http://arthistory.we-wish.net "The secret of life is in art." -Oscar Wilde Mon, 29 Dec 2008 20:58:23 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Here's the best Christmas present a museum nerd could ever ask for.  NPR is releasing a series of programs on today's museums.  Each one presents an in-depth but easy-to-understand summary of the challenges facing museums in the U.S.--everything from art crime to experimental architecture to education. Thoroughly researched, with ... http://arthistory.we-wish.net/2008/12/29/nprs-museums-in-the-21st-century/ Wow. Well, recreating tableaus of great art out of celebrities isn't new -- see Scarlett Johanssen in Girl with a Pearl Earring or even Brangelina unintentionally posing as a van Eyck painting -- but People Magazine's special "Sexy Forever" issue recreated "iconic female images," two of which are paintings.  They ... http://arthistory.we-wish.net/2008/12/11/people-magazine-recreates-art-badly/ The witty, clever, and all-around awesome art and literary musings of those at independent publisher Abbeville Press had some very nice things to say about this blog.  We're big fans, so their post made our day.  Thanks, Abbeville Manual of Style! My fellow blog author and I are retreating to the ... http://arthistory.we-wish.net/2008/12/01/were-famous/ Revised with commentary There's nothing like seeing a work of art in person.  After all, do projected Powerpoints or captioned dimensions really mean anything? After spending a semester abroad last spring, and standing in front of famous artwork for the first time, I reaffirmed just how important seeing the true ... http://arthistory.we-wish.net/2008/11/24/highlights-of-paris/ Ever wanted to practice your child's pose or downward dog surrounded by incredible works of art?  Turns out you can -- at UNC Chapel Hill's Ackland Art Museum, where weekly yoga programs are offered in the Asian galleries. Although I was a little shocked at first at the idea ... http://arthistory.we-wish.net/2008/11/23/yoga-in-the-galleries/ "If you were to say, 'What is a transforming work of art?' I would say it's this: you seem to be aware of something intangible that you need to be in touch with." ---Keith Christiansen Sometimes, it's nice to be reminded of the magic that comes from standing in front of a ... http://arthistory.we-wish.net/2008/11/19/quote-of-the-moment/ This tiny "street art" installation has been making the rounds across the internet lately.  Its whimsical concept is a fun and clever take on installation art by an artist named Slinkachu -- I only wish I lived in London so I could run into (or perhaps more accurately, try not ... http://arthistory.we-wish.net/2008/10/23/smallest-installation-art-ever/ Here's an exhibition on my list to visit the next time I'm in the city: Frick's Vermeers Reunited at, of course, the Frick.  The steel giant owned three of the mysterious Northern master's enigmatic paintings, which are usually displayed in separate areas of the mansion-museum.  At this point, because there ... http://arthistory.we-wish.net/2008/09/27/fricks-vermeers-reunited/ We all know about the Met's new director, but it seems director jobs are in flux throughout the museum world.  Richard Armstrong, longtime director of a museum close to my heart and home, the Carnegie Museum of Art, has just recently been appointed director of the Guggenheim Foundation.  The Carnegie ... http://arthistory.we-wish.net/2008/09/26/richard-armstrong-moves-to-the-guggenheim/ A little tacky? Perhaps. A little pricey? True. But, as a total art history nerd, do I still sort of want one? Yup.  (Get one from Modern Dose; via CasaSugar.) PS: Forgive the lack of more hefty posts lately, but let this little Aphrodite-bust bookshelf tide you over until I post ... http://arthistory.we-wish.net/2008/09/25/bookshelves-for-the-art-history-nerd/