Contemporary Front page
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
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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…

Painting Of The Week: John Bentham-Dinsdale’s Chase Of The Brilliant
A painting of two 18th-century French ships pursuing a British frigate.

Painting Of The Week: John Bentham-Dinsdale’s Chase Of The Brilliant

John Bentham-Dinsdale became one of the most renowned marine painters because of his extensive library on maritime history. This allowed him to recreate the great ships from the age of sail, as well as naval confrontations from centuries past. Rendering … More…

National Trust For France
The facade of a large French chateau.

National Trust For France

France is considering the establishment of a new cultural organization, modeled after the National Trust in the United Kingdom. The National Trust is technically a private entity but receives substantial support from the British government. The monarch is the organization’s … More…

Sotheby’s New York Modern Discoveries
A painting of a man in the middle of putting on a plain white t-shirt.

Sotheby’s New York Modern Discoveries

On Wednesday, July 16th, Sotheby’s New York hosted their Modern Discoveries online sale, featuring ninety works of art primarily by nineteenth- and twentieth-century European and North American artists. Normally, I would not pay any attention to this sort of auction. … More…

Painting Of The Week: Charles-Théodore Frère’s Canal d’Ismaélich (Cairo)
A landscape painting of women fetching water by a river in Egypt.

Painting Of The Week: Charles-Théodore Frère’s Canal d’Ismaélich (Cairo)

As I’ve written before, Orientalist paintings can sometimes prove problematic depending on the subject matter. However, despite the modern stigma against the genre, there are some historical artists whose work continues to endure, including Charles-Théodore Frère, the renowned landscape painter … More…

Research Reveals Changes To Vermeer Street Scene
A 17th century painting of a Dutch steet.

Research Reveals Changes To Vermeer Street Scene

Studies on a Vermeer street scene now reveal that the Dutch Golden Age master made significant alterations to the painting before its completion. The Vermeer exhibition at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam was undoubtedly one of the art world’s highlights of … More…

Painting Of The Week: Capri by Ivan Fedorovich Choultse
A landscape painting of a rocky cliff dotted with trees leading down into the ocean.

Painting Of The Week: Capri by Ivan Fedorovich Choultse

While Ivan Fedorovich Choultse is more well-known for his snow-covered landscapes and forest scenes, the present work is remarkably bright and sunny. Entitled Capri, the artist depicts a collection of cypress and mastic trees, along with other local flora, overlooking … More…

Bayeux Tapestry Returns Home
A segment of the Bayeux Tapestry, showing William the Conqueror in the center alongside his half-brothers Odo and Robert

Bayeux Tapestry Returns Home

After over nine hundred years, the Bayeux Tapestry will return to England as part of an exchange between the British and French governments. The Bayeux Tapestry is a centuries-old document that depicts the events surrounding the Norman conquest of England … More…

Featured Artwork: Timothy Jahn’s Allure of Parisian Architecture
A painting of a large, domed building.

Featured Artwork: Timothy Jahn’s Allure of Parisian Architecture

Timothy Jahn’s The Allure of Parisian Architecture marks a dramatic departure from the artist’s previous work. While Jahn has proven himself a most capable master of figure painting, still life, and, more recently, interior scenes, The Allure of Parisian Architecture … More…

Untitled (America): The Whitney Asks What Makes Art American?
StellaBrooklynCropped

Untitled (America): The Whitney Asks What Makes Art American?

On Saturday, July 5th, the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York unveiled its latest exhibition, Untitled (America). The show presents an opportunity for the museum to showcase many of its collection highlights, with a subtle goal of defining … More…

Painting(s) Of The Week: Moulin de la Galette
A painting of a Paris street in the snow with a windmill rising above.

Painting(s) Of The Week: Moulin de la Galette

The Moulin Rouge is a popular and iconic Paris cabaret associated with windmills. But it’s not even a real windmill. The founders of the nightclub built a facsimile windmill on top of the building to emulate its famous predecessor, the … More…