Islamic State militants armed with sledgehammers and jackhammers have destroyed priceless ancient artefacts in Iraq’s city of Mosul, a video released by the jihadists Thursday shows. The destruction sparked widespread consternation and alarm, with some archaeologists and heritage experts comparing it to the 2001 demolition of the Bamiyan Buddhas in Afghanistan …
Category: Culture & Arts
Stolen Picasso Shipped as Christmas Present Seized in Newark
The cubist painting La Coiffeuse by Pablo Picasso was considered missing for over a decade. Photo: AP/US Department of Justice A stolen Picasso painting which was considered lost for years has resurfaced in the United States, where it had been shipped under false pretenses as a $37 Christmas present…
Artist’s muse: A secret life
Egon Schiele’s portraits of his muse and love Wally Neuzil are among the artist’s most famous works – but who was she really? Kimberly Bradley investigates.
Celebrate International Polar Bear Day With These Stunning Photographs
Happy International Polar Bear Day! This February 27 marks the 10th annual observance of the holiday. Popularized by conservation group Polar Bears International, the day is an opportunity to raise awareness for these iconic animals and the threats they face. Arctic warming, made worse by greenhouse gas emissions from human activities, …
Full-time Development Assistant at a thriving performing Arts Center in Pasadena, CA
Boston Court Performing Arts Center seeks a full-time Development Assistant to assist with planning, administering, and implementation of all fundraising activities, other special projects and events. Candidate should have at least 2 years experience for a performing arts organization. Ideal candidate will have a minimum BA/BS university degree, customer …
‘House of Cards’ Season 3 Episode 2 Recap: Balancing the Eggs
Claire heads before Congress and Frank tries to change the laws of physics.
Stolen Picasso Work Is Seized in Newark
“La Coiffeuse,” or “The Hairdresser,” had been missing from Paris for more than a decade. It resurfaced in December in a FedEx shipment from Belgium.
The Getty’s Associate Director for Collections Is Retiring
Thomas Kren, the J. Paul Getty Museum’s associate director for collections, is retiring after 35 years with the museum, the Getty announced today. He joined the Getty in 1980, first as an associate curator of paintings, then senior curator of … Read More
Australian venues ban ‘narcissistic’ selfie sticks
The promoter of the Soundwave music festival, held in major cities across Australia, has vowed to crack down on “selfie” sticks, saying they are preventing concertgoers from enjoying the show. Promoter AJ Maddah’s concerns come as the Sydney Entertainment Centre, now Qantas Credit Union Arena, confirmed to Fairfax Media that …
The Barnes Foundation discovers two sketches by Paul Cézanne behind watercolors
During a recent paper conservation treatment, the Barnes Foundation discovered two unfinished sketches—one graphite and one watercolor— on the reverse sides of two watercolors by Cézanne, which depict the landscape of southern France: The Chaine de l’Etoile Mountains (BF650) and Trees (BF655), normally on view …
MFA Boston Acquires What’s Left of Legendary Rothschild Collection
The Rothschild Family in 1937. Photo: Courtesy the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, is the lucky recipient of a major gift from heirs of the Rothschild family. The works, 186 in total, are part of a treasure trove of family heirlooms that was looted during World…
Did Holbein invent Henry VIII?
In a Culture Show special, Waldemar Januszczak looks at the work of Hans Holbein the Younger. He argues that the painter was integral to our idea of the Tudors.
‘Guardians’ Director James Gunn Defends Superhero Movies After Oscars Diss
“Guardians of the Galaxy,” last year’s highest-grossing comic book movie, was nominated for two Oscars during Sunday’s ceremony. But despite the inclusion, “Guardians” and its brethren were on the receiving end of a diss from Jack Black during the Oscars’ opening musical number. “Opening with lots of zeroes, …
Early Music Leader Philip Pickett Gets 11 Years’ Prison For Rape
The founder and director of the New London Consort and Musicians of the Globe (the resident ensemble at Shakespeare’s Globe), with a discography of 48 titles, Pickett was convicted of assaulting several of his students at the Guildhall School.
In Performance: Patrick Mulryan of ‘Into the Woods’
A video performance of “Giants in the Sky” from the Fiasco Theater’s production of “Into the Woods.”
Tiananmen Square ‘Negatives’: An Art Book or a Protest?
The photographer Xu Yong published only negatives of his pictures documenting the 1989 protests, but they are likely to be seen as a provocation: Readers can unlock the full images with an iPhone.
The War at Home: Norwegian Critics Rain Fire on Prodigal Son Bjarne Melgaard for Munch Show
Bjarne Melgaard’s current show at the Munch Museum in Oslo, “The End of It Has Already Happened,” which pairs the work of Norway’s most celebrated contemporary artist with one of its national icons, has turned into “a huge national scandal … Read More
Belvedere highlights both the political and social aspects of The Congress of Vienna
The Congress of Vienna is one of the most important international mega events in European history. Two hundred years ago, Vienna became Europe’s political, cultural, and social hub for a period of several months. The Congress was hosted by Emperor Francis I of Austria. All of the major …