Long reads

African Art

Art as a Catalyst: How Art Played a Pivotal Role in the End of Apartheid

South Africa is infamous for its time of apartheid (1948-1994), a legal system for racial segregation. It was a period of violence and oppression...

Guest Author 14 July 2025

Jan van Eyck, The Arnolfini Portrait (detail), 1434, The National Gallery, London, England. Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: The Arnolfini Portrait by Jan van Eyck

The Arnolfini Portrait is as enigmatic as it is iconic. Painted by Jan van Eyck in 1434, it spawns a lot of speculation – over half a millennium...

Vithória Konzen Dill 9 July 2025

Maria Gvardeitseva, Men In Suits Performance, 2024 Interview

Maria Gvardeitseva: Art as Transformation

In this deep-dive interview we explore the work of contemporary artist Maria Gvardeitseva, who explores exile, identity and belonging through the mediums of performance, sculpture and video.

Candy Bedworth 7 July 2025

Villa Mairea in Noormarkku Architecture

To Be Finnish or Not to Be: National Identity in Alvar Aalto’s Architecture

Alvar Aalto (1898–1976) is one of the most famous Finnish architects of the 20th century connected with modernism. His style has been associated...

Catherine Razafindralambo 19 June 2025

Museum Stories

10 Spectacular Hidden Gems at the Louvre Museum

The Louvre Museum in the heart of Paris is home to an incredible collection of artworks. Everyone knows it includes Mona Lisa, Nike of Samothrace,...

Camilla de Laurentis 16 June 2025

Women Interior Designers: Dorothy Draper, The Greenbrier Hotel, 1946-1948, White Sulphur Springs, WV, USA. Architecture

5 Exceptional Women Interior Designers of the 20th Century

Meet the five women designers who changed the face of 20th-century interior design. Their work has been inspiring many designers and their interiors...

Joanna Kaszubowska 12 June 2025

Giovanni Segantini, View of the medieval town of Caglio with a painting, 2008, Caglio (italy). Art Travels

Visit Super Enjoyable Segantini Outdoor Permanent Exhibition in Italy

In a little town in the north of Italy, there’s a very special museum—the en plein air permanent exhibition of the most significant artworks of...

Camilla de Laurentis 30 April 2025

A Lady Writing, by Johannes Vermeer Design

Cultural Differences in Calligraphy: 5 Examples from Ancient Times to the Age of AI

Does calligraphy have a place in the age of AI? Do we still need handwritten words when we can just as easily print them from a computer? What about...

Ledys Chemin 7 April 2025

Pop-up books: Carol Barton, Five Luminous Towers: A Book to be Read in the Dark, 2001, National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, DC, USA. Photo by Lee Stalsworth. History

The Surprising History of Pop-Up Books

If I say pop-up book, you might think of a kid’s story time. But think again, dear friends. Originally, pop-up books were made for adults:...

Candy Bedworth 3 April 2025

Photography

13 Groundbreaking Female Photographers

Quickly, how many female photographers can you name? Unfortunately probably not as many as their male counterparts. We are here to change that! Women...

Ruxi Rusu, Aniela Rybak-Vaganay 20 March 2025

Klaire A. Lockheart, Brodalisque Reclining in the Basement. 2021, Brodalisque Interview

Interview with Klaire Lockheart: Post-Apocalyptic Feminist Artist

Candy Bedworth explores feminism, colonialism and orientalism with American artist Klaire Lockheart. All this whilst wearing post-apocalyptic costumes.

Candy Bedworth 5 March 2025

Fairytales in Art. Gustave Doré, Little Red Riding Hood, c. 1862. Public domain. Painting

Happily Ever After? 5 Fairytales in Art

Though often told for children, fairytales captivated adults as well. When artists began reinterpreting these stories, they transformed them,...

Errika Gerakiti 26 February 2025