Bizarre

History

When in Mexico: Mysterious and Beautiful Flower Crowned Nun Portraits

Gambol into the lobby of most Mexican hotels, or visit any antique store in Mexico, and you’re bound to find a portrait of an 18th or 19th-century...

Guest Author 8 July 2025

Bizarre

Chilling Beauty: Exploring Europe’s Bone Churches

From the ancient period through the 18th century, European Catholics and Orthodox Christians displayed and maintained bones of the deceased to honor...

Julia Bourbois 26 June 2025

Art History 101

What Is a Wunderkammer? Best Cabinets of Curiosities

The characteristic of arousing surprise for the observer is typical for the so-called Wunderkammer or Cabinet of Curiosities. These are real rooms of...

Caroline Galambosova 23 June 2025

Art State of Mind

From Toys to Means of Transport: Balloons in Art

When we think of flying objects in art we might not put balloons at the top of our list, and yet they appear everywhere. As the words from Jethro...

Sarah Mills 5 June 2025

WTF Art History

Attention, Dangerous Art! How Art Can Hurt You

Every once in a while, an accident involving an artwork happens. Usually, it is the artwork that ends up damaged, but sometimes it is the audience...

Joanna Kaszubowska 26 May 2025

Art State of Mind

Tattoos—Ancient Ink to Modern Celebrity

Love them or loathe them, tattoos are a global phenomenon. Inserting pigment under the skin for decorative or ritualistic purposes has been around...

Candy Bedworth 19 May 2025

Bizarre

Nighthawks as Memes—Edward Hopper’s Best Renditions

Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks is one of the best-known images of 20th-century art that has also become one of the most popular meme sources of the...

Celia Leiva Otto 15 May 2025

Myths and Legends, Pablo Picasso, Barque de naïades et faune blessé, 1937, Ancient Greece

The Myth of the Minotaur: Monster or Victim?

Greek myth tell us that brave warrior Theseus kills the monstrous Minotaur in a labyrinth. But who is the villain here?

Candy Bedworth 14 May 2025

Quiz

QUIZ: How Well Do You Know Salvador Dalí?

Joanna Kaszubowska 10 May 2025

WTF Art History

Famous People and Their Doppelgängers in Art

Doppelgänger is a word of German origin (doppel- meaning “double,” and -gänger meaning “goer”). In old German folklore, it was believed...

Vithória Konzen Dill 29 April 2025

WTF Art History

10 Weird Madonnas You Need to See

Controversial and challenging Madonnas from across art history. Ten eccentric and thought-provoking paintings. Take a look!

Candy Bedworth 28 April 2025

Controversial Artists: Artist Stories

Controversial or Criminal? Problematic Artists and Cancel Culture

Great art pushes boundaries and challenge norms. But how should we react to works by artists with a history of truly horrifying behaviour?

Candy Bedworth 25 April 2025