Opinion
The (New) Handgun Aesthetic
OAKLAND, Calif. — We've all seen the moment in movies when the hero, villain, or unwitting victim has to stare down the barrel of a gun.
Opinion
Opinion
See All of Frida Kahlo's Paintings, Made by Anonymous Chinese Artists
"Largest Exhibition of the Life and Art of Frida Kahlo Makes U.S. Premiere in San Diego," the press release announces. On its website, the show bills itself as "the only exhibition worldwide where Frida Kahlo's paintings can be seen in one place." But in reality, The Complete Frida Kahlo: Her Painti
Opinion
Literature and Publishing in Developing Contexts
I was recently sent an article about the potential of e-books in developing countries. It's one year old, but with the rise of e-books and the growing popularity of Kindles (including on airplanes taking off and landing), it seemed worth revisiting.
Opinion
Internet Crack: Your Instagram Memories on Marshmallows
Is it possible that some internet memories are so good that you can almost taste them? Well, Boomf — aka Magic Mallows — is banking on our need to consume memories in more ways than one.
Opinion
Required Reading
This week, the Detroit Institute of Arts needs to come up with money, the collector at the center of the Nazi-era art loot, Bob Dylan and Pharrell Williams push buttons, Wikipedia's problems, fact vs. opinion on American cable news, walls around the world, and more.
Opinion
Weekend Words: Law
In Germany, it was revealed this week, a 1938 law is still on the books that legalized the Nazi seizure of thousands of “degenerate” artworks.
Opinion
Assessing the Arab Gulf's Art History
In his critique of the Gulf art boom for the Wall Street Journal late last month, Noah Feldman eagerly took up the cause of Tahrir's political muralists, dubiously trumpeting that this was "the first time in Arab history that the visual arts had a major impact on public consciousness."
Opinion
Another Royal Portrait Disaster
You may have thought the Kate Middleton debacle was enough bad royal portrait news for one year, but no, there's more. Behold, a new portrait of the Danish royal family.
Opinion
Bringing Collections to Life
OAKLAND, Calif. — Floating around the web right now is The Whale Warehouse, a terrific look behind the scenes of Los Angeles's Natural History Museum. Produced by KPCC Los Angeles's AudioVision, it brings to life the collections in a new way, with a tour of a "warehouse down the street from a meatpa
Opinion
Better Art Appreciation Through Brain Stimulation
A new study has found that electronic stimulation to a certain part of the brain could help you appreciate art better. Science!
Opinion
Required Reading
This week, Daumier, Art Spiegelman, stolen art, José Clemente Orozco, Batkid, transgender poetry, Chinese censorship, and more.
Opinion
Weekend Words: Sell
This week, to keep a date at Christie's, a major painting skipped a major museum retrospective. That museum would be the Guggenheim, and the painting would be Christopher Wool's "Apocalypse Now" (1988): SELL THE HOUSE SELL THE CAR SELL THE KIDS. And sell it did.