#Portraits

Photography

Watch Nicole Kidman as John Singer Sargent’s Sitters

In June 1999, Nicole Kidman was featured on the cover of Vogue. She was photographed and posed in a number of John Singer Sargent re-imaginings by...

Zuzanna Stańska 29 April 2025

Contemporary Art

Faces of Fame: 6 Lucian Freud Portraits of Celebrities Unfiltered

Lucian Freud stripped his subjects bare, both literally and metaphorically. Over his long career, the British painter captured the likenesses of...

Elizabeth Provost 29 April 2025

Contemporary Art

Official Portraits of Michelle and Barack Obama

In 2018, the official portraits of former U.S. President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama were unveiled, becoming part of the Smithsonian...

Karolina 29 April 2025

British royal portraits European Art

Power and Propaganda—The British Royal Portraits

Royal portraiture is a centuries-old tradition, but it might be called the forerunner of the posed selfie—an artfully curated image that is meant...

Candy Bedworth 29 April 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

Women Artists

Giovanna Garzoni: A Life of a Still-life Expert

Giovanna Garzoni excelled in the male-dominated field of painting in the 1600s. She was renowned for her naturalistic still-life paintings, botanical...

Guest Author 28 April 2025

Women Artists

Gerda Wegener: Art Deco Feminist

Today Gerda Wegener is best known for feminist art and portrayal of lesbianism. She was also married to Einar Wegener, who after the sex reassignment...

Kelly Hill 28 April 2025

Artist Stories

Pablo Picasso and Women in His Life

Pablo Picasso, perhaps the most influential and recognizable painter of the 20th century, is well known for his tumultuous (or even abusive)...

Pola Otterstein 25 April 2025

European Art

Francisco Goya in 10 Paintings

Francisco Goya’s work includes the abundant Rococo style, formal portraiture, anti-war etchings, religious paintings, and the dark and surreal.

Theodore Carter 17 April 2025

John Singer Sargent in atelier Artist Stories

Six Things You Might Not Know About John Singer Sargent

There’s no question that John Singer Sargent (1856–1925) was an artistic superstar. Everyone knows his most famous painting Madame X, but do...

Alexandra Kiely 14 April 2025

Painting

Beyond Madame X: Portraits by John Singer Sargent

John Singer Sargent is one of art history’s most famous portrait painters. He was born in Italy to American parents and received his formal...

Alexandra Kiely 14 April 2025

Johannes Vermeer, Girl With a Pearl Earring, c. 1665, Mauritshuis, Hague, The Netherlands. Wikimedia Commons (public domain). Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Girl with a Pearl Earring by Johannes Vermeer

The Girl with a Pearl Earring is usually the first image that comes to mind when we think of Johannes Vermeer. It has inspired multiple references in...

Soledad Castillo Jara 13 April 2025