50 years ago, an artist convincingly exhibited a fake Iron Age civilization – with invented maps, music and artifacts
Invented civilizations are usually thought of as the stuff of sci-fi novels and video games, not museums. Yet in 1972, the Andrew Dickson White Museum of Art at Cornell University exhibited “The Civilization of Llhuros,” an imaginary Iron Age civilization….
Van Gogh Museum at 50: Vincent van Gogh and the art market – a brief history
Amsterdam’s Van Gogh Museum turns 50 in 2023. The museum, dedicated to the art of one of the most famous artists in the world, attracts over two million visitors each year. You can listen to more articles from The Conversation,…
Why the Turner prize shortlist is a cultural barometer of our political times
The UK’s biggest prize for contemporary art is back. The 2023 Turner prize shortlist has been announced featuring British artists Jesse Darling, Rory Pilgrim, Ghislaine Leung and Barbara Walker. An exhibition of the artists’ work will go on show at…
artist who mesmerizes and befuddles in equal measure
Nigerian artist and lecturer Dilomprizulike, who curated, among other things, the Junkyard Museum of Awkward Things in Lagos, wages a continuous battle on two fronts. First, as an easily misunderstood human being and then as an artist making perplexingly noncommercial…
How Bob Dylan used the ancient practice of ‘imitatio’ to craft some of the most original songs of his time
Over the course of six decades, Bob Dylan steadily brought together popular music and poetic excellence. Yet the guardians of literary culture have only rarely accepted Dylan’s legitimacy. His 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature undermined his outsider status, challenging scholars,…
Andrey Rublev has been called the ‘greatest Russian artist who ever lived’ – but one of his most famous works is at risk under Putin
Andrey Rublev (or Rublyov – nobody is sure how his name was pronounced) has been described as “the greatest Russian artist who ever lived”, whose work had “a clarity of composition and suave tranquillity of mood peculiarly his own”. In…
Paula Rego: why the Portuguse artist’s work remains relevant in the fight for abortion rights
The great feminist artist Paula Rego has died at the age of 87 after a short illness. An image-maker of enormous talent, her work has been variously described as disturbing, visceral, mysterious and surreal. Paula Rego was born in Lisbon…
From rock carvings to rock music – the prevalence of bees in art throughout human history
With a looming biodiversity crisis and concerns over food security and sustainability, bees are frequently making news headlines. The importance of bees in our society as pollinators and honey producers appears to have led to their increased popularity in many…
Art illuminates the beauty of science – and could inspire the next generation of scientists young and old
Scientists have often invited the public to see what they see, using everything from engraved woodblocks to electron microscopes to explore the complexity of the scientific enterprise and the beauty of life. Sharing these visions through illustrations, photography and videos…
How a 1989 poster became a fixture on the front lines in the battle over abortion rights
For abortion rights advocates, Barbara Kruger’s iconic feminist image “Untitled (Your body is a battleground)” remains as relevant today as when it was first released in 1989. Following the May 2, 2022, leak of Supreme Court Associate Justice Samuel Alito’s…
