When woodcut artist Katsushika Hokusai made his famous print The Great Wave off Kanagawa in 1830 — part of the series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji — he was 70 years old and had lived his entire life in a Japan closed off from the rest of the world. In the 19th century,
The work sold for $12.1 million after an awkward minute during which the auctioneer attempted to draw out more bids.
“Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer” sold at Sotheby’s for $236.4 million with fees.
Some of our favorite exhibitions, including those by Kader Attia and Pamela Phatsimo Sunstrum, address intimacy and healing, but we're also enjoying Monet.
"Our cursed age of self-monitoring and optimisation didn’t start with big tech: as so often, the Victorians are to blame."
The record-breaking sale of the artist’s “Gondolier's Siesta” shows collectors are still willing to wave their paddles for a truly exquisite specimen.
Dark chocolate is very serious business. That’s why this ad for Bournville dark chocolate, which takes aim at dark chocolate snobbery, is so funny. This one is so intense. It comes with a list of side effects. Mine comes with a therapist. To the uneducated palette, this
Where art history is a subjective observer, he was on an active quest for the representational form for the “truth.”
Venice turned out to be the ideal environment for the artist to explore the relationship between water and light that long preoccupied him.
It’s the latest in a series of high-profile repatriations for the New York institution.
The Diné weaver and teacher reimagines pre-trading-post-era weaving techniques, continually coloring his practice with new aesthetic and material horizons.
Edward O. Wilson in 2009 : “The real problem of humanity is the following: we have paleolithic emotions; medieval institutions; and god-like technology. And it is terrifically dangerous, and it is now approaching a point of crisis overall.”
A decade before the mainstream Black Arts Movement, Detroit underwent a transformation of its own, driven by Black artists who recognized a need for opportunities and community.
The Strange Afterlife of Hilma af Klint, Painting’s Posthumous Star . “As af Klint’s fame has grown, so have the questions — about what she believed, whom she worked with, and who should be allowed to speak in her name.” 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →
From thousands of colorful hair beads, Felandus Thames conjures vibrant patterns and portraits. Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article Vibrant, Beaded
The Fascinating History of Tarot Card Decks: From the Renaissance to the Modern Day . The V&A does an unboxing of a half dozen tarot card decks from the last 500 years. 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →
In an interview lasting for more than an hour, classicist Mary Beard shares her knowledge & experience about how the picture of Rome we might have in our heads, inherited from Hollywood movies like Gladiator, is incomplete (and just plain wrong in some cases) and what the
Raccoons Are Showing Early Signs of Domestication . “City-dwelling raccoons seem to be evolving a shorter snout — a telltale feature of our pets and other domesticated animals.” 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →
One day not long after I moved to New York, I looked up from my writing desk at a shared studio space on the Brooklyn waterfront and saw the Manhattan Bridge halved, only the Brooklyn side remaining, the rest vanished into a sea of fog that had erased Manhattan. A sight with
Civil war in Sudan has led to a terrific humanitarian crisis. Twelve photographers focus on hope and strength during the ongoing struggle. Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7
A Japanese experimental music group called Open Reel Ensemble plays reel-to-reel tape recorders from the 70s & 80s as musical instruments (give it a sec to get going): Brilliant! A YouTube commenter notes: “Very cool, looks like you’re fishing for sound waves.” Here’s another
The winners of the LIT Lighting Design Awards , encompassing the best work in lighting architecture, product design (lamps, etc.), concerts, healthcare, streets, and many more categories. 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →
A Beloved Clothing Store Closed. A Customer Bought All 4,500 Items. “Ms. Szuflita said she had nearly broken even purely on the numbers. There’s also value in the still unfolding adventure.” 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →
'Echoverse,' for one, consists of 57 different colors on 451 panels and stretches nearly 100 feet long. Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article Tomislav
As part of a city-wide urban greening program, Taipei turned an abandoned football stadium into a community garden . Here’s an overview of the terraced garden that’s taken over Zhongshan Soccer Stadium from James Stewart on Instagram. A couple of screenshots from the video:
Acute inflammation helps the body heal. But chronic inflammation is different and could provoke a medical paradigm shift - by Amy K McLennan Read on Aeon
Which is worth more, Kind of Blue from Miles Davis, or the third Boston album? It depends on your taste. I hope we can agree, though, that the fact that Miles spent four days on his album and Tom spent eight years on his is irrelevant. Sometimes, we buy the story of
Whether or not we believe that the cards of the tarot have supernatural powers, we all think of them primarily as tools for divination. It might seem as if they’ve played that cultural role since time immemorial, but in fact, that particular use only goes back to the eighteenth