Biological residue on or around an artwork may help tell an original from a fake, but the novel method is not without risks.
Editor’s Picks
Posted inBook Review
The Small Magazines That Birthed Surrealism
Surrealism through Its Journals reminds us that the movement began with, and cannot be understood without, the written word.
Posted inArt Review
Irving Petlin’s Haunted Visions of History
In his paintings and pastels, the artist-activist turned to symbolism, metaphor, and memory to convey a world where savagery and distress are rampant.
Posted inComics
How Spielberg Helped Me Understand My Family’s Holocaust Story
My young mind couldn’t fully comprehend what my grandparents endured, but I grasped what I could through the existing reference points of his characters.
Posted inArt
The Revisionist History of the Nazi Salute
Elon Musk’s defenders were quick to claim that his hand motion was actually an ancient “Roman salute” — but that gesture never existed.
Posted inArt
Frida Kahlo’s Elegy to Heartache
Despite the fact that most of humanity has shared the devastating emotional turmoil of a breakup, the topic is strangely elusive in the history of art.
Posted inOpinion
Why I Refuse to Make Art for Prisons
What purpose does this creative enrichment serve when the buildings that host it are harmful?
Posted inComics
A Prospect Heights Ghost Story
The final part of our NYC Housing Stories series focuses on its creator, who was displaced from his Brooklyn brownstone.
Posted inOpinion
My Small Gallery Lost Money at an Art Fair. It Hurt.
When sales are robust, it confirms that producing and selling art is actually a viable activity. When sales falter, our world begins to feel untenable.
Posted inBook Review
Why Isn’t Slavery Depicted in Dutch Painting?
Netherlandish art is remarkably coy about the whole colonial endeavor. A new book seeks to uncover those connections.
Posted inNews
This Hanukkah, Let’s Bring Back Judith Menorahs
The legendary heroine was once widely recognized with fried ricotta pancakes during holiday celebrations. What’s responsible for her erasure?
Posted inArt
Revisiting Botticelli’s Evocative “Mystic Nativity”
The painting re-emerged in the 1800s after centuries of obscurity, revealing a complex composition rife with symbolism and subtle premonitions.