Sculptor Ursula von Rydingsvard discusses the construction of her monumental work Czara z Babelkami (2006), on view in SFMOMAs fifth-floor sculpture garden. She reflects on how her sculptural practices relate to her family's history as Polish peasant farmers and World War II refugees, describing a dark past that is still running through her blood.
Art News
Art History of full of amazing artist couples. Let's look at a handful of talented individuals who joined forces either for a lifelong collaboration or a finite but fruitful romance: Claude Cahun and Marcel Moore, Merce Cunningham and John Cage, Lee Miller and Man Ray, Josef and Anni Albers, Gwendolyn Knight and Jacob Lawrence, and Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen.
In this Art History Babe Brief, Corrie & Nat discuss the largest mud-built structure in the world, The Great Mosque of Djenné.
Artist Liam Everett, one of SFMOMA’s 2017 SECA Art Award winners, explains his use of furniture and loose materials to simultaneously obstruct and direct his approach to painting. He describes how these props force him to remain present—as if performing in a theatrical set—yet also distance him from the final product.
Artist Tony Luciani was testing out a new camera when his 91-year-old mother, Elia, snuck into the background of his photos. The spontaneous images that resulted sparked a years-long collaboration, with Luciani documenting his mom's life and spirit as she lived with dementia. In this touching talk, he shares the stories behind some of their favorite shots, capturing the joy and grief of caring for an aging parent.
Berlin-based designer Shigeki Yamamoto makes furniture for adults who don't want to be too far removed from the joys of childhood.
As one of the most recognizable single pieces of art ever produced, The Birth of Venus remains a consistent source of inspiration for street art, fashion, books and film.
Writer/director Dan Gilroy shows the ugly side of the art world in his recently released film Velvet Buzzsaw, now streaming on Netflix. Part camp, part gore, and part biting satire, Velvet Buzzsaw is many things at once, and never a bore.
Two Pulitzer Prize-winning authors published a book titled Van Gogh: The Life that stunned the art world. Therein, Gregory White Smith and Stephen Naifeh state that the artist didn't actually commit suicide.
The Art Assignment addressed the myth, and now it's time for the truth of the tortured artist. Some art is born of pain and suffering, and reflects the darkest side of human experience. We like that about it.
