from Suite Vénitienne by Sophie Calle

Love, Obsession, and Sophie Calle

The conceptual artist Sophie Calle creates art that urges us to ask, is attention the same as love?
Ancient Greek funerary naiskos

When Was the First Handshake?

A Curious Reader asks: When and how did the handshake originate?
Cyclorama in South End Boston, 1964.

Cycloramas: The Virtual Reality of the 19th Century

Immersive displays brought 19th-century spectators to far-off places and distant battles. The way they portrayed history, however, was often inaccurate.
Art Is (Girlfriends Times Two)

Visiting “Soul of a Nation”

A new exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum asks: Is there a Black aesthetic?
Otto Marseus van Schrieck - Stilleben mit Insekten und Amphibien, 1662

A Recipe for Flies and Frogs

And other wonders of spontaneous generation.
Refugee child reading Superman

Why Art Historians Still Ignore Comics

In recent history comic art has crossed boundaries to enter other mediums. So why aren't art historians paying more attention?
Bosch Strawberry, from "Garden of Earthly Delights"

500 Years of Hell With Hieronymus Bosch

Hieronymus Bosch died 500 years ago, but we can't take our eyes off of his paintings.
Pine forrest [sic], Summit Station, Catawissa R.R. Photo by John Moran

When Photography Wasn’t Art

Today, photography is commonly accepted as a fine art. But through much of the 19th century, it was an art world outcast.
Tablet screen showing The Lotus Magazine on a book shelf with reference books.

The Lotus Magazine

First published in 1910 by the Author’s Bureau, The Lotus Magazine covers art history, composition, and individual pieces ...