What Makes a Masterpiece? | Art & Object

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What do we mean when we call an artwork a MASTERPIECE? Who decides which art becomes one? And what artists make them?

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Vincent van Gogh

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Features

Gustave Klimt, Park at Kammer Castle, 1909.

The Lush Solace of Gustav Klimt’s Landscapes

The crumbling walls of Babylon.

The Impact of Climate Change on Our Cultural Heritage

Lara Bohinc, Derriere Chair

Sensuality Is ‘Enthroned’ in Jessica Silverman’s Women-Inspired Design Show

Luis-rey Velasco, Confirmation, Raising of the Candles, 2005

Documenting the Unseen in the Photography of Luis-rey Velasco

Flora Yukhnovich, She Herself Is a Haunted House, 2023.

The Monstrous Feminine in Flora Yukhnovich’s Luscious Canvases at the Ashmolean

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Renaissance

French newspaper Excelsior proclaims,"The Mona Lisa has returned," January 1, 1914.

7 Shocking Incidents of Mona Lisa Vandalism & Theft

Trial Begins in Russian Billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev's Case Against Sotheby's

What You Don't Know About the World’s Oldest Photograph

Contemporary Art

Image caption: Suzanne Jackson, Installation view of Singin’, in Sweetcake’s Storm, 2017; Palimpsest Grit, 2022-23; Red over morning sea, 2021; deepest ocean, what we do not know, we might see?, 2021; and Rag-to-Wobble, 2020.

10 Highlights from the Whitney Biennial 2024

11 Contemporary Black Artists You Should Know

Art & Object Marketplace: A New Way to Buy Art Online

Latin American Art

Melchor Pérez Holguín, Pietà (detail), Bolivia, c. 1720.

Why the LACMA’s “Archive of the World” Catalogue Matters

Neo-Concretism: the short-lived but influential art movement

Pre-Columbian Latin America: The Chavín of Ancient Peru

Antiques

Euros bills hanging to dry on a clothes line

How Money Laundering Works In The Art World

Creature Comfort: Animal Art in the Home

The Cabinet of Curiosities & Colonialism

Photography

a woman in a pink bikini and sunglasses sits in a lawn chair in front of her home at night

Christmas Lights: Photographing a Very American Tradition

Developing Magic: Unlocking the Secrets of Darkrooms

Female Photographers Who Shaped the Way We Look at the World

Indigenous Art

Archie Moore, Australia Pavilion at Venice Biennale 2024, image by Andrea Rossetti.

An Ode To The Woven Arts At 2024 Venice Biennale Golden Lion Awards

History Painting: An Art Genre or the Manipulation of Truth?

9 Indigenous Art Accounts to Follow on Instagram

Black Artists

Beauford Delaney painitng

12 African American Artists You Should Know More About

Nina Simone’s Childhood Home Gains Support to Become a Historic Site

Hilton Als: The Pulitzer Winning Critic Discusses the Art of Curating

Museum

Gustave Courbet, Fox in the Snow, 1860, oil on canvas, Dallas Museum of Art, Foundation for the Arts Collection, Mrs. John B. O'Hara Fund, 1979.7.FA.

10 Must-See Works at the Dallas Museum of Art

Exploring 30 Years of Nicole Eisenman’s Rich Figurative Work

Discovering the Shared Inspiration of Georgia O'Keeffe and Henry Moore

Auction

Elton John's Bently

Elton John Sales of Art and Memorabilia Bring in $20.5 Million

Jeff Koons Sends Sculptures to the Moon and More News

Painting by The Beatles Sells for $1.7 Million at Auction

Painting

Close-up of a mural by Paul Cézanne found at his childhood home.

Mural by Paul Cézanne Discovered in the Artist's Childhood Home

Santa Claus Through History: Tracing the Evolution of a Beloved Icon

5 Art Restoration Fails That Will Blow Your Mind

Ancient Art

Unknown, Headdress Ornament, 1st–7th century. Made in Colombia, Calima (Yotoco). Gold. 8 1/2 × 11 1/2 ×1 1/4 in. (21.6 × 29.2 × 3.2 cm). The Met. Gift and Bequest of Alice K. Bache, 1966, 1977. 66.196.24.

A Brief Look at Sun Symbolism Through Art History

The Metropolitan Museum to Return Cambodian Artifacts Tied to Looting

10 Stunning Prehistoric Sculptures from The Met's Collection

Fair

Installation view, Everything Precious is Fragile, 2024, Pavilion of Benin, 60th International Art Exhibition–La Biennale di Venezia. Moufouli Bello, détails "Egbe Modjisola", 2024

10 Must-See National Pavilions in the 2024 Venice Biennale

Function & Aesthetics are Evolving at Milan Design Week 2024

The Louvre Is Still the World's Most Visited Museum, and More News

LGBTQ Artists

8 - self-portrait in the afternoon light, january 2019, puberty

Preview Laurence Philomene’s Masterful Monograph: "Puberty"

Eisenman’s Paintings Back in NYC Art Scene at Hauser & Wirth

6 Art World Events for Pride 2022

Gallery

Image of Rachel Jones' Exhibition '!!!!!' by Chloe Jackman. Courtesy of MoAD.

Rachel Jones’ Abstract Psychic Landscape of Teeth and Color

Experience the Weightlessness of Richard Hunt's Early Works at White Cube

Oliver Beer Creates Music from Irresistible Cat-Shaped Objects

Drawing

Jordan Belson Brain Drawing, 1952 Ink on paper 7 13/16 x 7 13/16 inches (19.8 x 19.8 cm) Estate of Jordan Belson, Courtesy Matthew Marks Gallery

The Mystical Tradition: Drawings of Memory and Mystery at the Drawing Center

The History of Copying Art: A Learning Tool or a Cheat?

The Doodle: Art by Famous Non-Artists

Sculpture

footprints in the snow make a geometric pattern by artist Simon Beck

The Art of Snow and Ice: Depictions Throughout Art History

Three Books About Art for Your Summer Reading List

The 7 Wonders of the Ancient World Revealed

Women Artists

Elisabeth Vigée Le Brun

10 Fearless Women Artists Throughout History

Georgia O'Keeffe's Early Works Reveal Her Greatness

Why Rosa Bonheur's "Horse Fair" is a Masterpiece of Realism

Design

British officer views the damage to the Ponte Vecchio from the east just after the liberation of Florence on August 11, 1944, during World War II

How the Most Precise Bombing Run of WWII Saved Florence's Masterpieces

Restoring The Frick Collection’s Historic Fifth Avenue Home

Russian Attack Damages Historic Cathedral in Odesa

Asian Art

Leonardo da Vinci, Annunciation, c. 1472.

The Golden Ratio Revealed in 7 Masterpieces

'Beyond Bollywood' Brings Together 2000 Years of Dance in Art

Colors as Transgression in the Holi Festival

Modern Art

museum of modern art exterior

Discovering MoMA: 10 Surprising Facts About the Museum of Modern Art

Explore Claude Monet's Iconic Garden at Giverny

The Best Art Museum in Every U.S. State