Music as a ‘Means to an End’
Summary, Today
In a New York Times “Live at Home” event, the recording artists Meshell Ndegeocello, Brandi Carlile and Hayley Kiyoko explored the role of activism in their work.
Andrew Cuomo Ascends to the Mountaintop With His Pandemic Poster
Culture, Yesterday
The retro political artwork on “New York Tough” is peak Cuomo, summing up the state’s battle against the coronavirus. But is it art?
Frieze’s London Fairs Are Art World’s Latest Cancellations
Culture, Yesterday
The premiere fairs are off, and a gallery-based Frieze Week looks doubtful because of the “continued unprecedented challenges” of the pandemic.
Famous Paintings Go on Show, Without a Canvas in Sight
Culture, Yesterday
The French company behind flashy digital shows of Klimt, Klee, van Gogh and others is bringing fine art to a mass audience. And it’s turning a profit.
David Lee Roth Is Letting His Art (Mostly) Do the Talking
Culture, July 13
Since the Covid-19 pandemic forced him off the road, the singer has been making comics at his Los Angeles home, and calling it performance therapy.
Eastward, Ho! Even Art Is Leaving for the Hamptons
Culture, July 12
With vacation homes becoming full-time residences because of the coronavirus pandemic, New York galleries are opening outposts to be near collectors.
Bonnie Lucas, Still Playing With Dolls
Culture, July 12
The artist finds pleasure and healing in cutting up toys and feminine things, and reassembling the pieces.
Eastward, Ho! New York Art Dealers Follow Collectors to the Hamptons
Culture, July 12
With vacation homes becoming full-time residences because of the coronavirus pandemic, galleries are opening new outposts to be near top buyers.
Explore the Red Planet and the Pool
At Home, July 11
Go on a scavenger hunt for Mars Day, muse on why we swim and boogie during a dance master class.
Christie’s New Auction Technique: The Global Gavel
Culture, July 10
The sale on Friday, which started in Hong Kong and included Paris, London and New York, raised $420.9 million.
From Catherine Opie, a Visual Diary of the Recent Past
T Style, July 10
The celebrated photographer shares her snapshots of a time of togetherness.
Behind the Cover: The Decameron Project
Magazine, July 10
A look at the magazine's fiction issue — inspired by a 14th century book.
Inside an Eclectic Retreat on Shelter Island
T Style, July 10
Jonathan Adler and Simon Doonan’s art- and design-filled summer home is a place for both creativity and downtime.
U.S. Supreme Court to Rule on Medieval Treasure Bought by Nazis
Culture, July 10
The Guelph Treasure was acquired by a German state collection in 1935 from a consortium of Jewish art dealers. Their descendants say the sale was forced, but a Berlin museum claims the deal was fair.
Newark Artists, Thriving Amid Crisis and Catharsis
Arts & Leisure, July 10
Laid low by the coronavirus crisis, the city’s artists were then raised on the energy of protests. They have been on the front lines all the while.
Auctions Are Crimped as the Pandemic Forces Them Online
Business, July 10
As sellers look to shed valuable items and buyers look to collect them on the cheap, auction houses are learning to adapt with virtual events.
Storm King Reopens for the Art-Starved
Weekend, July 9
The pastoral sculpture park in New York’s Hudson Valley opens its gates, with new works by Mark di Suvero, Kiki Smith and Martha Tuttle — and new precautions.
A Swiss Dada Pioneer Finally Gets Her Spotlight
Weekend, July 9
Sophie Taeuber-Arp did it all: Installations, textiles, costumes, abstract art. Nearly 80 years after her death, an online gallery show commemorates her talent (and a major museum exhibition is coming).
2 Art Gallery Shows to Explore From Home
Weekend, July 9
Galleries and museums are getting creative about presenting work online during the coronavirus crisis. Here are two shows worth viewing virtually.
A Melania Trump Statue Is Set on Fire. Its Patron Gets Inspired.
Foreign, July 9
The American artist who commissioned the work near the first lady’s Slovenian hometown said he wanted to interview the arsonists. “There’s a lot of buzz around the destruction of monuments,” he noted.
The T List: Five Things We Recommend This Week
T Style, July 9
Handblown glass, sparkly shoes, Scottish jewelry — and more.
Court Ruling in Monaco Ends One Piece of a $2 Billion Art Dispute
Culture, July 8
The case against Yves Bouvier, a Swiss businessman who helped the Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev buy 38 artworks, was dismissed.
Graffiti Is Back in Virus-Worn New York
Metro, July 8
The city’s coronavirus lockdown and subsequent rise in unemployment have created the perfect conditions for a new generation of graffiti writers.
