Masterpiece Stories

A painting showing four isolated individuals sitting in a diner on a deserted street corner in the late hours. Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Nighthawks by Edward Hopper

Edward Hopper was one of America’s most celebrated artists, renowned for delving into themes of loneliness and isolation in both urban and...

Nikolina Konjevod 4 January 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 4 January 2026

Lily Furedi, Subway, 1934, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC, USA. Detail. Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Subway by Lily Furedi

Subway by Lily Furedi is a masterpiece of New Deal art that expresses the excitement of modern transportation. It is populated with commuting workers...

James W Singer 4 January 2026

George Grosz, Manhattan, 1946, Harn Museum of Art, Gainesville, USA. Detail. Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Manhattan by George Grosz

Manhattan is a masterpiece by George Grosz that expresses the grandeur and struggle of 1940s New York...

James W Singer, 4 January 2026

Johannes Vermeer, View of Delft, 1660-1661, Mauritshuis, The Hage, Netherlands Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: View of Delft by Johannes Vermeer

Between 1660 and 1661, Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer created three paintings of his hometown, Delft. These are The Little Street, the now-lost...

Javier Abel Miguel 4 January 2026

Academic Art

Constructing Racism in Western Art – Hans Makart and the Case of Cleopatra

When Netflix cast Black actress Adele James as Cleopatra in a docu-series on the life of the famous Egyptian queen, the world went viral in a heated...

Kero Fichter 29 December 2025

Vincent van Gogh, Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear, 1889, The Courtauld, London, UK. Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear by Vincent van Gogh

Vincent van Gogh left behind a series of self-portraits that document his life—from an aspiring artist through stylistic change, all the way to the...

Sandra Juszczyk 28 December 2025

Vincent van Gogh, Green Wheat Fields, Auvers, 1890, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, USA. Detail. Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Green Wheat Fields, Auvers by Vincent van Gogh

Green Wheat Fields, Auvers by Vincent van Gogh is a masterpiece of landscape painting, capturing a beautiful moment in nature. Painted during the...

James W Singer 28 December 2025

Vincent van Gogh, Terrace of a Café at Night, 1888, Kröller-Müller Museum, Otterlo, Netherlands. Detail. Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Terrace of a Café at Night by Vincent van Gogh

Terrace of a Café at Night is a subjective expression from Van Gogh that encapsulates a moment in French...

James W Singer 28 December 2025

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: The Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh

During his stay in the Saint-Rémy hospital in southern France, Vincent van Gogh created The Starry Night. It became one of his most recognizable...

Valeria Kumekina 28 December 2025

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Almond Blossom by Vincent van Gogh

Vincent van Gogh only sold one painting during his lifetime. He was not a financially successful artist, and he was entirely dependent on his...

James W Singer 28 December 2025

Antoni, Gaudí, Sagrada Familia, Barcelona, Spain, My Modern Met Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Sagrada Familia by Antoni Gaudí

Today’s modern construction techniques allow us to build huge structures in just a few months or years. For example, the Shard in London was built...

Joanna Kaszubowska 23 December 2025