Huge Street Art Murals Transform City Of Lodz In Poland

The city of Lodz in Poland is promoting the work of street artists from around the world as a way of creating a cultural re-invigoration of this city whose population is three quarters of a million. Begun in 2009, the Urban Forms Gallery has installed more than 20 large square paintings on elevations in the …

In segregated, wartime America, making art against the odds

In the early 1940s, a young man named John Biggers enrolled at Hampton Institute, a black college near Norfolk, at the same time that Viktor Lowenfeld, a painter and art scholar who had fled Nazi persecution in Austria, arrived to establish the school’s art department. The artistic aspirations that nourished them both — after the …

AFRICAN AMERICAN ARTIST ALLAN ROHANE CRITE WORKS DISCOVERED IN STORAGE UNIT

A story right out of reality television has unfolded for a young couple from western Massachusetts.  Last year the couple acquired the contents of an abandoned storage locker at a Boston auction.  Little did they realize at the time that the locker contained a selection of works by Allan Rohan Crite, dubbed in 2002 as  …

Diego Velazquez Birthday: Famed Spanish Artist Turns 414

Today we would like to celebrate the birthday of famed portrait artist and friend of Spanish royalty Diego Velazquez. The painter, who The Metropolitan Museum of Artonce described as “the most admired — perhaps the greatest — European painter who ever lived,” would turn 414 years old today if he were miraculously still alive. Velazquez was …

Nahum Tschacbasov Retrospective: Exhibit Of Avant-Garde Artist Goes On View For Russian Heritage Month

The canvases of Russian-born artist Nahum Tschacbasov are filled with familiar themes — quasi-religious imagery, romantic landscapes, not-so-subtle references to being an artist. With brushstrokes reminiscent of Peter Doig and ghostly figures that echo Picasso’s, the paintings evoke a pleasant feeling of deja-vu. Most art admirers are probably unaware of the Tschacbasov’s prominence in the …

Tala Madani’s Painted World Of Middle Aged Men

Imagine a world populated only by middle aged men, left to fumble through their daily activities with a heavy dose of masculinity and self-seriousness that so often plagues the male set. This is the scenario posited by Iranian-American artist Tala Madani, whose satirical paintings excel at seriously poking fun. We agree with Roberta Smith when …

Erotic Embroidery: Artist Alaina Varrone Creates Tantalizing Needleworks That Are Certainly NSFW

Artist Alaina Varrone turns the wholesome craft of embroidery into a tantalizing medium for erotica in her colorful NSFW needleworks. From blush-worthy nudity to eyebrow-raising sexual acts, the threaded imagery is certainly not your average chain-stitch design. Varrone is a classically trained visual artist who dabbled in needlecraft before entering college. But, as she stated in an …

‘At-Risk’ Teens Produce Interesting Artwork As Teacher Aims To Reduce Graffiti

It appears that this California teacher has truly reached his students. In an effort to avoid doling out detentions for graffiting at the alternative high school where he teaches, Reddit user RedPenVandal allows his students to draw at their desks. The doodles, which he posted in an album on Reddit, are both beautiful and inspiring. In a Reddit …

Inflatable Art: The Most Incredible Pop-Able Sculptures Around The World

There’s something playful about anything inflatable. Blown-up objects remind us of a birthday party balloon animals, childhood bounce houses and bubbles of Bazooka Joe. Yet when artists work with inflatable sculptures, these tokens of childhood morph into high art. This year, Paul McCarthy’s balloon sculpture sat like a watchdog over New York’sFrieze Art Fair, Christo created …

James Franco’s ‘Psycho Nacirema’ Exhibit Reimagines Hitchcock’s Iconic 1960 Thriller

James Franco is going ‘Psycho’ for his most recent art exhibit, on view at London’s Pace Gallery this week. For the cinematic-inspired show, the actor performs his best Janet Leigh impersonations in a lofty reimagination of Alfred Hitchcock’s epic 1960 film. That’s right, the ever-reaching Franco dons a blonde wig and screams his lungs out in a shower, …

The Indian Frida Kahlo

The woman’s body is luscious but self-contained, suggesting that this is not an erotic pose, not quite. She is naked from the waist up, her heavy breasts seeming to offer an invitation, yet her thoughtful glance, staring out beyond the picture, suggests that she has other things on her mind. The painting, titled Self-Portrait as …

Venice Biennale 2013 Photo Diary: Wrap-Up

The Venice Biennale officially opened to the public on June 1, which means the VIP crowd was long gone by the time the common people were able to take a look at the much written about works from artists all over the globe. “Far from inaugurating, Venice crowns a career,” Chris Sharp writes in ArtReview. While it …

Richie Havens Dead: Woodstock Singer Dies Of Heart Attack At 72 (video)

Richie Havens, the folk singer and guitarist who was the first performer at Woodstock, died Monday at age 72. Havens died of a heart attack in New Jersey, his family said in a statement. He was born in Brooklyn. Havens was known for his crafty guitar work and cover songs, including his well-received cover of …

Jackie Robinson movie ‘42’ is a boon to Negro Leagues museum

By SAM MELLINGER The Kansas City Star The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum has done so many things. Seen so much. They have been hosts to presidents. They have welcomed Hall of Famers. They’ve received checks from baseball stars (though not enough of them), they’ve thrown black-tie galas, and they’ve sung along with The Temptations. They …