show them amid their work against a pastoral background, that cannot exactly be said about Léon Richet’s Marguerite. This is a rather rare work for the artist, as he was considered more of … More…

Pearlman Foundation Donates Collection to American Museums
A post-Impressionist painting of a mountain among green fields.

Pearlman Foundation Donates Collection to American Museums

Several major American museums will be receiving generous donations from the Henry & Rose Pearlman Foundation. Henry Pearlman primarily made his money in the refrigeration business, but is mainly known for his incredible art collection, containing countless Impressionist and Post-Impressionist … More…

Confiscated 1MDB Art To Be Auctioned
A painting by Basquiat of a man in a white shirt and jeans against a red background.

Confiscated 1MDB Art To Be Auctioned

The United States Department of Justice will be auctioning off several works of art confiscated as a result of the 1MDB scandal. Nearly a decade after the 1MDB scandal first broke, developments continue to emerge from one of the largest … More…

Painting Of The Week: Dietz Edzard’s Au Bois de Boulogne
dietz_edzard_e1726_au_bois_de_boulogne

Painting Of The Week: Dietz Edzard’s Au Bois de Boulogne

Au Bois de Boulogne by Dietz Edzard shows a young lady in a vibrant yellow dress enjoying herself at one of the cafés in the Bois de Boulogne, one of Paris’s large parks. The Bois de Boulogne is a popular … More…

Amy Sherald Cancels Smithsonian Show Over Censorship
The facade of the National Portrait Gallery

Amy Sherald Cancels Smithsonian Show Over Censorship

American portraitist Amy Sherald has canceled her upcoming exhibition at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery over censorship issues. Earlier this month, I visited the Whitney Museum of American Art to attend the first day of their Untitled (America) exhibition. However, … More…

“I Could Do That”: Cattelan’s Banana & the Nature of Art
A photograph of a banana adhered to a white wall with silver duct tape.

“I Could Do That”: Cattelan’s Banana & the Nature of Art

Recently, a museum visitor made headlines when they ate a $6 million work of art. The Comedian by Maurizio Cattelan is the official title of the piece of concept art most people simply know as “the thing of the banana … More…

Stolen Madonna Returned
A 16th century Renaissance Madonna and Child painting

Stolen Madonna Returned

Back in March, I wrote about how a woman in Britain refused to give up her Renaissance-era Madonna & Child painting, which investigators concluded had been stolen fifty years ago. However, the standoff has now come to an end, and … More…