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 13 July 2026
Masterpiece Story: Madonna of Port Lligat by Salvador Dalí
Salvador Dalí’s The Madonna of Port Lligat is an image of Mary holding baby Jesus in her lap. Seems simple, but it has layers upon layers of...
Isla Phillips-Ewen 21 June 2026
The Poetry in Painting—Turner’s Ovid in Exile
This petite oil on canvas by J. M. W. Turner contains big things: big landscapes, big stories and big skies. It is an imagined scene from 1st-century...
Isla Phillips-Ewen 10 June 2026
Circus and Jazz of Henri Matisse
Henri Matisse (1869-1954) was a renowned French artist celebrated for his bold use of color. One of his lesser-known masterpieces, The Circus, is a...
Isla Phillips-Ewen 30 April 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
