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Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: The Tailor by Giovanni Battista Moroni

The Tailor is one of Giovanni Battista Moroni’s most famous portraits. Not only is it an astonishing work of art, but the sitter himself is quite...

Joanna Kaszubowska 21 October 2022

Renaissance

Remember Me: Seven Intriguing Renaissance Portraits

The most important function of portraits is to preserve the memory of the sitter. The desire for being remembered is a natural human trait that is...

Nicole Ganbold 21 October 2022

egidio constantini Design

The Angels’ Forge: Marrying Glass with Modern Art

This is a story of an Italian man, Egidio Costantini, who was a radiotelegraph operator, a bank cashier, and a manual laborer extracting oils from...

Magda Michalska 20 October 2022

Plate with Arabic Inscription, ca 975-1000, painted and glazed earthenware, Musée du Louvre, Paris, France. Detail. Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Plate with Arabic Inscription

Plate with Arabic Inscription is a masterpiece of 10th-century Islamic art. It combines minimalism, abstraction, and morality into a beautiful and...

James W Singer 20 October 2022

Design

The Charm of Colorful and Shiny Italian Maiolica Ceramic Wares

Maiolica ceramic wares are exquisitely decorated and vibrantly colored handmade artworks made popular during the Italian Renaissance. Their timeless...

Marga Patterson 20 October 2022

Portrait of Cecilia Vicuña in front of Quipu Womb 2017. Contemporary Art

Meet Cecilia Vicuña: New Commissioned Artist in Turbine Hall

Cecilia Vicuña is the new artist to occupy the Turbine Hall in Tate Modern from October 2022 to April 2023. The vast space has previously housed...

Natalia Tiberio 17 October 2022

Gerhard Richter, Betty Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Betty by Gerhard Richter

An unconventional portrait where the sitter looks away. The striking colors and flawless technique. A photo or a painting? Let’s dive into the...

Natalia Tiberio 17 October 2022

perle fine Abstract Expressionism

Meeting Abstract Expressionist Perle Fine

To think about the Abstract Expressionists is almost certainly to picture Jackson Pollock with cans and brushes in hand, dripping paint into large...

Natalia Tiberio 15 October 2022

Abstract Expressionism

Abstract Expressionism: Joan Mitchell

A master of the New York School who expatriated to France, Joan Mitchell tirelessly explored new ways of expression and reinvented the landscape in...

Louisa Mahoney 15 October 2022

Women Artists

Janet Sobel: Forgotten Female Artist Who Influenced Jackson Pollock

Although almost entirely erased from the canon of Abstract Expressionist art, Janet Sobel (born Jennie Olechovsky) is now slowly gaining recognition...

Isabella Hill 15 October 2022

Striding Lion, 604-562 BCE, glazed clay bricks, Processional Way, Babylon, Iraq, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, Austria. Detail. Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Striding Lion from the Ishtar Gate

Striding Lion is a masterpiece of Mesopotamian art with monumental size and composition. It symbolizes the strength of King Nebuchadnezzar II and the...

James W Singer 14 October 2022

Ancient Egypt

The Bust of Nefertiti: Ancient Masterpiece or Genius Hoax?

On December 6, 1912, a team of excavators from the Deutsche Orient-Gesellschaft, led by Ludwig Borchardt, unearthed a wonderful work of art. They...

Montaine Dumont 14 October 2022