Isla graduated with a first class BA in Classics from the University of Cambridge in 2018. After university she spent a year in Japan, where she interned as a curatorial assistant at the Fukuoka Asian Arts Museum. Recently, Isla completed a History of Art MA with Distinction at Birkbeck College, University of London. She currently lives in London with her husband, siamese cats and baby.
Masterpiece Story: My Bed by Tracey Emin
My Bed is an iconic and seminal artwork by British artist Tracey Emin. It was created over 20 years ago and despite its age, it is still one of...
Isla Phillips-Ewen 8 March 2026
Football in Art and Art in Football
The spheres of art history and football may not seem inherently connected. Yet, football holds a cherished place within culture, serving as both a...
Isla Phillips-Ewen 17 February 2026
Masterpiece Story: Fons Americanus by Kara Walker
Kara Elizabeth Walker, born in 1969, is an American contemporary artist. She is known as a painter, silhouettist, print-maker, installation artist,...
Isla Phillips-Ewen 1 February 2026
Timeless Beauty: Ancient Greek Athletes in Art
The idea of timeless beauty is fascinating. Also, it’s a great concern for lovers of art history. Conceptions of beauty in Western art history...
Isla Phillips-Ewen 29 January 2026
Demystifying Cycladic Figurines
Cycladic figurines have a mythical aura. Their gleaming abstract forms speak of timeless beauty. But what actually are they? Why do they look like a...
Isla Phillips-Ewen 19 January 2026
Damien Hirst’s Butterflies: From Tea Trays to Mandalas
Damien Hirst—a prominent Young British Artist (YBA) and now a billionaire—creates sculptures, paintings, and drawings. In all of these forms, his...
Isla Phillips-Ewen 16 January 2026
Lee Ufan—The Beauty of Emptiness
Lee Ufan is a Korean-born international artist, whose work is key to the Mono-ha movement. If you have ever been lucky enough to encounter a Lee...
Isla Phillips-Ewen 5 January 2026
QUIZ: Test Your Knowledge about Female Artists
Isla Phillips-Ewen 25 October 2025
Dan Flavin: Art Is Thought and Fluorescent Lights
Dan Flavin (1933–1996) was an American artist and pioneer of Minimalism. He is famous for making sculptural objects and installations from...
Isla Phillips-Ewen 29 September 2025
3 Things You Might Not Know About Botticelli’s Venus
Some might say that Venus is the most important of deities since she is the one we associate with love and beauty. The relationship between...
Isla Phillips-Ewen 22 September 2025