‘Ai Weiwei: Yours Truly’ Review: On the Irony of Personal Freedom
Culture, July 8
This documentary from Cheryl Haines about Ai, a Chinese artist and activist, explores the tension between the idea of liberty and the fate of those who pursue it.
It’s Christo’s Final Show. But Is It the Last We’ll See of Him?
Culture, July 8
The artist, who died in May, had planned to wrap the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. The project is delayed, but on track for next year. And his collaborators hope they can pull off one more feat, too.
Amy Cooper’s 911 Call, and What’s Happened Since
Metro, July 8
The white woman who called police on a Black bird watcher in Central Park is facing charges. But not everyone agrees that's the right course of action.
A Designer Who Makes Rugs Based on Screenshots
T Style, July 7
Tom Atton Moore’s vibrant floor coverings are indebted to centuries-old craft techniques — and to the more contemporary art of trawling through one’s phone.
Elizabeth Murray Estate Moves to Gladstone Gallery
Culture, July 7
The switch from Pace Gallery comes almost 13 years after Murray’s death at 66. “I’ve been thinking about this and dreaming about this for a long time,” Barbara Gladstone said.
Richard di Liberto, Expert Photographer of Museum Art, Dies at 82
Obits, July 7
His photos of the Frick Collection’s artworks illustrate books and catalogs and helped create the museum’s visual identity. He died of Covid-19.
Students’ Calls to Remove a Mural Were Answered. Now Comes a Lawsuit.
Culture, July 6
An alumnus has filed a suit to save a fresco at the University of Kentucky that depicts enslaved people; a Black artist whose work is shown with it also wants the mural to stay.
How a Brooklyn Artist Is Making Black Women Her Focus
Express, July 6
Through her Essential Workers series, Aya Brown, 24, has shined a spotlight on the Black women in New York who work in hospitals, schools and retail.
Protesting U.S. Immigration Policies, Artists Aim for the Sky
Culture, July 3
This Independence Day, 70 artists are having messages of solidarity and defiance typed in the sky to highlight the plight of immigrants held in detention centers.
Guggenheim Opens Investigation Into Basquiat Show After Racism Complaints
Culture, July 2
After nearly a quarter of all employees signed onto a letter accusing executives of racism and mismanagement, the museum has hired a lawyer to start an independent investigation.
Una guía de Andy Warhol para sobrevivir al aislamiento
Magazine, July 2
El famoso y sociable artista era, en secreto, un hombre hogareño. Su libro de autoayuda me dio permiso para divertirme en casa.
‘Liberty Bell’ Tolls for Sites Where History Is Alive and Kicking
Weekend, July 2
Nancy Baker Cahill uses augmented reality to explore the meaning of historical sites from the Rockaways in New York to Selma, Ala. Is public art embellishing our heritage, or defacing it?
Berkshires Museums Announce Reopening Plans Under Phase 3
Culture, July 2
Mass MoCA, the Norman Rockwell Museum and the Clark Art Institute will reopen this month, with programming changes and social-distancing measures.
The Gallery Where Stevie Wonder Was a Regular
T Style, July 2
Linda Goode Bryant discusses her career — from art dealer to urban farmer — with the artist Senga Nengudi.
The T List: Five Things We Recommend This Week
T Style, July 2
Three-course French meals for the home, a new Greek hotel — and more.
Turner Prize Was Canceled, but Organizers Still Gave Out the Cash
Culture, July 2
The organizers of the British art award are giving out 10 grants to support artists.
Can a New Arts Center Revitalize Provincetown?
Arts & Leisure, July 2
In saving the Mary Heaton Vorse home, Ken Fulk hopes to help rescue an arts colony under siege from gentrification. But artists still need cheap studio space.
A Public Art Project Devoted to Dismantling Racism at Every Level
T Style, July 1
With “Amends,” the artists Nick Cave and Bob Faust have created a multipronged platform for self-scrutiny and, they hope, lasting change.
3 Art Gallery Shows to Explore From Home
Weekend, July 1
Galleries and museums are getting creative about presenting work online during the coronavirus crisis. Here are three shows worth viewing virtually.
Cuts to the Arts Help Philadelphia Address Huge Budget Gap
Culture, June 30
The City Council approved a budget last week that reduced citywide arts funding to $5.84 million, a cut of 40 percent.
Art Auction or Game Show? Sotheby’s Tries Something New
Culture, June 30
With a “multicamera global livestream” in place of its usual New York sale, the auction house tried breathing life back into a pandemic-numbed market.
