The French painter felt he had to rise to the challenge of one question above all things else: What exactly is it to be a modern artist?
Editor’s Picks
Did Air Pollution Inspire Impressionism?
A new study posits that rising smog levels in 19th-century London and Paris likely played a role in blurring the lines of realism.
The Argentine Artist Making Paintings on Devalued Currency
Amid a worsening inflation crisis, Sergio Guillermo Diaz’s banknote artworks are a poignant symbol of Argentinian resilience.
What Does TikTok’s “Corecore” Have to Do With Dada?
As art history buffs on the app have pointed out, both movements attribute meaning to the meaningless.
What Was Hiroshima Like Before the Atom Bomb?
Wakaji Matsumoto’s photographs provide a glimpse of a world in the midst of transition into the next stage of global capitalism and Westernization.
What Rights Do Artists Have When Their Work Is Destroyed?
A string of recent mural removals raises important questions about how public artworks are protected and what recourse, if any, exists for artists in the event of their destruction.
Ukrainians Demand Their Place in Art History
No one would call an artist from India “British” or an artist from Peru “Spanish,” so why do museums continue to label Ukrainian artists as “Russian”?
Remembering the Women of the Black Panther Party
Comrade Sisters centers photographs and personal accounts of the women who made up over two-thirds of the party.
Is Body Horror the New Intimacy?
While sex is clearly in its cultural flop era, intimacy with ourselves and with others is being deftly portrayed in body horrors.
Why Archaeologists Are Fuming Over Netflix’s Ancient Apocalypse Series
In an open letter, the Society for American Archaeology accused journalist Graham Hancock’s docuseries of disparaging experts while promoting “racist, white supremacist ideologies.”
Sex Tourism With Statues
Buddhist Art of Tibet: In Milarepa’s Footsteps is a cringe-worthy display of “spiritual colonialism.”
How to Crack the Catholic Code of the Old Masters
Suzanna Ivanič’s new book Catholica: The Visual Culture of Catholicism is an essential primer on how Catholicism intersects with art history.