The Taino peoples of the Greater Antilles—the islands of Cuba, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, and Jamaica—produced the most distinctive works of art of all of the Caribbean islands during Precolumbian times. Highly individual forms such as the ritual objects known as “zemis,” or idols, were made of stone or wood in different sizes and shapes. The zemis could be named and personally owned, and they were dressed and fed on special occasions. Zemis such as this one in the shape of a crouched, emaciated human figure with a platelike form on the top of the head are thought to have been used in ceremonies that included the taking of hallucinogenic snuff, or “cohoba.” The snuff was placed on top of the zemi and inhaled through small tubes into the nostrils. Read the rest of this entry »

Picasso’s endless experimentation, his inventive visual searching, meant that his art would never be confined to just one style. The Musée Picasso offers an unparalleled opportunity to explore the many faces of Picasso. In this tour, you will see the complex
evolution of his interests, from his early Blue Period, through his influential Cubist and classical phases, to his post-WWI flirtation with Surrealism. We will also see examples from Picasso’s personal collection of painting and non-western art, and discuss what he learned from them. Read the rest of this entry »

The Marmottan is off the beaten path, but the high discovery quotient here makes the ride out to the western city limits well worth the trip. With the exception of Monet’s late waterlilies, you are not likely to see things that seem already familiar: no art book déjà vu.

What gives the Marmottan’s collections their under-stated charm is their ability to spark appreciation for lesser-known artists (the Empire portraitist Louis Boilly, late Impressionists Armand Guillaumin, or the under-rated Berthe Morisot), or for lesser-known works by household names (early caricatures by Monet from the 1850s, a small, stunning portrait of Morisot by Manet). Read the rest of this entry »

On 2 and 3 February 2009, Director of the Hermitage Amsterdam Centre Ernst Veen was in the State Hermitage with a working visit.

During negotiations with the management and employees of the State Hermitage Ernst Veen told about a course of building and construction works in the Amstelhof building where interior finish comes to the end in exact conformity with the plan. On 19 January 2009, a panel clock counting down hours remaining before the completion of the construction has been solemnly switched on the facade of the building. Read the rest of this entry »

The hard-liners in the Soviet government did not pay much attention to maintenance of art, which was officially labeled as “bourgeois and decadent” art. During the 1920s and 1930s, under the rule of Stalin, the Soviet government ordered the sale of over two thousand works of art, including some of the most precious works from the Hermitage collection. These included priceless masterpieces like Raphael’s Alba Madonna, Read the rest of this entry »

The State Hermitage Museum (Russian: Государственный Эрмитаж, Gosudarstvennyj Èrmitaž) in Saint Petersburg, Russia is one of the largest museums in the world, with 3 million works of art (not all on display at once),[1] and one of the oldest art galleries and museums of human history and culture in the world. The vast Hermitage collections are displayed in six buildings, the main one being the Winter Palace which used to be the official residence of the Russian Tsars. Read the rest of this entry »

The origins of the Louvre date to 1200 when Philippe August began construction of a fortress on the banks of the Seine. However this original edifice comprised less than a quarter of the present Cour Carrée on the eastern end of the Louvre (the Sully wing of the Museum).

It first became the official royal residence under Charles V who also constructed a new perimeter with a moat (part of the moat still exists and can be seen from the rue de l’Amiral). Read the rest of this entry »

The library of Charles V - installed in one of the towers of the original fortress of Philippe August - was eventually dispersed. François I began a new collection of art with 12 paintings from Italy. These included works by Titian, Raphael, and Leonardo da Vinci, the most famous being the Joconde - or Mona Lisa. The royal collection grew and by the reign of Louis XIII, numbered roughly 200 pieces. Henri II, and Catherine de Médicis continued to enlarge the collection, as did others. When Louis XIV died in 1715, there were 2,500 pieces of art and objects.

Until the Revolution, this collection was strictly for the private pleasure of the Court. Finally, the idea of a museum (originating with Louis XVI) was realized on 10 August 1793, when the Musée de la République opened to the public. Read the rest of this entry »

One of the most persistent criticisms of the National Gallery, alongside the perceived inadequacies of the building, has been of its policy regarding the conservation of paintings. The Gallery’s detractors accuse it of having an over-zealous approach to restoration and of turning a deaf ear to criticism. The first cleaning operation at the National Gallery began in 1844 after Eastlake’s appointment as Keeper, and was the subject of attacks in the press after the first three paintings to receive the treatment – a Rubens, a Cuyp and a Velázquez – were unveiled to the public in 1846. Read the rest of this entry »

The first significant alteration made to the building was the single, long gallery added by Sir James Pennethorne in 1860-1.Ornately decorated in comparison with the rooms by Wilkins, it nonetheless worsened the cramped conditions inside the building as it was built over the original entrance hall.Unsurprisingly, several attempts were made either to completely remodel the National Gallery (as suggested by Sir Charles Barry in 1853), or to move it to more capacious premises in Kensington, where the air was also cleaner. Read the rest of this entry »