Art Collectors ‘I’ve Tended to Run Against the Herd’: Ronald Lauder on How He Built an Eclectic Collection Spanning German Expressionism and Fighter Planes In an interview coinciding with the Neue Galerie's 20th anniversary, Ronald Lauder explains his philosophy and criteria for collecting. By Menachem Wecker, Dec 9, 2022
Art History 5 Surprising Things We Learned About Leonardo da Vinci From Historian Martin Kemp’s New Online Masterclass The online course offers an opportunity to get to know both the Renaissance master and the scholar who has devoted his career to studying the artist. By Menachem Wecker, Nov 25, 2022
Shows & Exhibitions Minneapolis Institute of Art’s Close Ties to Uffizi Director Helped It Land Coveted Loans for Its Botticelli Blockbuster Several discoveries underpin the major exhibition featuring loans from the Florentine gallery led by Eike Schmidt, a former curator at the U.S. museum. By Menachem Wecker, Oct 27, 2022
Pop Culture Actor Rowan Atkinson Destroys a Priceless Art Collection in Netflix’s ‘Man vs. Bee.’ The Showrunners Tell Us How They Made It Look So Real Did you spot all of the artistic look-alikes in the series? By Menachem Wecker, Sep 16, 2022
Museums One Foundation Is Giving Top U.S. Museums Millions of Dollars to Address a Critical Blind Spot: Programming for Older Adults E.A. Michelson Philanthropy’s new initiative gives $2 million to nine museums. By Menachem Wecker, Jul 26, 2022
Science & Tech Can an Artwork a Day Keep the Doctor Away? Here Are 5 Ways Scientists Say Art Can Make You Happier and Healthier Art viewing and art making can lead to greater well-being across ages, nationalities, and income levels. By Menachem Wecker, Apr 26, 2022
Shows & Exhibitions Remarkable New Infrared Images of Picasso’s Blue Period Works Reveal Buried Underpaintings and His Extraordinary Process The research has also led to a renewed understanding of the chronology of Picasso's life and artistic development. By Menachem Wecker, Apr 5, 2022
Museums The MFA Boston’s Sparkling New Dutch and Flemish Galleries Don’t Shy Away From the Big Political Question: Whose Golden Age Was It? The museum's thoughtful new installation directly addresses thorny legacies of European colonialism. By Menachem Wecker, Jan 14, 2022
Art History Why Is Murano Glass So Special (and Expensive)? Experts Give Us 8 Reasons In the 19th and 20th centuries, the Venetian craft became a global brand. Here's how that happened. By Menachem Wecker, Jan 5, 2022
Artnet News Pro Want to Clinch That Loan for Your Museum? Here’s How to Secure a High-End Replica That the Collector Can Hang at Home Since at least the 1980s, museums have been creating impressive reproductions of masterpieces to help secure important loans. Here’s how and why they do it. By Menachem Wecker, Nov 8, 2021
Science & Tech Can Graphene, a One-Atom Thick ‘Wonder Material,’ Keep Precious Artworks From Fading? Scientists Say It Shows Promise A transparent layer can retard UV rays and moisture, but some conservators worry about application and suitability for aging oil paint. By Menachem Wecker, Oct 8, 2021
Shows & Exhibitions 500 Years Ago, These Artists Were Household Names. Here’s What Their Fall From Favor Suggests About the Fickleness of Art History An exhibition at the Worcester Art Museum links one collector's journey to bigger questions about who becomes famous, and why. By Menachem Wecker, Jun 8, 2021
Pop Culture 7 of the Greatest Long-Lost Art Historical Masterpieces That Were Found in Attics and Basements—Ranked Who doesn't love a great find? By Menachem Wecker, May 3, 2021
On View Ever Wonder What a 17th-Century Dutch Canal Smells Like? No? Well a New Show Invites You to Sniff the Odors of Art History Anyway The show also presents visitors with some nice smells. Promise! By Menachem Wecker, Mar 16, 2021
Shows & Exhibitions What Is the Role of a Museum in One of Polarized America’s Most Purple States? Oklahoma Contemporary Offers a Case Study The opening may be delayed, but Oklahoma Contemporary reflects big changes and ambitions in the Oklahoma City. By Menachem Wecker, Mar 17, 2020