History

Art Travels

The Most Beautiful Police Station Entrance: The Giacometti Hall

The first thing that might come to mind when you think about a police station is probably not the view you would get when you arrive at Urania Police...

Sabrina Kurmann 11 December 2023

Review

The History of Folding Screens—A Stunning Exhibition in Milan

The exhibition, Paraventi: Folding Screens from the 17th to 21st Centuries at Milan’s Fondazione Prada, will be on view until February 22nd,...

Lisa Scalone 23 November 2023

Museum Stories

31 Women: Peggy Guggenheim And Her Groundbreaking Exhibition

Perhaps one the most influential women in shaping the art world of the 20th century, Peggy Guggenheim held an exhibition in 1943 that was to be...

Nina Relf 22 November 2023

Ancient Rome

The Evolution of Art During the Fall of Rome

The Fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century CE was a pivotal moment in history, signifying the end of a dominant civilization that had reigned...

Maya M. Tola 16 October 2023

Architecture

Red Porphyry: Symbol of Imperial Power

Red porphyry is a rare dense stone from a remote quarry in the Egyptian desert. It bears a striking red and purple hue that commanded great interest...

Maya M. Tola 12 October 2023

Set of Jewelry from the Vulci tomb, ca. 500 BCE to 401 BCE (late Archaic period), The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY, United States. Ancient Art

All That Glitters: The Gold Jewelry of the Etruscans

The elusive Etruscans left behind a rich legacy of gold craftsmanship that was among the most advanced in the ancient Mediterranean world. While the...

Maya M. Tola 9 October 2023

Renaissance

The Medici Dynasty. Rich Sinners or Saintly Rulers?

The Medici family was definitely one of the richest dynasties in Renaissance Italy and perhaps they were the most influential patrons of the arts in...

James Wray 2 October 2023

Photograph of Vinnie Ream taken between 1866 and 1876. Source. Detail. Women Artists

Vinnie Ream: Should a Teenage Girl Sculpt Abraham Lincoln?

Vinnie Ream became the first woman to win a US government commission for a statue in 1866—at the age of 18! She created a life-sized figure of...

Kathie Manthorne 18 September 2023

Asian Art

The Decline of Mughal Arts under Aurangzeb

Muḥī al-Dīn Muḥammad was the sixth man to ascend to the Mughal throne and the last of the strong Mughal rulers. He was a notable expansionist...

Maya M. Tola 7 September 2023

Painting

How Artists Portrayed Spanish Civil War: Guernica and Bombardment

On April 26th, 1937 the world was shaken by the news of the destructive force that targeted Guernica – a town in the Basque Region of Spain,...

Wendy Gray 21 August 2023

Review

Book Review: Dressing Up, The Women Who Influenced French Fashion by Elizabeth L. Block

Dressing Up, The Women Who Influenced French Fashion is a 2021 book written by art historian Elizabeth L. Block. She is the Senior Editor in the...

Errika Gerakiti 17 August 2023

Michelangelo the Creation of Adam Artist Stories

Left-Handness: Artists Who Proved It Was a Gift, Not a Curse

Are you left-handed? Don’t believe ancient stories about the devil’s hand! It would be a blessing if you’d like to become an artist, like many...

Camilla de Laurentis 11 August 2023