Ten Signature Images From Milton Glaser’s Eclectic Career
Culture, June 30
In his graphic designs, he mingled Dürer with de Chirico, Breuer with Klimt, Islamic ornament with African textiles.
Andy Warhol’s Secrets for Surviving Isolation
Magazine, June 30
The famously social artist was a secret homebody. His self-help book gave me permission to actually have fun at home.
Francis Bacon Triptych Sells for $84.6 Million
Culture, June 29
Sotheby’s tests a new hybrid auction market with a work by the British painter — and socially-distanced bid-takers in three cities.
Milton Glaser’s Unseen Design for New York: ‘Together’
Culture, June 29
A conversation with the graphic designer, who, until his death at 91, was still thinking about how his craft could help his beleaguered city.
Five Art Accounts to Follow on Instagram Now
Weekend, June 29
Tracking contentious statues, a journal devoted to Pan-African culture, fashion designers who geek out on art and politics: Here are the Instagram accounts that brighten our art critic’s daily feed.
Works for the Now, by Queer Artists of Color
T Style, June 29
Pride Month may be coming to a close, but the wide-ranging pieces shown here have staying power.
Disputed African Artifacts Sell at Auction
Culture, June 29
A Princeton art history professor said the figures were stolen and called on Christie’s to halt the sale, but it went ahead in Paris on Monday.
The Russian Bounties in Afghanistan: What Did Trump Know?
Letters, June 29
Readers discuss the White House’s denial that the president had been briefed on reported Russian payments to the Taliban. Also: Remembering Milton Glaser.
Milton Glaser’s Unseen Design for New York: ‘Together’
Culture, June 29
A conversation with the graphic designer, who, until his death at 91, was still thinking about how his craft could help his beleaguered city.
Celebrating Pride in a Time of Protests and Pandemic
Metro, June 29
The 50th anniversary of the first Pride parade in the city was, because of the pandemic, a subdued affair.
Celebrating Pride in a Time of Protests and Pandemic
Metro, June 29
The 50th anniversary of the first Pride parade in the city was, because of the pandemic, a subdued affair.
Museum of the City of New York: Reduced but Reopening
Culture, June 28
After layoffs, furloughs and salary cuts, the museum prepares to reopen with a reduced budget and will present an exhibition about the pandemic.
Milton Glaser, Master Designer of ‘I ♥ NY’ Logo, Is Dead at 91
Obits, June 26
He was also a founder of New York magazine, created a memorable Bob Dylan poster and produced designs for everything from supermarkets to restaurants to “Mad Men.”
‘Through Art, I Hope That We Can Make One Tulsa’
Culture, June 26
Talking with two organizers of the movement to reclaim the long-ignored history of Black Wall Street and the Greenwood district’s achievements.
11 of Our Best Weekend Reads
News Desk, June 26
How the virus won. What is owed? Gretchen Whitmer. David Sedaris. The last days of Pop Smoke. And more.
Celebrating India’s Innovative Spirit Through Design
Foreign, June 26
Many designers in the country have looked to the West for inspiration. Divya Thakur is at the forefront of moves to change that.
Berkeley Art Museum Names a New Director
Culture, June 25
Julie Rodrigues Widholm will start in the post at the University of California Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive on Aug. 1.
When the Louvre Reopens, It’s Going to Be Quiet
Culture, June 25
The museum’s president said visitor numbers could be reduced as much as 80 percent. That might mean a better view of the Mona Lisa, if you can get there.
A Full View, at Last, of Modern Art in South Korea
Weekend, June 25
“Korean Art From 1953,” a lavish new book, is the most significant English-language overview yet of modern and contemporary art on the peninsula.
We Don’t Have to Like Them. We Just Need to Understand Them.
Weekend, June 24
No question the Roosevelt sculpture has to go. But what of the Shaw Memorial in Boston? Eliminate or obscure it, or explain it?
Upheaval Over Race Reaches Met Museum After Curator’s Instagram Post
Culture, June 24
The post by a longtime department chairman, saying monuments should be protected from “zealots,” prompted staff charges that the museum fosters “a culture of systemic racism.”
Andy Goldsworthy Sculpture in San Francisco Is Damaged by Fire
Culture, June 24
The fire department is investigating arson as a possible cause.
2 Art Gallery Shows to Explore From Home
Weekend, June 24
Galleries and museums are getting creative about presenting work online during the coronavirus crisis. Here are two shows worth viewing virtually.
As Museums Get on TikTok, the Uffizi Is an Unlikely Class Clown
Culture, June 24
The art museum in Florence was one of the first to use the social media platform, posting unusually irreverent videos that challenge its dignified reputation.
