Art News: The Obama Portraits Make a Statement in More Ways Than One

As you’ve probably heard, last week, the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery unveiled its commissioned portraits of former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama. What might have been an uneventful affair for any other former presidential portraits quickly … Continued

Art Reads: The Goldfinch

Donna Tartt’s latest novel, The Goldfinch, won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 2014, and it’s easy to see why. Its treatment of art and art history never veers into pretentious territory, and poses deep questions about art itself to its readers, … Continued

Here’s Where to Read Free Art Books Online

Readers and art history lovers rejoice: your holiday season is about to get much more merry. We have good news for you: Getty Publications, associated with The Getty Museum, has a virtual library where you can check out over 250 … Continued

Our Top 8 Artistic Gifts for Kids Under $20 This Holiday Season

Scrambling for a gift for the kid(s) in your life that’s a bit more creative than this year’s big-ticket items? Don’t worry: we’ve got you covered! We were inspired Museum Shop Sunday (check out more on this movement here) to … Continued

One-Stop Holiday Shopping: Your Local Museum Store?

Looking for a unique place to find a Christmas gift for the art-lover in your life? (Or, let’s face it, a special gift for yourself?) Here’s a thought: try your local museum shop. Despite criticism by Banksy (whose film is … Continued

Cards for a Cause: Meet Wunderkid

Have you ever considered the sheer amount of greeting cards manufactured in the United States? Unless you’re Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s character in 500 Days of Summer, the answer is probably not. We hadn’t: until we heard about Wunderkid, a company that creates a … Continued

“Loving Vincent,” The World’s First Oil-Painted Feature Film, Is Here (And It’s Stunning)

The world’s first feature film illustrated completely in oil paint is here…and, fittingly, it’s all about Vincent Van Gogh. Loving Vincent brings Vincent Van Gogh’s death—and the more mysterious bits surrounding his life—to life, through the medium which he is most … Continued

Kids’ Art Reads: The Outcasts of 19 Schuyler Place

You’d probably expect that the author of From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler would be able to write more than one stellar book featuring works of art at its center. And that’s true of E.L. Konigsburg. While From the Mixed-Up … Continued

Celebrating The Art & Icons of Día de los Muertos

In recent years, the Mexican holiday Día de los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead, has become increasingly popular. Simply look to the sheer amount of decor at Target or Pier 1 Imports: you’ll find sugar skulls and smiling skeletons in … Continued

Kinesthesia & More at the Palm Springs Art Museum

In our last blog post, we mentioned Palm Springs Art Museum’s participation in Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA. After taking a look at the museum’s website, we figured we’d get started in exploring as many of the LA/LA exhibits as we can…starting with … Continued