Art

The Irrepressible Emotion of Lee Krasner

The 20th-century painter is celebrated in a spectacular London retrospective that exposes the fullness of her career for the first time.

• Sophie Gilbert
• Jun 13, 2019

The Whitney Biennial Homes In on American Precariousness

This year’s survey of 75 artists and collectives is quiet and suffused with anxiety.

• Kriston Capps
• May 26, 2019

The Many, Many Theories About Leonardo da Vinci

The artist, inventor, and all-around Renaissance man has been dead for half a millennium, but there’s no end to the wild sleuthing about him and his work.

• Milt Esterow
• May 12, 2019

Neon Is the Ultimate Symbol of the 20th Century

The once-ubiquitous form of lighting was novel when it first emerged in the early 1900s, though it has since come to represent decline.

• Sarah Archer
• Apr 27, 2019

Notre-Dame Isn’t Lost

The history of sacred structures is defined by ruin and repair.

• Sophie Gilbert
• Apr 16, 2019

The Obama Portraits Have Had a Pilgrimage Effect

One year after Kehinde Wiley’s and Amy Sherald’s paintings were unveiled, the director of the National Portrait Gallery reflects on their unprecedented impact.

• Kim Sajet
• Feb 12, 2019

The Artwork That Traps Ivanka Trump in an Endless Cleanup Task

Ivanka Vacuuming, a performance piece by Jennifer Rubell, combines striking visuals with a muddled message.

• Kriston Capps
• Feb 11, 2019

To Understand Art, Think Biology

Just as cells are the building blocks of the human body, a painting’s points, lines, colors, and tensions are the building blocks of its life.

• Lance Esplund
• Jan 16, 2019

David Hockney’s Record-Smashing $90 Million Painting

Portrait of an Artist (Pool With Two Figures) is an unquestionable masterpiece. It just shattered the previous world record for a work sold at auction by a living artist.

• Lawrence Weschler
• Nov 11, 2018