A Botched Restoration of a Painting in Spain Draws Outrage
Express, June 23
A copy of a painting of the Virgin Mary by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo was disfigured after it was cleaned by a furniture restorer. Restoration experts are calling for tighter regulation of their work.
A Botched Restoration of a Painting in Spain Draws Outrage
Express, June 23
A copy of a painting of the Virgin Mary by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo was disfigured after it was cleaned by a furniture restorer. Restoration experts are calling for tighter regulation of their work.
Facebook, Citing Looting Concerns, Bans Historical Artifact Sales
Culture, June 23
The company announced the prohibition after researchers reported that looters were using the platform to identify and sell illegally excavated antiquities.
The Climate Struggle Within the Civil Service
Letters, June 23
An environmentalist says proposed federal legislation could solve the problem. Also: The election, and after; what’s in a painting; whether democracy can survive.
Nine Black Artists and Cultural Leaders on Seeing and Being Seen
T Style, June 23
Amy Sherald, Michael R. Jackson and others discuss the challenges and opportunities of cultivating black audiences and dismantling historically white institutions.
Basketball and Barkley Hendricks: The Lesser Known Work of an Influential Artist
Sports, June 23
A digital exhibition at Jack Shainman Gallery in New York includes several never-before-seen works by Hendricks relating to his love of the sport.
Curators Urge Guggenheim to Fix Culture That ‘Enables Racism’
Culture, June 22
A letter to the director, signed by “The Curatorial Department,” outlines steps the museum should take to diversify its staff, board and exhibitions.
El destino de las estatuas derribadas
en Español, June 22
Lo que decidan los líderes de las ciudades, los funcionarios de los museos y los historiadores tendrá implicaciones en cómo recordemos la historia que las estatuas fueron creadas para representar, así como nuestro momento actual.
From Celine, a Pendant Designed by a Sculptor
T Style, June 22
The collaboration is a new piece of César’s legacy, and of the larger history of artists making jewelry.
When Luxury Stores Decorate Their Riot Barricades With Protest Art
Op Ed, June 22
Upscale companies have been commissioning art for their boarded-up stores in response to the Black Lives Matter protests. The efforts ring hollow.
Op-Art: See the Sin
Op Ed, June 21
A sketch from an artist known for his critical articulations of blackness, abstraction and the avant-garde.
Black Gallerists Press Forward Despite a Market That Holds Them Back
Culture, June 21
As Art Basel opens online, African-American galleries are glaringly absent.
Endless Grief: The Spectacle of ‘Black Bodies in Pain’
Culture, June 19
Elizabeth Alexander reflects on her seminal Rodney King essay, the George Floyd killing and how the videos of police brutality exacerbate black grief.
MoCA Cleveland Director Resigns After Canceling Show on Police Brutality
Culture, June 19
Jill Snyder says she is stepping down “to advance the movement for change that is now sweeping through our culture.”
A Long Revered Relic Is Found to Be Europe’s Oldest Surviving Wooden Statue
Foreign, June 19
The Holy Face of Lucca, an 8-foot-tall crucifix with a central role in Christian iconography, has survived more than 1,000 years.
What It Takes to Raise a Black Woman Up
Arts & Leisure, June 19
The artist Ayana Evans has been making grueling, yet nuanced performances using her own body to help audiences understand what black women often face.
In Self-Portraits, 27 Black Photographers Reflect Themselves and America
Summary, June 19
A collection produced by the Culture desk offers a perspective of the country through the way artists are framing themselves.
How to Celebrate Juneteenth in N.Y.C.
Metro, June 19
The virtual events include a poetry performance, meditations, discussions, music and more.
Pelosi Orders Removal of Four Confederate Portraits From the House
Washington, June 18
The move, on the eve of Juneteenth, came as part of a nationwide outcry for racial justice that has included the removal of historic symbols of racism in America.
How to Entertain Your Kids This Summer? Maybe Don’t
Weekend, June 18
You can keep your family safe and sane by encouraging old-school play, embarking on some D.I.Y. projects and, yes, even embracing boredom.
Manuel Felguérez, artista mexicano de arte abstracto, falleció a los 91 años
en Español, June 18
Felguérez fue parte de un movimiento que rompió con los muralistas tradicionales, como Diego Rivera. Murió a causa del nuevo coronavirus.
Digital Field Trips: Museum Adventures Abound for Kids
Weekend, June 18
Cultural institutions are finding creative ways to engage young visitors virtually this summer, and many of the offerings are free.
