Art
The Poisons, Potions, and Charms of Shakespeare’s Plays
Potions, poisons, and symbolic herbs are frequent plot devices in the plays of William Shakespeare, and reflect the medical knowledge of his time.
Latest
Art
The Fairy-Tale World of Fashion
Whether it’s the click of silver slippers or a gown of gold descending from the branches of a tree, fashion and clothing have a unique presence in fairy tales.
Art
ArtRx NYC
This week, Cory Arcangel opens a new show starring a drum machine, psychoanalysts and writers dissect the horror classic Rosemary's Baby, the city celebrates Rare Book Week, and more.
Interview
Liberate Tate Activists Look Back on Six Years of Fighting BP Sponsorship
Last month, BP announced that it will end its 26-year-long sponsorship of Tate.
Art
Art that Slows Down How We Assess Gender
At the center of Smack Mellon’s Dumbo gallery, Gil Yefman’s knitted wrecking ball of genitalia and bodily fluids hangs from the ceiling.
In Brief
Louisiana Republicans Target State Spending on Public Art
Louisiana, like many states and municipalities in the US, has had a "Percent for Art" law on the books for years.
Art
At the Marrakech Biennale, a Conversation Between Postcolonial Identities
MARRAKESH — Set outside the institutional white cube, in restored ancient sites and the ruins of a 16th-century palace, the sixth edition of the Marrakech Biennale, Not New Now, arrives like a breath of fresh air.
In Brief
1,300 Intimate Images of Midcentury Modernist Structures Go Online
The University of Southern California Libraries have digitized roughly 1,300 rare photographs of midcentury modernism in the American West, as documented by two of its insiders.
Art
A Soviet-Era Kinetic Sculpture Designed to Improve Factory Life
The "Positron" (1976–77) by Latvian artist Valdis Celms operated a bit like a disco ball, flashing various colors of light as the goliath metal orb rotated.
Art
Delirious Architecture Filled with Fractal Trickery
You need to spend half an hour looking at each of these photographs to gather all of what's happening inside it.
Art
Creating a Spatial History of Slavery through Abstraction
Minimalist abstraction of the 20th century often feels placeless. Tony Smith's angular, inky sculptures could have crawled out of a dimension void of organic life; Mark Rothko's repeating black canvases in a Houston chapel reflected the space's lack of specific religion.
Books
A Collection of Creative Cartographers' Madcap Maps
Originally intended purely as tools for navigation, maps have long branched off from this practical function to become an unexpected medium for visual expression.