Masterpiece Stories

Louise Bourgeois, Maman, 1999, steel, bronze, marble. Stavros Niarchos Cultural Foundation, Athens, Greece. Author's photo. Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Maman by Louise Bourgeois

Maman is one of the most iconic sculptures ever created. Its dimensions are monumental, and it can only be installed either outdoors or in an...

Errika Gerakiti 23 June 2022

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Fish Magic by Paul Klee

Fish Magic is a mysterious and very fascinating work by Swiss-born German artist Paul Klee, a painter who balanced on the verge of a few modern art...

Kate Wojtczak 19 June 2022

Masterpiece Stories

Isenheim Altarpiece – Polyptych About Pain and Passion

Isenheim Altarpiece by Matthias Grünewald is a polyptych about pain and passion. It’s a complex piece consisting of several parts and...

Magda Michalska 16 June 2022

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Flaming June by Sir Frederic Leighton

We have prepared a story about this truly warm painting that can leave you in flames…  Ladies and Gentlemen, Flaming June by Sir Frederic...

Joanna Kaszubowska 16 June 2022

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Portrait of Gabrielle d’Estrées and One of Her Sisters

To a 21st century viewer, the portrait of Gabrielle d’Estrées might seem homo-erotic. However, pictured with her sister, the Duchess of Villars,...

Anna Ingram 14 June 2022

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Bacchus by Caravaggio

A youthful Bacchus, god of fertility, ritual madness, religious ecstasy and theatre is reclining in classical fashion with grapes and vine leaves in...

Zuzanna Stańska 9 June 2022

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Trouville, Jetties, High Tide by Eugène Boudin

Eugène Boudin could be considered one of the fathers of Impressionism. It was he who met and influenced a young Claude Monet in 1858 with his...

James W Singer 8 June 2022

Johan Thomas Lundbye, View from Kitnæs on Roskilde Fjord, 1843, National Gallery, Copenhagen, Denmark. Detail. Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: View from Kitnæs on Roskilde Fjord by Johan Thomas Lundbye

View from Kitnæs on Roskilde Fjord by Johan Thomas Lundbye is a masterpiece of 19th century Danish landscape painting. It set a new standard for the...

James W Singer 6 June 2022

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Kingston Point, Hudson River by Francis A. Silva

The wind gently blows on the water of the lapping shore, and the light gently glows on the sailcloth of the floating boat. All is gentleness and...

James W Singer 26 May 2022

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Season’s Greetings by Banksy

What if a children’s game turned into a frightening nightmare? And what would you think if the cause was… you? In Port Talbot, UK, Banksy...

Camilla de Laurentis 20 May 2022

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Grace Dalrymple Elliott by Thomas Gainsborough

The Frick Collection has an amazing ensemble of European masters. For example, works by Vermeer, Fragonard, and Goya grace its walls. Every room has...

James W Singer 14 May 2022

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Our Ancient Gods by Saturnino Herrán

Saturnino Herrán’s Our Ancient Gods is a masterful painting of Mexican Modernism from the early 20th century. It evokes the strength, dignity, and...

James W Singer 6 May 2022