Book Review
A Warts-and-All Biography of the Man Behind the Barnes Collection
The Maverick’s Museum examines Albert C. Barnes’s complex legacy, from his support for the Harlem Renaissance to his incongruent interactions with Black art and culture.
Biography
Books
Danny Lyon Lived His Photography
The photographer's autobiography takes us on a long voyage from East to West and back again without smoothing over the potholes in the road.
Books
Isabella Stewart Gardner’s Never-Ending Quest for Beauty
Natalie Dykstra meticulously combs through archival material to fashion a biography of the inimitable, complex arts patron, who ordered her private letters to be destroyed after her death.
Books
A Sympathetic if Incomplete Portrait of Alberto Giacometti
Though it glosses over his misogyny, Michael Peppiatt’s biography reflects Giacometti’s uncanny ability to capture the energy of ancient art in a modern format.
Books
Agnès Varda, Pragmatic Dreamer
The first major biography of the film director, screenwriter, artist, and photographer is scrupulous and affectionate.
Film
New Biopics of Elvis and the Sex Pistols Share Weaknesses
Baz Luhrmann’s film Elvis and Danny Boyle’s miniseries Pistol are both overly fixated on the influence their respective musicians’ managers had on them.
Film
They Tried to Make a Sexy Movie About the Eiffel Tower Engineer
Eiffel inadvertently paints its protagonist not as a great man worthy of scrutiny or praise, but as the Elon Musk of his day.
Film
A Portrait of Trans Masculinity in the Story of a Jazz Musician
The documentary No Ordinary Man is not just a biography of Billy Tipton, but also a critical lens on how culture has depicted trans men.
Books
Yayoi Kusama Gets Her First Graphic Novel Biography
In this excerpt of Kusama: The Graphic Novel, illustrator Elisa Macellari time travels to Kusama’s life in 1960s New York City, when the artist became “the high priestess of love and pacifism.”
Film
A Documentary’s Attempt to Protect Flannery O’Connor at All Costs
Flannery expresses the author's genius but goes to tortured lengths to excuse her racism.
Books
A Writer’s Portrait of Louise Bourgeois
Now, Now Louison is a book that will trouble purists who believe in strict categories, such as biography, art criticism, and novel.
Books
Ruth Asawa’s Life and Legacy, in Both Art and Education
Marilyn Chase’s new biography sheds light on Asawa’s contributions to San Francisco’s public schools and its artistic community at large.