Art News

They assumed the canvas was a common copy, and estimated its value at only $5,000 when a Washington, D.C. auction house listed it last year.

Artist Fred Wilson reflects on his relationship with “degradaria,” or “stereotypical objects” that reflect a disturbingly racist past, particularly in his piece Me And It (1995). He describes why he wanted to collect and use these “black collectible” objects that he associates with a painful, abusive history.

This spellbinding painting is a true masterpiece and among the very greatest Monet painted during his first and only encounter with Venice.

One of the most popular and most unlikely art historians the world has known died yesterday at the age of 88. Wendy Beckett, better known as Sister Wendy, brought great art to the masses through her BBC specials and 25 published books.

Dr. Steven Zucker and Dr. Beth Harris discuss Sandro Botticelli's Birth of Venus (c. 1485) one of the most popular works at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art presents an exhibition focusing on early painting styles that emerged in the Pahari courts of North India during the 17th and 18th centuries. Featuring some 20 of the most refined paintings produced in South Asia during the period, "Seeing the Divine: Pahari Painting of North India" examines the innovative ways in which Pahari artists depicted the Hindu gods.

Coming to theaters in March, 2019, Mapplethrope explores the life and times of famed photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, who died of AIDS-related complications in 1989, at the height of his success. Starring Matt Smith, best known for his roles as Dr. Who and Prince Phillip in The Crown, the film shows a young Mapplethorpe struggling to find his artistic voice and an audience for his controversial work.

She looks sideways at the viewer, limpid dark pools for eyes, strawberry curls setting off the flush of her cheeks and lips of faded fuschia. Who is she? She is the Lady in White. More than that, none can say. Sprung from the brush of Tiziano Vecelli, or Titian, she was referred to by the artist as “my most beloved object” and “a portrait of she who is the absolute mistress of my soul.” Some say she is an idealized figure of feminine beauty, others a favorite model, and still more think she is the artist’s eldest daughter, Lavinia, on her wedding day.

Sotheby’s annual December auctions of Important Judaica and Israeli & International Art concluded yesterday in New York with a combined total of $5.5 million. From important manuscripts to ceremonial silver and fine art, below is a look at what drove the results:

It's time for the yearly Art History Babe holiday menagerie! We discuss the history of the menorah, a mystical wild nativity scene, the evolution of Santa Claus, and John Leech's illustrations for A Christmas Carol.