Hrag Vartanian

Art

Portrait of 18th-Century Muslim American Proves the US Has Always Been Home to Many Faiths

The Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery is showing an 1822 painting of Yarrow Mamout, a Muslim native of Guinea who was forced into slavery in America.

Art

Required Reading

This week, Kahn's Salk Institute, problems at MASS MoCA, how should we support scholars who receive online harassment, using art to understand "homosexual" relationships in Ancient Greece, and more.

In Brief

ACLU and Academics Concerned over TSA Proposal to Inspect Travelers’ Books [UPDATED]

If we all have to remove paper products — including books — from our carry-on bags, will it lead to new scrutiny of what we're reading?

Art

Required Reading

This week, Warhol's first self-portrait goes to auction, Sam Durant speaks about "Scaffold," India's problem with architectural preservation, Zadie Smith on black pain, the six people who created "Silence = Death," and more.

In Brief

Iconic 12th-Century Mosque Destroyed During Battle of Mosul

The Grand Al-Nuri Mosque in Mosul was destroyed as Iraqi forces were poised to retake the major Iraqi city that has been under ISIS control since 2014.

Art

Required Reading

This week, Koch Brothers and arts funding, touring the National Museum of Taiwan, a monument commemorating the generosity of the Choctaw Nation to the Irish, urbanism and Apple's new HQ, the mysteries of "bog bodies" unveiled, and more.

Art

Required Reading

This week, the earliest humans, an enjoyable Bernadette Corporation takedown, feminist craftivism, Afrosurrealism, Arizona's strange Confederate monuments, and more.

Art

Required Reading

This week, Pink Floyd calls Trump a pig, the problem with the Met Gala, working with Barkley L. Hendricks, an indigenous curator's view of the Venice Biennale, reviewing Vanessa Bell, and more.

In Brief

Putin Says Hackers Are Like Artists "Who Wake Up in the Morning in a Good Mood and Start Painting"

What's the difference between hackers and artists anyway?

News

Study Claims 80.5% of Artists Represented by NYC’s Top 45 Galleries Are White

How diverse are the artists shown at New York's art galleries? Well …

Art

Required Reading

This week, South Korea's HighLine, the new Marciano Art Foundation in LA, gentrifying African art, chemtrail conspiracy theorists, peak latte, and more.

Opinion

In Saudi Arabia, Trump Touches Glowing Orb and Unleashes Memes

What is the orb and why is it so strange? The internet has a few suggestions.