Category: The Shy Museumgoer
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Artist Betye Saar tells ghost stories
One of the first visual artists to confront the chasm between the colonizer and the colonized, Saar creates haunting works of art that seduce us into thinking deeply about race.
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Art history’s marvelous moon dance
From Miró to Warhol, see how the moon inspired paintings of wonder and adventure. Then, discover the true story of the tiny art museum allegedly smuggled onto the lunar surface.
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The dog stays in the picture
Is a dog ever more than “just a dog” in an Old Master painting? The ancient Greek philosopher Diogenes said dogs provide an honest bark of truth—and I think he may be onto something.
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The Tōkaidō Road through her eyes
From traveling musicians to ill-fated courtesans, see how the women in Hiroshige’s landscapes shaped the culture along Japan’s legendary coastal trade route.
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Why isn’t Norman Lewis famous?
The first American art movement to achieve global recognition promised limitless artistic freedom. But limitless for whom? How many Black Abstract Expressionists can you name?
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Matisse and that cursed armchair
Matisse painted peaceful scenes to cope with his chronic anxiety. Did prioritizing emotional well-being over existential suffering hurt his reputation as a major artist?
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Stuart Davis was hip to the jive
Discover Davis’s colorful and syncopated abstract world. Then hear the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra turn his painting, “The Mellow Pad,” into pure sound. Ready to compare notes?
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Sheeler, Rivera, and the art of industry
Charles Sheeler and Diego Rivera both depicted Henry Ford’s innovative River Rouge factory. Does their work exalt machine efficiency? Or warn us about living in a tech-driven society?