Images of a Stolen Van Gogh Give Experts Hope It Can Be Recovered
Culture, June 18
A private art detective investigating the case said he was sent the images of the work, which was taken from a Dutch museum in March.
We Need to Stop Measuring Black Lives by Their Whiteness
Magazine, June 18
When a plea for mutual understanding went viral, it also revealed the limits of America’s racial imagination.
The T List: Five Things We Recommend This Week
T Style, June 18
New work from Theaster Gates, bamboo-inspired fine jewelry — and more.
‘A Sports Car That You Can Wear Into a Bar’
Business, June 18
Wristwatches and fast cars: precision machines that have grown together for a century, drawing crowds and connoisseurs.
2 Art Gallery Shows to Explore From Home
Weekend, June 17
Galleries and museums are getting creative about presenting work online during the coronavirus crisis. Here are two shows worth viewing virtually.
Ronald Tackmann, Escape Artist Better at Art Than Escaping, Dies at 66
Obits, June 17
Despite three attempts to flee, he spent most of his life in prison, where he became a self-taught painter and sculptor.
Five Artists to Follow on Instagram Now
Weekend, June 17
Simone Leigh’s sculptures, Sara Cwynar’s otherworldly color and Rachel Stern’s photography balm in black and white: Here are some of the accounts recommended by our critic.
Manuel Felguérez, Mexican Abstract Artist, Is Dead at 91
Obits, June 17
Mr. Felguérez was part of a movement that broke from traditional Mexican muralists like Diego Rivera. He died of the novel coronavirus.
Zachary Quinto’s Weekend: Watching ‘Magnolia’ and Letting the Dogs Out
Arts & Leisure, June 16
The actor has spent quarantine time holed up with friends, chasing his two dogs and finding new resonances in old favorite films.
What Has Lockdown Meant for L.G.B.T.Q. Artists and Writers?
Special Sections, June 16
We asked eight to tell us about the work they are doing in the pandemic and to talk about what lies ahead.
Museums Embrace Art Therapy Techniques for Unsettled Times
Culture, June 15
Several institutions are preparing to reopen with an awareness of a new mission as people struggle with loss and unrest.
The Statues Were Toppled. What Happens to Them Now?
Culture, June 15
What city leaders, museum officials and historians decide will have implications for how we remember the history the statues were designed to represent, as well as our current moment.
A Portrait of America That Still Haunts, Decades Later
Interactive, June 12
How, in a single photograph, Robert Frank captured the ongoing story of a divided nation.
Taking Lessons From a Bloody Masterpiece
Interactive, May 28
I’ve become obsessed with Thomas Eakins’s “The Gross Clinic.” Let me show you why.
‘I Have to Make Use of What Is at My Disposal.’
Interactive, May 20
What Zanele Muholi, Titus Kaphar, Kara Walker and other artists are creating during quarantine.
Visiting the Museum in My Mind
Interactive, May 15
A consideration of artworks that ask the question: What world will we find on the other side of this?
17 Artists Capture a Surreal New York From Their Windows
Interactive, April 16
We asked artists sheltering in place across the city to illustrate what it looks and feels like outside their windows.
The Creative Circles Defining the Culture
Interactive, April 13
Whether united by outlook or identity, happenstance or choice, these communities have shaped the worlds of art, fashion, film and more.
What Does It Mean When an Artist Retreats From Public Life?
Interactive, April 13
A small and highly influential group has chosen to disappear from society in favor of letting their work speak for itself.
How ‘Daughters of the Dust’ Sent Ripples Through the Film World
Interactive, April 13
With her lyrical work, made in 1991, Julie Dash and her collaborators recentered the black female gaze.
The Neighbors of Ninth Street
Interactive, April 13
For decades, two blocks in Greenwich Village have been home to a disproportionate number of New York City’s writers, artists, actors and designers.
How Antwerp’s Royal Academy of Fine Arts Birthed the Contemporary Avant-Garde
Interactive, April 13
A city poised on the edge of Europe and the rest of the world became the incubator for talents like Dries Van Noten, Luc Tuymans and Ann Demeulemeester.
How a Trio of Black-Owned Galleries Changed the Art World
Interactive, April 13
In the 1960s and ’70s, Brockman Gallery, Gallery 32 and JAM led the way in showing the work of artists now among the most influential of our time.
35 Top African-American Artists on the Work That Inspires Them
Interactive, March 19
Kerry Washington on Beyoncé, Ta-Nehisi Coates on Kendrick Lamar, Oprah Winfrey on Toni Morrison. This is the black art that is defining the century.