The Frick Collection has recently acquired Portrait of a Woman, an intriguing and surprisingly assertive portrait of an unidentified woman in luxurious Renaissance clothing. Here is how I interpreted the work during and after my first chance to see it at Frick Madison.
Why See Art in Museums?
With the many (mostly free) virtual art-viewing opportunities that have sprang up since 2020, it's easier than ever to see artworks without ever leaving your home. Therefore, you may wonder if there's really any need to actually go to museums and see art in person. In my opinion, the answer is a resounding yes, since no app or video yet developed has managed to truly replicate the unique experience of being inside the museum. In this article, discover four main reasons to visit museums in person, as well as suggestions for how to make the most of each one.
Susie M. Barstow – Redefining the Hudson River School
Nancy Siegel's Susie M. Barstow: Redefining the Hudson River School (Lund Humphries, 2023) is the first-ever biography of Susie M. Barstow, a greatly under-rated Hudson River School artist, teacher, and adventurer. I really enjoyed reading about Barstow's adventurous life and beautiful art.
Active Looking: the Most Important Skill for Every Art Lover
In my opinion, active looking is the most important skill any art lover can possibly cultivate. Find out why it's important and how to practice it in my new video.
Why You Should Visit Art Galleries
Art galleries provide often-overlooked free opportunities to see art in person. Their perceived snobbishness and exclusivity often stop people from taking advantage of them, but that attitude is not always accurate in my experience. Art galleries are basically stores that sell art, and they are generally a lot less intimidating than you might think.
Shape the Future of A Scholarly Skater Art History!
Please take a short survey to help me better understand and serve my readers.
Learn to evaluate museum exhibitions in this downloadable guide
I'm so pleased to announced the latest offering in my The Art Museum Insider online learning series. Be the Critic: How to Evaluate Museum Exhibitions is your guide to understanding the messages that art exhibitions share with their viewers.
Seven Tips for Studying Art History on Your Own
There are lots of resources out there for people who want to study art history on their own. However, structure and guidance are harder to come by, so here is my best advice for getting the most out of your art history self study.
What is Attribution?
Understand attribution, the process by which art historians make educated suppositions about who made an artwork, and learn about the pseudonyms given to artists whose real names we don't know. Enjoy some pretty religious paintings at the same time.
Cocktails with a Curator, the Book
Cocktails with a Curator (2022) is the book version of the Frick Collection's wildly-popular 2020-21 video series of the same title. It's definitely not the same experience as the series, but it's a good textual companion and all-around enjoyable art book.
A Scholarly Skater 