History

History

Enslaved Black Models in European Art: Anonymous Objects?

Portraits of Black people are rare in European art history. Let’s be clear: they were there, in society, but they rarely made it into art, except...

Candy Bedworth 20 February 2024

Painting

Masterpiece Story: Portrait of Jean-Baptiste Belley by Girodet

Although representations of Black people were overlooked in European art for a long time, current social and political movements participate to...

Amélie Pascutto 20 February 2024

History

Bondage and Freedom—The Protest Art of Two Abolitionists

Since the elites in power like the status quo, social reform is a grassroots movement.  How do reformers engage the masses? With art. Should protest...

Helen Jeffery 19 February 2024

Contemporary Art

13 Black Folk Artists from the American South

The thirteen self-taught artists below, from Bill Traylor to Nellie Mae Rowe, Thornton Dial to Mary T. Smith among others, created some of the most...

Adam Oestreich 19 February 2024

Museum Stories

Biggest Art Heists in History

Movies on thefts and art heists are making huge box office hits for their great action and wit. However, even if real art heists have been sometimes...

Irina Diana Calu 19 February 2024

Renaissance

Visit Astonishing Halls of Maps and Globes

Cartography is the production of geographical maps and globes. It has evolved both as a science and as an art. This is why powerful people love...

Camilla de Laurentis 12 February 2024

African Art

Art as a Catalyst: How Art Played a Pivotal Role in the End of Apartheid

South Africa is infamous for its time of apartheid (1948-1994), a legal system for racial segregation. It was a period of violence and oppression...

Guest Profile 8 February 2024

History

The Fascinating World of Victorian Cards & Postcards

Who doesn’t enjoy receiving a postcard from a loved one? An alternative to sending formal letters, postcards were first introduced during the...

Ruxi Rusu 7 February 2024

A Victorian Christmas card featuring a robin in a top hat and a robin in a bonnet. The text reads: ‘Happy returns. Christmas comes but once a year.’ History

Victorian Christmas Cards: Strange or Timeless?

It’s thanks to the Victorians that the tradition of sending Christmas cards exists. The very first commercial Christmas card was sent in 1843, and...

Jenna Burns 7 February 2024

History

Republic of Austria v. Altmann – Klimt Goes to Court!

Adele Bloch-Bauer was a wealthy socialite from Austria. One day, her husband asked Gustav Klimt to paint her portrait as an anniversary gift. But...

Ruxi Rusu 6 February 2024

Quiz

QUIZ: The Nude in Art

Candy Bedworth 5 February 2024

Herstory

Painting a Reputation: The Portrait of Empress Dowager Cixi by Katharine Augusta Carl

Art and politics have been closely intertwined throughout global history. This article studies the case of The Empress Dowager Cixi of China by...

Iolanda Munck 29 January 2024