North American Art

Henry Ossawa Tanner, Sand Dunes at Sunset, Atlantic City, 1885, White House, Washington DC, USA. Detail. Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Sand Dunes at Sunset, Atlantic City by Henry Ossawa Tanner

Sand Dunes at Sunset, Atlantic City is a masterpiece of Black art and history. It was painted by Henry Ossawa Tanner during a time of incredible...

James W Singer 19 July 2026

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Sunlight and Shadow by Albert Bierstadt

Sunlight and Shadow is a beautiful painting made by Albert Bierstadt in 1862. It shows a chapel at the Castle of Lowenburg, in Wilhelmshöhe,...

Alexandra Kiely 19 July 2026

Quiz

QUIZ: Around the World with Frederic Edwin Church

Jimena Escoto 18 July 2026

Fashion

The Inked Ladies—Tattooed Women of the Victorian Era

Would it surprise you to learn that 59% of American women have at least one tattoo? That’s compared to 41% of American men. Perhaps unsurprising is...

Lauren Kraut 17 July 2026

North American Art

Chiura Obata: Alien Enemy and Great American Painter

Chiura Obata applied Japanese training and technique to picturesque California landscapes with stunning results. Interned during World War II because...

Theodore Carter 9 July 2026

Women Artists

Lee Krasner—Artist of Many Faces

For a long time, Lee Krasner’s (1908–1984) art has been overshadowed by that of her husband Jackson Pollock. Difficult to categorize, her work...

Michel Rutten 6 July 2026

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Pilgrims Going to Church by George Henry Boughton

Today’s Masterpiece Story is about Pilgrims Going to Church by George Henry Boughton (1833-1905). Even though Boughton grew up in America, he was...

Alexandra Kiely 5 July 2026

The Statue of Liberty, Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Statue of Liberty

On a small island just out of New York City’s harbor, Lady Liberty greets anyone arriving in the United States from the Atlantic Ocean. Over the...

Anastasia Manioudaki 5 July 2026

Alma Thomas, Tiptoe Through the Tulips, 1969, acrylic on canvas, National Gallery of Art, Washington DC, USA. Detail. Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Tiptoe Through the Tulips by Alma Thomas

The style of Alma Thomas has been compared to Byzantine mosaics and the Pointillism of Georges Seurat. However, it firmly belongs to the Washington...

James W Singer 5 July 2026

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Washington Crossing the Delaware by Emanuel Leutze

Throughout history, artists have documented grand historical events motivated by national pride, political propaganda, or as a lesson for...

Rachel Witte 5 July 2026

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: American Gothic by Grant Wood

Under the blue sky of Iowa, a man and a woman stand solemnly in front of their house. They are farmers, as suggested by their clothing and the...

Anastasia Manioudaki 5 July 2026

Artist Stories

Modernist Landscapes of David Milne—Canadian Master of Absence

From early roots in rural Ontario, Canada, to New York City and back again, David Milne was an artist who rarely settled for long. His works span a...

Bec Brownstone 1 July 2026