Sculpture

Zenobia:Harriet Goodhue Hosmer, Zenobia in Chains, ca. 1859. Ancient Rome

The Ancient Queen and the Modern Sculptress: Zenobia by Harriet Hosmer

Harriet Hosmer, the 19th-century American sculptor from Watertown, Massachusetts was the exceptional talent behind the towering sculpture of Zenobia.

Maya M. Tola 22 February 2024

Art History 101

Arte Povera: Aesthetics of the Ordinary

In memory of the world-famous Italian art critic Germano Celant, who himself in 1967 invented the term Arte Povera, translated as “Poor Art”, we...

Caroline Galambosova 12 February 2024

Warrior and Attendants, 16th-17th century, brass, Royal Palace, Benin City, Nigeria, Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC, USA. Detail. Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Warrior and Attendants of Benin

Warrior and Attendants is a masterpiece of Benin art. It encapsulates the beauty of Africa and its people. Black is beautiful. Black is...

James W Singer 11 February 2024

Ramesses II, New Kingdom, 19th Dynasty, 1279–1254 BCE, granodiorite, Temple of Amun, Karnak Temple Complex, Thebes (Luxor), Egypt, Museo Egizio, Turin, Italy. Detail. Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Ramesses II

The statue of Ramesses II is a masterpiece of ancient Egyptian sculpture that proclaims the royal majesty and prowess of Ramesses the...

James W Singer 11 February 2024

Double-Headed Serpent, ca 1400-1521, mosaic on wood, British Museum, London, UK. Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Double-Headed Serpent

Double-Headed Serpent is a masterpiece of Aztec art that combines religious and commercial significance. It is filled with hidden allusions under a...

James W Singer 11 February 2024

Ancient Greece

Ancient Greek Splendour: The Erechtheion Caryatids

I visited Athens, Greece in the summer of 2016. Naturally, a visit to the Acropolis was mandatory, and it was as beautiful and epic as you can...

Nadine Waldmann 9 February 2024

Ancient Greece

The Ancient Greek Kouros and Kore

Classical Greek statues depicting male and female bodies are iconic and legendary: they set the standards for numerous artists and art movements to...

Nadine Waldmann 9 February 2024

Sculpture

Fleshy Sculptures That Could Come To Life

The debate about the supremacy of painting over sculpture or the other way around has been around for centuries. What is better, what is more real,...

Magda Michalska 5 February 2024

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Fons Americanus by Kara Walker

Kara Elizabeth Walker, born in 1969, is an American contemporary artist. She is known as a painter, silhouettist, print-maker, installation artist,...

Isla Phillips-Ewen 4 February 2024

Portrait of Veronica Ryan with her exhibition, Along a Spectrum, 2021, Spike Island, Bristol, UK.  Contemporary Art

Meet Veronica Ryan, The 2022 Turner Prize Winner

A great example of resilience and coherence, Veronica Ryan is the latest winner of the Turner Prize, an annual prize awarded to British contemporary...

Carlotta Mazzoli 2 February 2024

Ana Mendieta, On Giving Life, 1975 Herstory

Identity and Belonging in the Work of Ana Mendieta

Ana Mendieta, the Cuban-American performance artist was an unapologetic feminist who asked profound questions about identity and belonging.

Candy Bedworth 1 February 2024

Music

Have You Seen These Statues of Famous Musicians?

There are good, bad, and ugly statues of the musical greats. Let’s take a look at 10 sculptures of famous musicians, old and contemporary, that...

Candy Bedworth 1 February 2024