Books
The Beat Artist Who Rescued Paper Planes from the Streets of NYC
Prolific 20th-century polymath Harry Smith picked up every paper airplane he saw on the streets of Manhattan from 1961 to 1983.
Photo Essays
Art
An Army of Artists Draws Batman
There are few fictional characters that can be evoked through just a symbol, but Batman is one of them, with the outline of his flying namesake, or a suggestion of the crime fighter's black mask.
Art
Rare, Candid Photos Show Louise Bourgeois in Her Home and Studio
When French photographer Jean-François Jaussaud asked an 84-year-old Louise Bourgeois for permission to photograph her at her New York home and studio, she gave him an intimidating stipulation.
Art
Senegal's Trash Transformed into Afrofuturist Haute Couture
In The Prophecy, a striking series by Dakar-based photographer Fabrice Monteiro, majestic alien creatures wear hoop skirts and headdresses made from soda cans, garbage bags, fishing nets, tortoise shells, and the odd baby doll.
Art
A Photographer Captures the Last Remaining Navajo Trading Posts
Trading posts first cropped up in 1870, two years after the Navajo treaty with the US government.
Art
The Architectural Legacy of Pizza Hut Restaurants
While our love for pizza will never die, the dine-in locations of the red-roofed Pizza Hut have been gradually shuttering across the world.
Art
From Giant Steel Angels to Titillating Collages, Favorites from Gowanus Open Studios 2015
As the neighborhood reeled from the news that hundreds of artists are being forced to leave one of its biggest studio complexes, Gowanus became a hotbed of activity this past weekend during Gowanus Open Studios.
Art
In the Vale of Cashmere: Prospect Park’s Hidden World of Gay Cruising
“When I got there, I found the park filled with men in the same horny, hungry state of mind I was in … I can’t remember ever seeing so many gorgeous black men in any one place.”
Art
Opulent Propaganda: The Subterranean Paradise of the Moscow Metro
For two weeks last year, Canadian photographer David Burdeny spent his nights 200 feet underground, shooting the surreal opulence of the Moscow Metro.
Art
MoMA PS1's Citywide Survey Shows New York's Greats (and Not-so-Greats)
Every five years MoMA and MoMA PS1 team up to take the pulse of New York City's contemporary art scene, filling the latter institution with works made recently by artists based in the metropolitan area.
Art
Seeing the Hometowns of Famous Artists the Way They Might Have
Some artists display their hometown pride (or lack thereof) all over their canvases: One of William Eggleston's most famous photographs, for example, was shot near where he grew up, in Sumner, Mississippi.
Art
Art Grown in a Petri Dish
A microbe-filled petri dish isn't usually where one would expect to find art, but it turns out that cell colonies can form some pretty compelling visuals.