American inferiority complex For a long time the United States suffered from an inferiority complex with regards to its painting. This was because despite America’s status as an economic powerhouse, up until the Second World War it was Paris –...
Frieze LA: does art that appeals to the angels of entertainment run the risk of being too shallow?
( From Velvet Buzzsaw: "A bad review is better than sinking into the great glut of anonymity.) Art and entertainment industry Los Angeles may be a city rich in art, but it is first and foremost the city of what Americans refer to as the entertainment industry. Here...
Francis Bacon: the Centre Pompidou focuses on his last 20 years in an impactful exhibition
Crucial days There are crucial days that can change your life forever. Take the British painter Francis Bacon. On 26 October 1971 he was the subject of a major exhibition at the Grand Palais in Paris. Not only was it a marked success for him in Europe, accompanied by...
Gerhard Richter in Bilbao: bathe in the beauty of German Romanticism
On minute in front of a masterpiece How long does one spend in front of a masterpiece? For mere mortals who can’t claim to possess any, one minute maximum and often even less will be dedicated to experiencing this outstanding vision in a museum. Apart from in...
There’s another version of the Mona Lisa and she’s nude. The curator of the Leonardo exhibition at the Louvre explains
Endless speculation There’s been endless speculation in the media surrounding the nature and whereabouts of the Salvator Mundi, a heavily restored painting depicting Christ blessing the world, not because it is (or isn’t) by Leonardo but primarily...
Luc Tuymans: a masterful exhibition at the Palazzo Grassi in Venice.
Don't stop at the subject When Cézanne painted his wife or a still life of some apples he didn’t just stop at the subject: a portrait of an unprepossessing woman or fruit arranged on a table… He portrayed his universe, composing a union of colours and shapes to...
Bill Viola / Michelangelo at the Royal Academy in London: In life and in death. Sublime
Bill Viola and video art A single exhibition is not enough to form a definitive opinion of an artist. The American artist Bill Viola (born in 1951) is known as one of the major figures and the great pioneer of video art. Yet his retrospective at the Grand...
Bruegel in Vienna: the unique exhibition that’s attracting the whole of Europe
Certain figures take their place in the art history pantheon because they’ve invented something new. These rare artists have looked at the world with unusual acuteness and have been bold enough to convey a new message through their art. Within this hall of fame...
Julian Schnabel: To mark the release of his film on Van Gogh and his exhibition at the Musée d’Orsay the painter shows his true colours
I met the American painter and filmmaker Julian Schnabel (born in 1951) twice at the Musée d’Orsay in Paris, where he was in the process of installing his exhibition consisting of a dialogue between his own oeuvre and the sublime collections at the museum. Julian...
Donna Huanca: 5 answers in 1 minute from the spectacular young artist who paints on bodies and on canvas
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BilamdemOw4 There are names that circulate in the contemporary art world which resemble little refrains that get stuck in your head. You hear them here and there at art fairs and museums on the other side of the world, you...
Andy Warhol at the Whitney Museum. An exceptional exhibition where you learn about his best art
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=roF4jWEqBLg Even though Andy Warhol may not have had the museum namesake he deserved in New York – only Pittsburgh accepted a Warhol Museum after his premature death – and even though he isn’t actually buried there...
Sean Scully: the Irish abstract art star explains why he’s turning to the figurative and answers 8 questions in almost 1 minute
Sean Scully (born in 1945) cuts an imposing figure. Tall in stature, he moves slowly. His face is stern. He has thin lips. A shaved head. He could play the role of a bad guy in a film. He has a reputation for being difficult, but after spending a short time in his...