Features
The Egalitarian Vision of Nativity Scenes
In all its artistic iterations across millennia, the nativity remains inherently political in its depiction of God choosing to enter the world in marginalized circumstances.
Opinion
British Museum Launches Farcical “Decolonizing” Loan Program
Long-term loans to former colonies are not restitution. They do not acknowledge historical wrongdoing, nor do they restore agency to source communities.
Daily Newsletter
A Letter to Mamdani
An appeal to the mayor-elect from an art worker, a controversial nativity scene in Belgium, and were medieval Psalms elitist?
Weekly Newsletter
Best Art in Worst of Times
Our favorite art shows and films of 2025, figure models fight for their rights, Joan Semmel's body paintings, the rise of Crusadercore, and much more.
Opinion
Dear Zohran, Don’t Let Art Workers Down
Those of us in the cultural sector need you to enact a bold vision for the role of city government in fostering the arts and helping our communities thrive.
News
Trump-Appointed NEA Chair Returns for Second Term
Mary Anne Carter led the National Endowment for the Arts during Trump’s first presidency.
News
“Victims of Communism” Monument Altered Over Reported Nazi Ties
A memorial in Canada will no longer include the names of specific people after the government said it found possible Nazi affiliations among the commemorated individuals.
Art Review
Medieval Psalms Were Not For Everyone
An exhibition prioritizes the expensive, silent object over the lived, functional experience of the believer.
Features
How a Nativity Scene Sent Europe Into a Tizzy
A controversial Brussels nativity scene begs the question: Should explicitly Christian imagery continue to be a part of Europe’s civic space, and if so, who has the authority to define it?
Daily Newsletter
The World's Best Art in 2025
Also: A majority of artists struggle with debt, LACMA workers vote overwhelmingly for a union, and a word about the hilarity of evil.
Community
Art Movements: New York City's 27-Foot Buddha
Tuan Andrew Nguyen tapped for High Line commission, PAIN's Megan Kapler heads to Housing Works, the Whitney Biennial, and more.
Best of 2025
The Best Art Shows Around the World in 2025
Nan Goldin’s fearless photos, Noah Davis’s enchantments of ordinary life, Stan Douglas’s historical visions, and Yoko Ono’s musical mind were just some of our favorites.
News
Debt Plagues Artists Regardless of Career Stage, Survey Finds
Data compiled by artist mentor Paddy Johnson from over 1,000 respondents indicates that “artists across all levels struggle with a lot of the same things.”