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Readers will recall the rather stunning news I reported on a month ago, that “The Mocking of Christ”, an extremely rare panel painting by the proto-Renaissance Florentine painter Cimabue (c. 1240-1302) had been found hanging in the kitchen of a somewhat humble apartment in France. The small picture, which was once part of a larger altarpiece, was auctioned in suburban Paris this past Sunday, … Read More What Price, Cimabue?
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Like any other commodity, art gets around, but so do the ideas which lead to stylistic innovations in art. Case in point: next weekend the Cincinnati Art Museum will open a major exhibition called “Treasures of the Spanish World”, featuring works of fine and decorative art from Spain and Latin America. All of the exhibits are on loan from the temporarily-shuttered Hispanic Society of … Read More Art News Roundup: Solo Goya Edition
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This morning, gentle reader, I have two new exhibition reviews of mine to point you towards – one published last week, and one today – looking at the work of two very different, important figures. For those of you who missed it, my penultimate piece for The Federalist was uploaded this past Thursday. In it, I reviewed a new show at The Walters in … Read More Federalist Twofer: Art Nouveau Scotland and Renaissance Spain
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On these virtual pages I often share news and views with you about art, from exhibitions and sales to new discoveries and concepts. Yet even though I sometimes touch on aspects of a work’s provenance, i.e., the ownership history of a piece, it’s an area that I’d like to explore at greater length. So, I’m interested in learning whether you’d be interesting in coming … Read More Botticelli Backstory: Exploring A Picture’s Provenance
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If you’ve not seen the story already – and it both pleases and amuses me greatly that a number of my readers immediately contacted me about it when the story broke – an extremely rare painting by one of the most important figures in art history was recently discovered hanging in a French kitchen. Cimabue (c. 1240-1302) was a Florentine artist who could be … Read More Art News Roundup: Kitchen Cimabue Edition
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Earlier this week, I shared some thoughts about a significant New York Times investigation into the alleged failures of French authorities to adequately address public health and safety concerns during and in the aftermath of the devastating fire at the Cathedral-Basilica of Notre Dame de Paris. Yet despite the negative stories arising from that tragedy, there are also positive tales to tell. Among them is … Read More Art News Roundup: By the Numbers Edition
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My latest for The Federalist is out today, reviewing the new exhibition “Verrocchio: Sculptor and Painter of Renaissance Florence”, which opens at the National Gallery of Art here in the Nation’s Capital this coming Sunday. I had the privilege of attending the press preview of the show on Tuesday, and want to encourage those of my readers who find themselves in DC during the … Read More Art News Roundup: Viewing Verrocchio Edition
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After 1066, England was a rather unsettled place to live. The Normans under William the Conqueror had just invaded and killed Harold II, the last Anglo-Saxon king, at the Battle of Hastings. Harold, who had only taken the throne nine months earlier in a move whose legality is still heavily debated today by historians – as indeed is William’s claim to the throne – … Read More Art News Roundup: Delightful Discoveries Edition
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Much as I don’t care for the work of Leonardo Da Vinci (1452-1519), even I was fascinated by the latest scientific discovery to be made concerning one of his completed masterpieces, because it raises significant questions about the chronology of his surviving work. Ahead of an immersive exhibition on the painting that will open this November, the National Gallery in London has released amazing … Read More Art News Roundup: Chicken and Egg Edition
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If you’ve a fellow American who has traveled abroad in recent years, and visited artistic or historic sites, you’ll probably agree that there’s been an overwhelming increase in two factors at these locations which, at least at first glance, appear to be unrelated. There’s been a proliferation of international retail establishments in these areas, where chain stores and food outlets that you can find … Read More Art News Roundup: No Swimming Edition
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Over the weekend, I watched a documentary on the life of Henry Frederick Stuart, Prince of Wales (1594-1612), the eldest son of James VI of Scotland and I of England; Henry would have succeeded to the British throne had he not predeceased his father. Although presented by a scholar, it wasn’t a formal history lecture, but rather an accessible presentation designed for a general … Read More Unpredictable: Human Nature Through Art
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My American readers are probably familiar with the White House Historical Association, founded by former First Lady Jackie Kennedy, which helps coordinate the efforts of the National Park Service and several other government agencies to catalogue, conserve, and study the hundreds of artistic treasures in the permanent collection of the Executive Mansion. Over the past two centuries, the home has acquired everything from bronzes … Read More Art News Roundup: Taking Stock Edition
