A different kind of portraiture

For the first time in its long history, the National Portrait Gallery in London is hosting a show of abstract paintings. They're still portraits, just not the traditional kind.

The smell of art?

I've said many times that art is about looking, and that we have to spend more time looking at art. An upcoming show at the Tate is going to challenge this idea. Not the idea that we need to spend more time looking, but that art is about looking in isolation. It turns out that more senses may be involved.

While we're talking about Japanese art

Here is a nice little fluff piece in the Wall Street Journal about The Great Wave. Make sure to scroll down to the slide show of Great Wave in popular culture.

Wikipedia activism

For International Women's Day last weekend, about 200 people showed up at MoMA and added women artists to Wikipedia. Hyperallergic has a great article on the event.

Bus Stop

I'd totally wait for a bus here. I might even miss the bus so I could keep waiting.

How not to take care of your painting collection

New analysis reveals that someone--most likely painter Joshua Reynolds--painted over most of Rembrandt's 1674 masterpiece Susanna and the Elders. Ouch!

So remember this later when you start collecting art: just because you own the piece and can do whatever you want to the painting, you should probably not repaint most of it. No matter how good you are.

Jerry Saltz kicked off Facebook

So I'm not the only one who makes occasional off-topic remarks about art. Superstar critic Jerry Saltz got cut off Facebook for his pictures and remarks.

Hooray for fakes?

Last week brought the funny story of guys who sold a fake painting...only to find they'd been paid in counterfeit money...and got arrested anyway.

And today I read that a lot--but sadly not all--of the statues we saw ISIS destroy in Mosul are replicas and not the ancient treasures they thought they were.