News
Courbet’s Famous Painting of a Vulva Tagged With “MeToo”
"The Origin of the World" was one of several artworks targeted in a performance by artist Deborah De Robertis at the Centre Pompidou-Metz.
Gustave Courbet
News
“Extremely Rare” Courbet Found in Basement Goes on View
The 1864 landscape was found in a basement at the University of Pennsylvania Dental School.
In Brief
Facebook Settles 8-Year Case With Teacher Who Posted Courbet’s “Origin of the World”
After an eight-year legal battle, the company has finally reached an agreement with Frédéric Durand-Baïssas. The social media giant will make an unspecified donation to a French street art association, Durand's lawyer said.
News
Researcher Discovers the True Identity of Courbet's "Origin of the World" Model
Experts are now "99 percent" certain that the genitalia featured in Courbet's painting belongs to the ballet dancer Constance Quéniaux.
Art
Updating Ruskin’s Sublime Landscape in the Age of the Anthropocene
New York University's Grey Gallery takes on the concept of the sublime in contemporary landscape art.
In Brief
Facebook on Trial in France for Allegedly Censoring Courbet’s “Origin of the World” [UPDATED]
Frédéric Durand-Baïssas finally had his day in court with Facebook more than six years after his account was deleted.
In Brief
Four Years Later, Man Still Fighting Facebook for Censoring Courbet’s “Origin of the World”
It's been more than four years since French teacher Frédéric Durand-Baïssas, after posting a link to a documentary about Gustave Courbet's "L'Origine du Monde" (1866) on Facebook, returned to the social network to find the post removed and his profile suspended.
In Brief
Performance Artist Does the Impossible, Shows Up Courbet's "Origin of the World"
A twentysomething woman sits down in front of Gustave Courbet's "Origin of the World" (1866), pulls up her dress, splays her legs, and shows her vulva, clitoris, and possibly part of her vagina to the visitors in the gallery.
Art
Before the Selfie, the Self-Portrait
The selfie is a smartphone-produced version of the self-portrait, which has been a staple of art and photography history since artists first began seeing examining their own images in the mirror.
Art
The Age of Constricting Glamor: A Preview of Impressionism, Fashion, and Modernity at the Met
Compared to other portraits of 19th century ladies, Édouard Manet's painting of poet Nina de Callias was scandalously exotic, with her golden bangles, bolero jacket, Algerian shirt, and flourish of a feather in her curled hair, not to mention her open, sensual pose. A little scruffy dog rests its he
News
Experts Argue Head Might Not Match Courbet's "Origin" Body #NSFW
Last week, Hyperallergic reported on the alleged discovery of the upper half of Gustave Courbet's x-rated "The Origin of the World" in Paris. Experts are now casting doubt on the argument that the portrait fragment belongs to "Origin," or even that it was actually painted by Courbet. With help from
News
Other Half of Courbet's Infamous "Origin of the World" Discovered in Paris #NSFW
Gustave Courbet's infamous "The Origins of the World," an intimate portrait of a female model's nether regions, has been shocking pretty much since it was painted in 1866. Even more shocking, though, is the fact that the painting has an upper half, which has been discovered by an amateur collector a